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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: Drunk Last Night Part 3
Fandom: Common Law
Pairing: Travis Marks + Wes Mitchell (pre-slash)
Word Count: 4,553
Rating: PG 13 for language.
Summary: Wes and Travis have a falling out, one that knocks Wes for a loop.
Author's Notes: I have several. First, I am obsessed with the song that was this story's namesake. Second, I almost didn't even post this because I'm having that feeling that I've done this before, you know? Eh, I'm so burnt out on everything that this doesn't even surprise me in the least. Lastly... this topped out at a little over 10k, so I'll be posting in chunks (probably three) until I get it all read over and prettied up.
(continued from here)
I brought it all up, got it all out
What is it worth, to both of us now
It's off my chest, but never off my mind
Something was screaming in his ear, but he couldn’t place exactly what it was. His brain was fuzzy and his mouth tasted like he’d sucked on a cat for half the night. Wes rolled onto his side and tried to orient himself, only to fall back onto his pillow, clutching at his head. “What is that noise,” he half-sobbed.
“It’s your fucking alarm clock,” a voice to his right drawled. “Shut it off before I shoot it.”
Wait. That voice sounded an awful lot like Travis but… but Travis hadn’t come into work yesterday, so why – how? – could he be here? Pooling his very obvious resources together, he managed to slap his alarm clock into the ‘off’ position. Although his head still throbbed, it was much easier to think.
“Marks?”
“Yeah, baby?”
He could see out of the corner of his eye that Travis had propped himself up on an elbow and lay watching him. “Why are you here? And why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”
Not that he was actually complaining, not by a long shot. The sparse covering of dark hair only drew more attention to the well-defined muscles of his chest. If he looked, he thought he might be able to catch a glimpse of those beautiful, washboard abs he knew Travis sported, but he wasn’t willing to out himself to the punk, not yet.
“You have no idea,” he chuckled, not answering Wes’ question. “You called me last night, pleading for forgiveness. Drunk off your ass, too, I might add.”
“I what? Never mind,” he said, waving a hand in the air. “That still doesn’t explain how or why you’re in my bed right now.”
“You’re so cute when you’re hung over,” Travis cooed, toying with an errant cowlick. “So you don’t remember begging me for sex last night? I feel so used.”
Wes bolted upright. Heart pounding, he stared at the man in his bed. “I did not proposition you, Travis Marks. I don’t even like men so why...?”
Travis shrugged, face unreadable. “That’s not what you were telling me last night. Are you so far in the closet that you don’t even know what you like?” A low, dirty sounding chuckle rose from Marks. “You’d have never guessed you were straight while we were in the shower together, though. The things that came out of your mouth, boy. Whoo.” He mimed fanning himself.
He felt the color leave his face in a rush. He’d had an extremely vivid, overly erotic dream last night but no, it couldn’t have actually happened? Could it? There wasn’t any way he’d have let Travis touch him like that. But judging by the look of desire filling Marks’ eyes, maybe he had.
And if that’s true, did that make Wes a whore?
“What do you mean ‘while we were in the shower’? Did you take advantage of me while I was drunk?” It was nearly impossible to believe because, despite the womanizing jerk that Marks was, he was also a standup cop. Wes found it hard to swallow that he’d force himself on someone, anyone, when they were inebriated. But, he also thought it impossible that they’d have wound up in the shower together in the first place.
He was so confused.
A giant grin split his partner’s face. “You couldn’t get the shampoo bottle open and I was afraid you’d drown yourself if you kept trying.”
“So?” Wes lifted an eyebrow, waiting.
“So, I gave you a hand,” he said, chuckling lewdly again. “A couple of hands, actually.”
The blush was beginning to burn his cheeks from the inside out. “Quit toying with me and tell me what you mean.”
“I helped you wash your hair,” he said plainly. “And then I helped you out with something else.”
Watching as Travis gave a rude hand gesture that rather explicitly expressed his point, he began to feel faint. “And I let you?”
Travis pushed into a sitting position, getting back to eye level with Wes. “Not only did you let me, baby, you encouraged me.”
He dodged the hand that reached out for him, heart thudding in his chest. What the hell had he said to Travis? How could he have ratted himself out like that to the one person who couldn’t, shouldn’t, ever know about his proclivities? “What did I say to you last night?”
“In the shower?” He grinned in that way he usually reserved for busty redheads and focused it on Wes. “Or in general?”
“In general, Marks,” he nearly shouted, horrified at what he could have possibly said in the shower. “I don’t even trust you to tell me the truth about anything else.”
