"Fuck it."
Azure eyes locked onto Nico's playful expression, Will finally resolved to try to overcome the strangling chokehold of fear he found himself in. Breaths coming quick, his chest shallowly rising and falling, Will felt like an elusive pair of hands were pulling the wisps of air from his lungs, stealing his very life force and sealing his will to act.
With another breath, Will was finally able to move somewhat freely in the unfamiliar situation. He remembered the way Nico had lured him out of the bathroom, Nico's warmth pressed back into his chest, the way Nico's firm abdomen rose and fell with each breath, pushing against Will's grip on his hips.
What was wrong with him? Mere minutes ago, he was shamelessly grinding against Nico, but now he couldn't even look the other man in the eyes and talk like a functional human. He couldn't even remember the last time he had been this tongue-tied, if ever. He could carry on a conversation about advanced medical pathophysiology or banter with friends without batting an eye.
So why now? Will wanted nothing more than to be able to actually learn more about the mysterious man who had miraculously taken an interest in him. But his tongue was still locked behind those ivory bars, jaw forcefully flexed to the point of inducing a dull ache on the sides of his head.
Aware of Nico still watching him curiously with that alluringly playful expression, Will pressed his lips together, determined to finally follow through on something for the first time in much too long. He reached his left hand over and gently placed it on Nico's right hand, his left hand still holding on to his nearly empty daiquiri.
"Gods," Nico murmured with a small smirk peeking through his otherwise composed expression. "You're acting like a lost puppy. Don't be so shy, come here."
Will shifted to better angle his body towards Nico, the booth's bright red faux leather seat crinkling stickily as Will moved, hesitating before sliding his hand upwards and back around Nico's waist once again. This earned him another tempting hum of approval from the small Italian man, who slid closer towards Will.
Will's gaze followed Nico's fingertips as they glided down the length of Will's thigh, sending a shiver up the blonde's spine that caused him to tense up under Nico's touch. Nico paused as he felt Will clench up in response, and pulled back, leaving Will wanting much more than what little he had managed to obtain.
"You sure you don't want some of that to help you relax a bit?" Nico asked, pointing to Will's untouched drink as he lifted his own, slowly savoring what remained in his glass.
Will paused once more, mind racing with possible outcomes. Here he was, sitting in a gay bar with a stranger who he had technically only talked to for the first time today. Hot and bothered by the mere presence of the other man, ever-steady hands still trembling ever so slightly with the mild anxiety brought on by the whole situation he found himself in.
To drink or not to drink? To give in to the poison that had robbed him of a mother, robbed others of their health, relationships, and lives? To break his own personal promise that he would never drink a drop of alcohol lest he wind up like Naomi?
To finally give up the tightly held control that he guarded so vehemently? To finally be able to drop the shackles he had locked onto his own limbs? To allow himself just one night to enjoy himself for the first time in years?
To make it easier for him to reach out and finally grab what he wanted, or to sabotage himself once again and leave empty-handed?
A heartbeat.
A second heartbeat.
Then, on pure impulse, Will grabbed the glass in front of him, hoping that it would be enough to push him over the edge. His inhibitions were too high, the fear of failure and embarrassment too strong, but the solution to his problems had been sitting in front of him the whole time.
Remembering the way Nico's Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped down a third of his drink, Will saw the opportunity to redeem the impression he would leave on Nico tonight. Lifting the glass to his lips, he inhaled the aroma of the fruity alcohol, before parting his lips to tilt some of it into his mouth.
Immediately, he stifled a gag as he tasted the rough, acrid flavor of the liquor that even the sweetest of fruit mixers couldn't overpower. As he swallowed, just a drop found its way into his windpipe, the sensation too uncomfortable to mask with a straight face. Violently coughing, Will raised a hand to cover his mouth as he placed the drink with a clatter back on the table, all of his concentration focused on trying not to let his drinking inexperience show.
"Ugh, wrong pipe," he rasped out, wiping his chin with the back of his right hand. Clearing his throat, he could still feel the warm burn in his windpipe with the movement of air, shuddering as he sucked in a new breath.
Gods, that hurt like a bitch.
"Take it slow, big guy," Nico murmured, reaching out to once again run a hand over Will's left thigh under the table. "I'll finish off what you can't." Will could feel the blood rushing to his face in embarrassment, but given the lighting, and the situation, it was hopefully more likely to go unnoticed by his companion.
His lips tingled as he ran his tongue over the little alcohol that remained there. How many drinks had Nico bought like this, only to take some of it back with a strawberry-flavored kiss? If only Will had the courage to just reach out to pull Nico's face closer to his own…
Sizing up the remaining rose-colored liquid in the glass before him, Will reveled in the sweetness of the strawberry juice that lingered on his tongue. Every part of his mouth tingled where the liquor had lingered, a foreign, but not completely unpleasant sensation. With just a single taste of his newfound vice, Will could feel the icy fear that had paralyzed every muscle in his body melting away with the heat rushing down his esophagus.
Unsure if it was the alcohol itself, or the heart-racing rush from doing something new, dangerous, and so very deviant from his normal values, Will found himself giddy and elated like never before.
When was the last time he had actually felt this good?
It was nothing like his first-ever nicotine buzz that he was forever chasing, the tingling in his limbs and lightheaded haze nowhere to be felt. Instead of his routine yearning for a taste of something familiar but lost, Will now found himself thrilled at the prospect of not knowing what would come next.
Glancing apprehensively at the glass in his hand, Will steeled his nerves once more before lifting the glass to his lips again, this time determined to effortlessly down the drink. Bracing himself for the now-familiar sensation of a burning throat, Will tipped the glass back and fervently gulped down the rest of the drink in a single breath.
