The agreement had a broad, cautiously excited smile speading across Jayne’s face and it made him bold enough to lean forward and steal a sweet, lingering kiss.
Before meeting Xander, he never really gave much thought to being in a relationship, much less inviting his lover to come spend time with him at work. This was new territory for them both, but Jayne couldn’t help want to spend as much time as physically possible with him.
Xander was only too keen to return the kiss, loving the simple affection more than he thought possible. He had never really liked touching anyone or being physically close to people prior to meeting Jayne and he didn’t want to imagine losing this.
Rabbit fell into awkward silence, aside from letting out a heavy sigh, an apologetic look in his eyes that mingled with obvious signs of mental and physical exhaustion, telling that he was about at his limit for what he could handle for now.
He did, however, grab one of Vega’s hands for a moment, just long enough to give it a hesitant but firm squeeze before he let go again, further proof of the effort he was putting in despite how much strain it put on his emotional state.
It had gotten easier to read him, to know when to back off and when to push a little and now was definitely the time to give him space. Even if it was the last thing she really wanted to do, her instincts always saying to hover until he feels better. But she knew that would make it worse.
The touch was a relief and it made her smile blossom into something completely unguarded. “You should get settled. Rest a bit,” she offered, giving him an out so he wouldn’t feel bad or guilty. “I should let my uncle know we got here safe unless you’d rather I say for a bit longer.”
He supposed he could try to spin it like that like it was some sort of place that offered up methods of relaxation. Not like a spa, but somewhere that might run guided meditation and yoga and other stuff to people like him.
“That works as well.”
It wouldn’t be the first time someone had gone that route. He had even had ones use rehab as a cover story and, in a sense, it had been accurate. It was hard to be an addict and shifter at the same time when drugs made it harder to control shifts.
He could see the glossiness of her eyes with the tears that threatened to well up and it made him ache, more so than the itch in his skin at the thought of tasting her blood again, and as much as it hurt, he was trying to convince himself that that ache proved they could get through this, because she was far more important to him than this mistake.
With that she turned on her heel and melted into the shadows, leaving him in their bedroom to collapse onto the familiar softness of her childhood bed. It was then and only then she had broke down until her father found her, having followed the sounds of her sobs.
He returned the hug, albeit a little stiffly through lack of being used to reciprocating affection in the spur of the moment.
“I think it would be foolish to believe that history wouldn’t repeat itself, at least partly. As much as those feelings might still exist, some of us just aren’t meant to work out for the better, and I wouldn’t want to put her through all of that again. No, the best I think either of us can hope for is to find whatever peace we can as friends, not lovers.”
Her smile warmed at the last, head tilting slightly in consideration. It always appeared as if she were listening to voices no one else could hear, but she didn’t really care.
“She needs a friend. It is something she has always lacked,” Philotes mused, wondering why no one had ever considered putting someone in Konis’s life for just that simple purpose. “That could help her stabilize more than anything else. And we both know you could use a better social life as well.”
When he was turned around, Zayde steadied himself against the wall with his hands, an odd serenity settling over him at Devin taking control. Zayde wondered if he was going to take him right there and then, against the wall, the thrill of just the idea alone sending a shiver through him that only intensified as Devin’s hand slid inside his pants.
Zayde gasped at the sensation before the breath mixed with a shuddering moan, his body melting against Devin, head tipped back to bare more of his throat in a submissive gesture, trying to resist the urge for a moment to thrust into the other males hand and failing when he was bitten, another whine catching in his throat.
He liked the sounds the younger male was making and he couldn’t help but growl against his ear. “Tell me you want my touch, baby boy,” he murmured, stroking Zayde’s cock slowly. The way the boy reacted was enough to let Devin know he could probably make him cum more than once because the boy needed real release.
The explanation did nothing to ease Zayde’s concerns. Quite the opposite, in fact, but he kept quiet about it, knowing just how devoted Devin was to his sister and understanding that meant he would put himself in harms way to keep her safe.
“Shh, just rest,” he soothed, shifting his position slightly so that he could easily look at the shifter, just glad to be close to him and not feel like there was an ocean of pain between them.
The room was still spinning, but not quite as fast as he closed his eyes and let Zayde’s familiar scent wash over him. This was something he could handle, quiet but not in a things left unsaid sort of way. Comfortable and familiar like the early mornings where they’d just lie in bed and be close to each other.
He had missed these moments more than anything else.
“Good, because I’m definitely not looking to go diving straight back into anything serious,” Danicka purred, seeming pleased by his response.
“So, we’re in agreement that this is just two people having a little no-strings fun, nothing serious, check the feelings at the door kind of thing, right?”
“If it wasn’t, I’d already be Swayze,” he replied with a shrug and smirk. It wasn’t often that he got to use that expression and he always got a weird kick of joy when he did.
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