“You confessed to having feelings for me,” he said, putting his hands into his lap. “And that you’re obviously attracted to all this.” He waved a hand indicating his perfect self.
Shit. He’d been afraid of exactly that. Now that it was out, there was no taking it back, and definitely no getting Travis to forget about it. “I was drunk,” he said instead of what he really wanted, needed, to say. “And you took advantage of me.”
“I did not,” Travis protested. “I gave you an orgasm, how’s that a bad thing?”
Wes pushed the covers off him and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “I can’t talk to you right now. I can’t even look at you.”
Humiliation complete, he strode into the bathroom, not even caring that he felt like he was stark naked and on view for Travis’ appraisal. Slamming the door behind him, he collapsed against the wall. How did he come to this? Although he’d long ago come to terms with his feelings for men in general – and Travis in particular – he hadn’t ever, ever meant for anyone to find out.
And now, not only did Travis know how he felt, he’d apparently encouraged his bad behavior. Wes was so screwed. Guess it was a good thing he’d at least managed a kiss, right? Or had he? His fingers lifted to his lips, trying to remember something, anything about the night before.
A knock startled him back into reality. “I don’t want to talk to you,” he reiterated through the wooden barrier.
“But I think we need to,” Travis said, reasonable voice reaching him through the barrier. “C’mon, Wes, open the door.”
“I can’t,” he said, stomach rolling with the nerves overtaking his body.
“Why not?” He could feel Travis’ presence on the other side of the wooden divider, possibly even leaning against it as he spoke.
“Because of the things I said before.”
“Oh that,” Travis laughed. “Baby, you do remember what started all of this, right? The things I said to you weren’t all that much different than the ones you said to me. So which one of us should be more embarrassed?”
“Me,” he whispered.
“And I think you’re wrong.” He jiggled the handle, checking to see if it was locked or not, Wes imagined. “Because we’re both adults, you know, and if we want to be together, there’s nothing embarrassing about it.”
“Except that you weren’t ever supposed to know, Travis.” He turned and leaned his back against the door, head falling back with a thunk.
“You okay man? You knock into something?” He was quiet for a second, most likely waiting for a response. “Look, I don’t know why I wasn’t supposed to know about all of this, but now I do. Why can’t we move forward and get past this?”
“You still want this, even after last night?” Wes couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d gotten slobbering, fall down drunk and yet, Travis was still interested? How did that even happen?
“Of course I still want you,” he chuckled. “You were entirely too much fun last night. Climbing all over me, begging for sex…”
“Oh god, you can stop any time now, Marks.” He covered his face with a hand, wishing he could hide.
“Now there’s no reason to be embarrassed over that,” he assured him.
“Oh? And why not? I made a fool of myself.”
“Well, maybe because if you hadn’t been so damn drunk, I’d have taken you up on each and every offer you made last night. Twice.” He rattled the doorknob again. “Matter of fact, you open this thing up and we can get started on that long list of suggestions you were making.”
There was no way he was having sex with his partner, not this morning, not ever. But something made him step back from the door and open it a crack anyway. He could see a blue eye staring back at him from the other side.
“Ahhh, there you are,” he said. “I knew I could get you to open up.”
“Yeah, but not for the reasons you’re thinking,” Wes informed him.
“Whatever your reasons, I’m just happy to see that sweet little face of yours.”
Travis placed a hand against the door and firmly pressed back, giving Wes no other option than to back up and let him inside. He continued to back up until his shoulders smacked into the glass shower stall behind him, effectively trapping him.
“Hey, quit running away, baby. I’m not going to grab you, strip you, and screw you, no matter how good that sounds right now.”
His exaggerated leer brought a smile to Wes’ face. “Or so you say,” he joked, trying not to let on just how good that threat really did sound.
“I just want a hug,” he said. “Please. Let’s start over.”
Wes eyed his partner warily before giving in to his need to be as near Marks as possible. Travis held his arms open and he curled himself against his chest, strong, steady arms wrapping warmly around him. He breathed in the scent of Travis’ skin, an odd mixture of sweat, fading cologne and Wes’ favorite Scotch. That last bit made him cringe a tiny bit, but not nearly enough to pull out of his partner’s arms.
He’d never thought to seek comfort in the arms of another man, not until he’d met Travis. Always so tough, so sure, believing that it wasn’t in his partner’s nature to ever doubt himself, no matter how rough things got. He’d learned that that wasn’t always entirely true, but the fact still remained that Travis had nowhere near as many insecurities as he did.