Following the sound of clinking ice cubes as he placed the glass back on the table, Will relished in how the liquid seemed to light a fiery path down his esophagus.
Peristalsis.
For the first time, all of the terminology and bodily processes he had studied for years became real and alive, now more apparent than just diagrams on paper. Each little bit of his body truly was alive, and Will could feel it.
As Will's focus followed his newfound vice and his circulation did its work, he felt the warmth return to his more excessively flushed cheeks as he felt Nico squeeze his thigh, and the blonde looked up from his now empty glass to the borderline devilish smile on Nico's face.
Will watched Nico's finger as it traced an unreadable pattern over his leg, each curve and line ramping up the desire to devour that Will was trying so hard to repress.
"How you feeling?" Nico asked, stopping his slowly winding ministrations and pulling his hand back, Will's eyes flicking back up from his own lap to those magnetically dark eyes.
"Please don't stop touching me," Will blurted out, before realizing how forwards he had been and covering his face with the hand that wasn't around Nico's waist. Nico's smile grew just a little wider and pulled his body away from where he was tucked into Will's now achingly empty side.
Will frowned, the directly contrary action only exacerbating the need he felt. He narrowed his eyes as he watched Nico tilt back his head and gulp down the rest of his drink, before turning to Will, and with one hand on each side of where Will was seated, proceeded to slowly lower himself down onto Will's lap, Nico making eye contact with Will the entire time as he straddled the blonde.
Will felt his breath hitch as the soft, supple warmth of Nico's legs were once again pressed against his, subconsciously wrapping his arms around Nico's form to pull Nico flush to his chest. Nico let out a little chuckle, tossed his hair to one side, and leaned in towards Will until they were almost face to face.
"I've been wanting to kiss you all night. Can I?" Nico whispered, warm breath tickling Will's ear with every uttered syllable, sending Will into a whole new level of arousal. Will let out a shaky exhale, partially questioning whether this was actually happening or if it was all in his head, before finally turning his face to meet the same pair of soft pink lips he had been fantasizing about the whole night.
Warm.
He's so warm.
The already distant room seemed to fade away from Nico's awareness. The pulsing of the beat, the background chatter, and the occasional clinking of glasses had all but ceased to exist to Nico now that he had finally, after what felt like hours, managed to get more than a little handsy with this irresistibly fresh catch tonight.
Thanks to Nico finally taking action and closing the gap between their lips, Nico finally got to drink in that familiar rush of desire blooming in his chest as he reveled in just how warm and soft Will's lips were. Nico pressed his chest flush to Will's, feeling their bodies rise and fall in unison as they truly physically connected for the first time.
Nico captured Will's upper lip between his, feeling just a hint of stubble rubbing against the sensitive skin around his mouth. Nico pressed his mouth into Will's even more intensely, earning a pleased sigh from Will, who then captured Nico's lower lip between his teeth with a gentle nibble.
He's a lot more assertive than I gave him credit for. I hope he shows me a good time tonight, don't even know how many times I've been let down recently.
An almost burning hot hand pulled Nico by the small of his back even closer than they already were, Will pulling back momentarily to push his curls out of his own face, before cupping Nico's jaw with his other hand and pulling him back into a kiss.
Strong, but careful fingers threaded their way past Nico's short undercut into his longer curls up top, Nico consciously letting out a moan as Will gripped his hair tighter, trying to encourage Will's newfound proactivity.
Damn, his hands are massive. I wonder what else-
The hard-won line of thought Nico found himself in was dispelled as he felt Will's tongue poke past his lips to meet Nico's own, the new friction between their tongues igniting a new level of want that burned through his chest much like the liquor spreading through his veins.
Nico lifted his arms from where they were on the booth seat, changing how he was holding himself up by pressing more of his weight against Will, who exhaled forcefully in response before shifting his hand's position on Nico's lower back to trace the contours of his spine.
Closer. I need to be closer.
He slid his hands over Will's shoulders, one hand mimicking Will's action of weaving fingers into the other person's hair, and the other hand draping over Will's form to pull them even closer together. Will pulled Nico's ass in even closer, before slipping his hand under the thin mesh-like fabric.
The raven-haired man shuddered at the soft touch that explored his cooling skin, warm fingertips leaving an invisible trail of contact behind with every inch.
More. I want him to touch me more.
Nico could still smell the alcohol in every one of their interchanged breaths, could still taste the little hidden bursts of alcohol and fruity flavoring with every passing moment of their make-out session. Will twisted his tongue against Nico's as if greedily drinking down his very essence.
When was the last time I felt this lost in someone else's presence?
Nico felt Will shift his face to the side and turned to match his movement, but was met with a tightening grip in his ebony locks, eliciting an unintentional whine as Nico felt Will's breath ghost past his cheek and his ear before feeling Will's saliva-coated lips sensually pulling against the tender skin of the left side of his neck.
Will paused, pulling back as if looking for something, Nico watching his targeted gaze drift across his collarbones before finally locking his gaze on a single spot.
Expecting a gentle bite, Nico audibly gasped when Will forcefully bit into the thin flesh above his collarbone.
What the fuck?
Hi lovelies! SO so sorry that it's been forever since the last update, between finals, flying out to France, and studying, I've had so little time to really sit down and refine the story I wanted to tell. Thank you all for continuing to read and bearing with me, I love you all more than words can describe and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Fair warning - the next chapter will probably be fully NSFW. So if that's not quite what you're looking for, please steer clear. Thanks!