Neon Rush {M/M} ❀

Ch. 12.2 Unbridled, Untamed

"What about this?" asks Gray, holding out a silky pair of pyjama bottoms.

"Perfect," says Zef. He can't remember where he's seen the pantsuit. Too many caps wearing too many shiny outfits.

He goes to the bathroom to change, feeling weirdly shy despite the skinny dipping earlier. He experiences, for the first time, the uncanny valley experience of seeing his own reflection while hammered. Hair mussed. Eyes glazed. Gormless grin.

As he removes his clothes, sand sprinkles the floor, caught in the folds from their time on the beach. His jacket in particular. As he folds it up, two lumps in the pockets keep him from making a perfect square, and he remembers with guilt as keen as any knife in the ribs what he stashed in there before leaving his apartment.

The EMP grenades. Just in case Gray had gone off again.

Instead, he'd given Zef the best night of his life.

It's a sobering moment.

In the bedroom, he finds Gray already tucked into the king-sized bed, looking like a Beatrix Potter mouse dwarfed in the duvet. He pats the spot next to him.

"Sleepover? Figure we'd have to pay taxi fare to meet in the middle."

Zef's heart hammers. Him. Gray. One bed. "You sure?"

Gray fluffs a pillow for him. Zef gets in slowly. His body feels heavy hitting the mattress, sinfully comfortable. Gray drew the curtains so it's dark despite the rising sun. Zef curls up all cosy and warm facing Gray. Bodies parallel like two parentheses.

"Thanks for coming out with me, darlin'."

"Should be me thanking you." Too dark to see much of Gray's face. Zef wants to reach out and touch to see if he's still smiling. It doesn't sound like he's smiling. "Never had so much fun in my life."

"That's good," Gray murmurs. "Get some sleep."

"Night, Gray."

They both turn over. Zef stares at the ceiling. The night's events reel through his head. He's tired but too buzzed to sleep. Time passes slow and syrupy.

Into the dark, Gray's voice says, "Can't sleep?"

"No. You?"

A dry laugh. "Naw. Not sure when I last had a good sleep. Certainly not no place this comfortable."

"Yeah. Was just thinking I've gotten used to practically sleeping on concrete."

Gray pauses. "That's not what was keeping me up."

"Oh?"

The darkness acts like the anonymity of a priest's confessional. Gray's voice, warm and deep, crackles with a bit of unspent laughter. "Just that...if this night had to happen with anyone, I'm glad it's you."

Zef, hesitant, frees an arm from the duvet and lays it on top between them. Reaching across the gulf of mattress. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Not wishing it was, I dunno, Cal or something?"

Dark as it is, Zef can still see Gray's white grin flashing. "Were you really jealous of Cal?"

Zef answers self-consciously. "Only a little."

"Wanna know a secret?"

"Yeah."

"I was a little jealous, too. Seein' you starin' at 'em."

The sheets rustle. In the quiet dark, Zef feels the brush of Gray's fingers against his. Breaching that distance. Slowly, his pinky hooks with Zef's. Gentle and just a little bit shy. Zef gives Gray's pinky a squeeze with his own.