Adjusting himself so that he could look into those liquid pools of damnation that Travis called his eyes, Wes whispered three words. “Say it again.”
Travis loosened his grip on Wes slightly to give him some wiggle room, but not enough to allow him to wiggle away. “Say what, baby?”
Wes swallowed his fears, pushing them into the pit of his stomach. “What you said to me the other night. The words that caused this whole mess.”
A smile cracked Travis’ face, giving Wes’ heart a lift it desperately needed. Positioning his lips near Wes’ ear, he said the words again, sending a shiver of excitement, fear, and unadulterated need through him. He couldn’t believe that Travis had said them the first time, couldn’t wrap his brain around the fact that he was saying them again, now, while he was snug in his arms.
“Thank you,” he murmured, pressing his lips to the chiseled curve of Travis’ jaw.
“Thank you?” The laughter that emerged from him startled Wes. “I tell you I love you and all I get is a ‘thank you’ in return?”
The lightness of his tone coupled with the uncontrollable giggles eased the bite of Travis’ words. “I can’t give you any more than that, not yet.” He couldn’t give him any more explanation than that either.
“It’s okay, baby,” Travis swore, pulling him closer. “I get it. And considering what happened last night, I think your feelings are pretty much right on your sleeve.”
He couldn’t deny it, but he couldn’t vocalize the acceptance, either. Instead, he defaulted to his usual manner of dealing with Marks when his words hit much too close to the uncomfortable truth: he played the arrogant ass. “You’re that sure of yourself, eh? Figures.”
“Oh shut the fuck up and kiss me, you pain in the ass. You promised me sex this morning, remember? It’s almost time to pay up.”
Terror, with a chaser of desire, raced through him at Travis’ words. “No way, we cannot have sex,” he insisted.
“Not now or not ever?” There was a pleading look on Marks’ face that said he was rooting for the ‘not now’ option.
“I don’t know, Travis. What if we screw this all up? Will they separate us and force us to work with new partners? I couldn’t do that.”
“Me either,” he agreed, rubbing a hand along Wes’ back. “We’re too good together to ever be forced apart.”
He leaned into the comfort of Travis’ body, letting the stress and anxiety of the situation leak out of him. The fact still remained, however, that if they embarked on a relationship that they could legitimately be split up, even if they managed to make it work. “Do you think this is worth it?”
“Us?” Travis held Wes out at arm’s length, studying his face. Bloodshot eyes and a pale face stared back at him. “Of course we’re worth it. Even if we screw it all up in the end.”
Nodding, he agreed. “So where do we go from here?”
Travis looked over Wes’ shoulder, smirking. “Back to bed.”
“Wait,” Wes said, holding up a hand. “I said no sex, not yet anyway.”
“Ahh, not yet works for me,” Travis laughed, approaching Wes with a wicked grin on his face. “But there are so many other things we can do that aren’t technically sex you know.”
Looking for the closest escape route, Wes tried to stall his partner. “What if I’m not ready for any of that, either?”
“I guess you’re out of luck then, baby, because you are so in need of a little lovin’.”
Travis faked a move to the left and when Wes moved naturally to the right, he grabbed him, and yanked him into his arms, back to chest. Bending his knees, Travis scooped Wes up into his arms and carried him out of the bathroom, narrowly missing hitting the blond’s head on the door frame.
“God damn you, Travis Marks,” Wes shouted. “Put. Me. Down.”
“As you wish, buttercup.” Tossing Wes onto the bed, he climbed in after him.
Heart thudding, Wes watched as Travis clamored on top of him, knees on either side of his legs, hands pressing his wrists into the mattress. He had no idea what was on Marks’ mind, and he was only slightly afraid that he’d give in and say yes to whatever he demanded. How could he not? Currently, he was pinned to his own bed by the hottest, most aggravating man he’d ever known. It didn’t bode well for the future of their relationship, but as far as the intensity of the sex? Yeah, he was pretty certain that that would be amazing no matter what.
Stop thinking about things like that, he scolded himself. It’s only going to get you into trouble. And possibly screwed six ways from Sunday.
“Something on your mind, baby?” Travis’ lips were four millimeters from his ear from the sounds of it.
“No,” he lied. “Just wondering what your next move was going to be.”
He felt Marks shift on the bed and closed his eyes, waiting for whatever was to be his fate. A soft press of lips to skin was what he received and he was both relieved and disappointed by this. Cracking an eye, he looked at his partner, wary and nervous.
“You’re lying to me, Wesley Mitchell, and that’s very unlike you.” With a roll and a thump, Travis landed on his side, facing Wes.
“I am not,” he fibbed for the second time.
“You are too,” Travis counted. “Now spill it, what’s going on?”
Wes turned his face to the wall, unable to look Travis in the eye and tell him the truth. “I can’t have sex with you.”
“You’ve already made that abundantly clear, Mitchell. What else is bothering you?”
Marks wasn’t letting him off the hook so easily it seemed. “I was afraid you weren’t going to give me a choice and hold me to my earlier offers.”
Frowning, Travis pulled Wes against him. “As much as I’d like to, that would pretty much take all the fun out of it, don’t you think?” He nuzzled his nose into that space behind his ear and inhaled deeply, hot breath brushing Wes’ skin as he exhaled. “Besides, a sober, willing partner only makes for better adventures.”
“You would know,” he chided gently.
“Indeed I do, baby,” he agreed.
“So, what now? Where do we go from here?” His first instinct was to snuggle into Travis’ body again, to form fit his frame to that broader, sexier one, but he hesitated, afraid of leading Marks on.
“That depends on you. Do you want more from this partnership or do you want to go back to where we were?”
“Is it possible to go back,” he asked, honest concern in his voice.
“I doubt it,” Travis confessed. “Between my words and your words, things will never be strictly work between us.”
“I was afraid of that,” Wes admitted, feeling guilty for having ever complicated matters. “But I’m also not sure of what I want, either.”
“Did you mean the things you said to me?”
“I’m not exactly sure what I said but –”
“You said that you loved me too and that you wanted my body,” he stated, matter-of-factly.
Wes shut his mouth. He’d owned up to all of that? Out loud even. It was becoming apparent that he hadn’t been just drunk last night, but possessed as well.
“Wes? You still in there?” Travis tapped a finger lightly against his forehead.
“Yeah, sorry,” he apologized. “I can’t believe I said all of that is all.”
“Is any of it true?” Travis glanced down at the slice of sheet between them, studying it as if it held the answers to life, the universe, and everything.
“All of it is which is why I’m so surprised I said any of it. I was having a hard enough time reconciling my feelings within my own head, how I managed to spit them all out is unknown.” He took a deep breath and steeled his nerve. “I love you, too, Travis. I have for a very long time.”
Travis’ head shot up, his gaze latching onto Wes’. “You’re not screwing with me are you?”
“No,” Wes said, shaking his head for emphasis. “I’m not, I swear. And I was so distracted with worrying about you yesterday –”
“You let our perp get away,” Travis finished for him.
Wes hung his head. “Yeah, I did.”
“I’m not buying it. I think there’s more to it than that. You’re never that distracted, no matter what is going on in your life. Not even when your divorce became final did you miss a beat. You are the epitome of what a detective should be, man.”
“Then how did he disappear right before my eyes?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out,” Travis promised. “Right after we get some sleep.”
“But what about the case,” Wes asked, concerned.
“It will wait. Besides, you’re hung over and I didn’t get my beauty rest last night. We’ll take a couple more hours and then put in a little OT. Sound good?”
Wes thought it over for a moment before nodding. “You want me to set an alarm?”
“Yeah, do that, and when we get up, we’ll go find ourselves some food and talk this shit over. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Wes said, giving in to his needs and curling into Travis’ side.
“Perfect,” he grinned, wrapping his partner in his warm embrace. “Just like my little buttercup.”
Several hours later, he found himself seated in a corner booth at a diner not far from the precinct. Travis had assured him that, despite the rundown appearance of the place, the food was top notch. Wes had taken that recommendation with a grain of salt, considering a) the rec had come from Marks and b) they were in what any sane person would call a ‘greasy spoon’. The coffee, however, had been perfect – he’d already downed two cups and was working on a third – when his food arrived.
“Travis, this looks awful,” he complained, turning over a sliver of egg with his fork.
He pointed a half-eaten triangle of toast at his partner. “Try it before you judge it. Remember what you said to me the first time I turned my nose up at that funky eggplant mush you fed me?”
“You mean the baba ganoush?”
“Yes, that. Remember how you laid into me about ‘broadening my horizons’? Well, the same applies here. It looks awful, but it is damned tasty. And it’ll do your hangover a world of good.”
Wes made a face in Travis’ direction before forking a mouthful of scrambled egg into his mouth. It wasn’t his usual breakfast fare, but his stomach growled all the same. He heard a groan come from somewhere nearby and was ashamed to realize it emanated from within himself.
“See, not as bad as you thought, huh?” Travis chuckled in that annoying ‘I told you so’ manner he had, grin plastered to his face.
“Yeah, I’ll give you this one, Marks, but that’s it,” Wes growled back before digging into his breakfast.
He amazed himself by devouring every last morsel on his plate. Wes surprised himself even further by stealing a heap of hash browns off of Travis’ plate when he wasn’t looking. “Hey man, those are mine,” he’d laughed, using his fork as a guard against any further thievery.
“Sorry, but you were right, it was tasty.” He pushed his empty plate away from him and grabbed the almost empty cup of coffee before him. Taking a sip, he looked at his partner. “Have any thoughts about where this guy might have gotten off to?”
Wes had outlined his failure for Travis after the waitress had left to put their order in. They’d agreed to not discuss it again until after they’d finished their meals and Travis had had time to mull over the information. “Yeah, knowing what we know about this perp, and given his predictable behavior to date, I’m betting he’s hiding out with his girlfriend in Burbank.”
Nodding, Wes tapped on the table with his fingertips. “I was thinking the same thing, but figured it’d be too obvious, even with this idiot. If you think it’s worth a shot, I have the file in my car still. You want to go pay them a visit?”
Travis’ natural grin widened even more. “You damn well better believe it, buttercup. I left you in the lurch yesterday because of my insecurities. I’m not letting you down again.”
Standing, Wes dropped some money onto the table to cover the meal. “Really now, to listen to you talk, you have no insecurities, Marks.”
“Yeah, well, let’s just say that I’m better than most at keeping them under wraps.” He caught Wes’ gaze and gave him a wink. “Although I’m not nearly as good as some others I know.”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Wes deadpanned, trying to play off the compliment like it didn’t affect him.
“Liar,” Travis goaded. “Just promise me one thing, okay?”
“What’s that,” Wes asked, confused.
“Promise that you’ll stop second guessing yourself just because I’m being a dumbass, okay? Your intellect is ten times more powerful than my gut instinct.”
“Okay,” Wes agreed, uneasy but willing to make the effort. “Are we ready then?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Travis agreed, slipping out of the booth and standing by the table. “Lead the way, Mitchell, and let’s go nail this guy.”
Unsurprisingly, the guy had been exactly where they guessed he’d be – at his girlfriend’s house having a late brunch with her family. It amazed Wes that criminals could pull of such intricate heists and yet still make such idiotic mistakes when it came to the simple things. He wasn’t going to argue the point, however. Instead, he simply handcuffed the perp and hauled him out onto the porch and made him sit on the concrete and wait until the patrol car showed up.
“I always knew that guy was trouble,” the woman’s father had said, glaring at the perp. “I don’t know what Callie ever saw in him, honestly.”
“Don’t be too hard on your daughter,” Travis said to him, giving him a squeeze on the shoulder. “Love is a complicated thing and we don’t always go in with our eyes fully open.” He snuck a glance at Wes when he said the last part, driving his point home.
“He has a point,” Wes agreed. “Just make sure she takes more care in picking out the next one.”
They shook hands with the girl and her parents, wishing them all well and letting them know that the uniforms would be taking their statements. Halfway to Wes’ car, Travis started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Wes glanced at his partner while thumbing the button that unlocked the doors of his car.
“That this guy made it almost too easy on us,” Travis said, climbing into his spot in the passenger seat. “And if you hadn’t been so heartbroken over little ol’ me, you might have figured it out all on your lonesome.”
“You can shut up now,” Wes warned him, turning the engine over and backing out of the driveway.
“Aw, you know it’s true though,” Marks teased, making his tone light and affectionate. “But I promise not to tell anyone if you do something for me.”
“And what would that be,” he asked, wary of whatever Travis might have come up with in the last few minutes.
He reached across the console separating their seats and rested his hand on Wes’ thigh. “Go on a date with me this Friday. Dinner, a movie maybe? See if this thing works out.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea or not,” Wes said. “Shouldn’t we take some time to figure this thing out?”
“That’s why I suggested a date. It’s usually the best way to decide whether you like someone or not.”
“I already know I don’t like you,” he stated.
“That’s not what you said last night,” Travis reminded him.
“Shut up.”
“Only if you say yes,” he prodded.
“Okay, fine. Yes, I’ll go out with you on Friday, Travis. Are you happy now?” He tore his eyes off the road long enough to throw a glare in Marks’ direction.
“Yes, I am. And I will be so much happier on Friday.”
“Oh for the love of god,” he muttered, gripping the steering wheel more tightly than necessary. “Just kill me now.”
“Now, now,” Travis scolded. “You have to at least make it through a date before you beg for death.”
He had a point.
Fandom: Common Law
Pairing: Travis Marks + Wes Mitchell (pre-slash)
Word Count: 4,553
Rating: PG 13 for language.
Summary: Wes and Travis have a falling out, one that knocks Wes for a loop.
Author's Notes: I have several. First, I am obsessed with the song that was this story's namesake. Second, I almost didn't even post this because I'm having that feeling that I've done this before, you know? Eh, I'm so burnt out on everything that this doesn't even surprise me in the least. Lastly... this topped out at a little over 10k, so I'll be posting in chunks (probably three) until I get it all read over and prettied up.
(continued from here)
I brought it all up, got it all out
What is it worth, to both of us now
It's off my chest, but never off my mind
Something was screaming in his ear, but he couldn’t place exactly what it was. His brain was fuzzy and his mouth tasted like he’d sucked on a cat for half the night. Wes rolled onto his side and tried to orient himself, only to fall back onto his pillow, clutching at his head. “What is that noise,” he half-sobbed.
“It’s your fucking alarm clock,” a voice to his right drawled. “Shut it off before I shoot it.”
Wait. That voice sounded an awful lot like Travis but… but Travis hadn’t come into work yesterday, so why – how? – could he be here? Pooling his very obvious resources together, he managed to slap his alarm clock into the ‘off’ position. Although his head still throbbed, it was much easier to think.
“Marks?”
“Yeah, baby?”
He could see out of the corner of his eye that Travis had propped himself up on an elbow and lay watching him. “Why are you here? And why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”
Not that he was actually complaining, not by a long shot. The sparse covering of dark hair only drew more attention to the well-defined muscles of his chest. If he looked, he thought he might be able to catch a glimpse of those beautiful, washboard abs he knew Travis sported, but he wasn’t willing to out himself to the punk, not yet.
“You have no idea,” he chuckled, not answering Wes’ question. “You called me last night, pleading for forgiveness. Drunk off your ass, too, I might add.”
“I what? Never mind,” he said, waving a hand in the air. “That still doesn’t explain how or why you’re in my bed right now.”
“You’re so cute when you’re hung over,” Travis cooed, toying with an errant cowlick. “So you don’t remember begging me for sex last night? I feel so used.”
Wes bolted upright. Heart pounding, he stared at the man in his bed. “I did not proposition you, Travis Marks. I don’t even like men so why...?”
Travis shrugged, face unreadable. “That’s not what you were telling me last night. Are you so far in the closet that you don’t even know what you like?” A low, dirty sounding chuckle rose from Marks. “You’d have never guessed you were straight while we were in the shower together, though. The things that came out of your mouth, boy. Whoo.” He mimed fanning himself.
He felt the color leave his face in a rush. He’d had an extremely vivid, overly erotic dream last night but no, it couldn’t have actually happened? Could it? There wasn’t any way he’d have let Travis touch him like that. But judging by the look of desire filling Marks’ eyes, maybe he had.
And if that’s true, did that make Wes a whore?
“What do you mean ‘while we were in the shower’? Did you take advantage of me while I was drunk?” It was nearly impossible to believe because, despite the womanizing jerk that Marks was, he was also a standup cop. Wes found it hard to swallow that he’d force himself on someone, anyone, when they were inebriated. But, he also thought it impossible that they’d have wound up in the shower together in the first place.
He was so confused.
A giant grin split his partner’s face. “You couldn’t get the shampoo bottle open and I was afraid you’d drown yourself if you kept trying.”
“So?” Wes lifted an eyebrow, waiting.
“So, I gave you a hand,” he said, chuckling lewdly again. “A couple of hands, actually.”
The blush was beginning to burn his cheeks from the inside out. “Quit toying with me and tell me what you mean.”
“I helped you wash your hair,” he said plainly. “And then I helped you out with something else.”
Watching as Travis gave a rude hand gesture that rather explicitly expressed his point, he began to feel faint. “And I let you?”
Travis pushed into a sitting position, getting back to eye level with Wes. “Not only did you let me, baby, you encouraged me.”
He dodged the hand that reached out for him, heart thudding in his chest. What the hell had he said to Travis? How could he have ratted himself out like that to the one person who couldn’t, shouldn’t, ever know about his proclivities? “What did I say to you last night?”
“In the shower?” He grinned in that way he usually reserved for busty redheads and focused it on Wes. “Or in general?”
“In general, Marks,” he nearly shouted, horrified at what he could have possibly said in the shower. “I don’t even trust you to tell me the truth about anything else.”
“You confessed to having feelings for me,” he said, putting his hands into his lap. “And that you’re obviously attracted to all this.” He waved a hand indicating his perfect self.
Shit. He’d been afraid of exactly that. Now that it was out, there was no taking it back, and definitely no getting Travis to forget about it. “I was drunk,” he said instead of what he really wanted, needed, to say. “And you took advantage of me.”
“I did not,” Travis protested. “I gave you an orgasm, how’s that a bad thing?”
Wes pushed the covers off him and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “I can’t talk to you right now. I can’t even look at you.”
Humiliation complete, he strode into the bathroom, not even caring that he felt like he was stark naked and on view for Travis’ appraisal. Slamming the door behind him, he collapsed against the wall. How did he come to this? Although he’d long ago come to terms with his feelings for men in general – and Travis in particular – he hadn’t ever, ever meant for anyone to find out.
And now, not only did Travis know how he felt, he’d apparently encouraged his bad behavior. Wes was so screwed. Guess it was a good thing he’d at least managed a kiss, right? Or had he? His fingers lifted to his lips, trying to remember something, anything about the night before.
A knock startled him back into reality. “I don’t want to talk to you,” he reiterated through the wooden barrier.
“But I think we need to,” Travis said, reasonable voice reaching him through the barrier. “C’mon, Wes, open the door.”
“I can’t,” he said, stomach rolling with the nerves overtaking his body.
“Why not?” He could feel Travis’ presence on the other side of the wooden divider, possibly even leaning against it as he spoke.
“Because of the things I said before.”
“Oh that,” Travis laughed. “Baby, you do remember what started all of this, right? The things I said to you weren’t all that much different than the ones you said to me. So which one of us should be more embarrassed?”
“Me,” he whispered.
“And I think you’re wrong.” He jiggled the handle, checking to see if it was locked or not, Wes imagined. “Because we’re both adults, you know, and if we want to be together, there’s nothing embarrassing about it.”
“Except that you weren’t ever supposed to know, Travis.” He turned and leaned his back against the door, head falling back with a thunk.
“You okay man? You knock into something?” He was quiet for a second, most likely waiting for a response. “Look, I don’t know why I wasn’t supposed to know about all of this, but now I do. Why can’t we move forward and get past this?”
“You still want this, even after last night?” Wes couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d gotten slobbering, fall down drunk and yet, Travis was still interested? How did that even happen?
“Of course I still want you,” he chuckled. “You were entirely too much fun last night. Climbing all over me, begging for sex…”
“Oh god, you can stop any time now, Marks.” He covered his face with a hand, wishing he could hide.
“Now there’s no reason to be embarrassed over that,” he assured him.
“Oh? And why not? I made a fool of myself.”
“Well, maybe because if you hadn’t been so damn drunk, I’d have taken you up on each and every offer you made last night. Twice.” He rattled the doorknob again. “Matter of fact, you open this thing up and we can get started on that long list of suggestions you were making.”
There was no way he was having sex with his partner, not this morning, not ever. But something made him step back from the door and open it a crack anyway. He could see a blue eye staring back at him from the other side.
“Ahhh, there you are,” he said. “I knew I could get you to open up.”
“Yeah, but not for the reasons you’re thinking,” Wes informed him.
“Whatever your reasons, I’m just happy to see that sweet little face of yours.”
Travis placed a hand against the door and firmly pressed back, giving Wes no other option than to back up and let him inside. He continued to back up until his shoulders smacked into the glass shower stall behind him, effectively trapping him.
“Hey, quit running away, baby. I’m not going to grab you, strip you, and screw you, no matter how good that sounds right now.”
His exaggerated leer brought a smile to Wes’ face. “Or so you say,” he joked, trying not to let on just how good that threat really did sound.
“I just want a hug,” he said. “Please. Let’s start over.”
Wes eyed his partner warily before giving in to his need to be as near Marks as possible. Travis held his arms open and he curled himself against his chest, strong, steady arms wrapping warmly around him. He breathed in the scent of Travis’ skin, an odd mixture of sweat, fading cologne and Wes’ favorite Scotch. That last bit made him cringe a tiny bit, but not nearly enough to pull out of his partner’s arms.
He’d never thought to seek comfort in the arms of another man, not until he’d met Travis. Always so tough, so sure, believing that it wasn’t in his partner’s nature to ever doubt himself, no matter how rough things got. He’d learned that that wasn’t always entirely true, but the fact still remained that Travis had nowhere near as many insecurities as he did.
Adjusting himself so that he could look into those liquid pools of damnation that Travis called his eyes, Wes whispered three words. “Say it again.”
Travis loosened his grip on Wes slightly to give him some wiggle room, but not enough to allow him to wiggle away. “Say what, baby?”
Wes swallowed his fears, pushing them into the pit of his stomach. “What you said to me the other night. The words that caused this whole mess.”
A smile cracked Travis’ face, giving Wes’ heart a lift it desperately needed. Positioning his lips near Wes’ ear, he said the words again, sending a shiver of excitement, fear, and unadulterated need through him. He couldn’t believe that Travis had said them the first time, couldn’t wrap his brain around the fact that he was saying them again, now, while he was snug in his arms.
“Thank you,” he murmured, pressing his lips to the chiseled curve of Travis’ jaw.
“Thank you?” The laughter that emerged from him startled Wes. “I tell you I love you and all I get is a ‘thank you’ in return?”
The lightness of his tone coupled with the uncontrollable giggles eased the bite of Travis’ words. “I can’t give you any more than that, not yet.” He couldn’t give him any more explanation than that either.
“It’s okay, baby,” Travis swore, pulling him closer. “I get it. And considering what happened last night, I think your feelings are pretty much right on your sleeve.”
He couldn’t deny it, but he couldn’t vocalize the acceptance, either. Instead, he defaulted to his usual manner of dealing with Marks when his words hit much too close to the uncomfortable truth: he played the arrogant ass. “You’re that sure of yourself, eh? Figures.”
“Oh shut the fuck up and kiss me, you pain in the ass. You promised me sex this morning, remember? It’s almost time to pay up.”
Terror, with a chaser of desire, raced through him at Travis’ words. “No way, we cannot have sex,” he insisted.
“Not now or not ever?” There was a pleading look on Marks’ face that said he was rooting for the ‘not now’ option.
“I don’t know, Travis. What if we screw this all up? Will they separate us and force us to work with new partners? I couldn’t do that.”
“Me either,” he agreed, rubbing a hand along Wes’ back. “We’re too good together to ever be forced apart.”
He leaned into the comfort of Travis’ body, letting the stress and anxiety of the situation leak out of him. The fact still remained, however, that if they embarked on a relationship that they could legitimately be split up, even if they managed to make it work. “Do you think this is worth it?”
“Us?” Travis held Wes out at arm’s length, studying his face. Bloodshot eyes and a pale face stared back at him. “Of course we’re worth it. Even if we screw it all up in the end.”
Nodding, he agreed. “So where do we go from here?”
Travis looked over Wes’ shoulder, smirking. “Back to bed.”
“Wait,” Wes said, holding up a hand. “I said no sex, not yet anyway.”
“Ahh, not yet works for me,” Travis laughed, approaching Wes with a wicked grin on his face. “But there are so many other things we can do that aren’t technically sex you know.”
Looking for the closest escape route, Wes tried to stall his partner. “What if I’m not ready for any of that, either?”
“I guess you’re out of luck then, baby, because you are so in need of a little lovin’.”
Travis faked a move to the left and when Wes moved naturally to the right, he grabbed him, and yanked him into his arms, back to chest. Bending his knees, Travis scooped Wes up into his arms and carried him out of the bathroom, narrowly missing hitting the blond’s head on the door frame.
“God damn you, Travis Marks,” Wes shouted. “Put. Me. Down.”
“As you wish, buttercup.” Tossing Wes onto the bed, he climbed in after him.
Heart thudding, Wes watched as Travis clamored on top of him, knees on either side of his legs, hands pressing his wrists into the mattress. He had no idea what was on Marks’ mind, and he was only slightly afraid that he’d give in and say yes to whatever he demanded. How could he not? Currently, he was pinned to his own bed by the hottest, most aggravating man he’d ever known. It didn’t bode well for the future of their relationship, but as far as the intensity of the sex? Yeah, he was pretty certain that that would be amazing no matter what.
Stop thinking about things like that, he scolded himself. It’s only going to get you into trouble. And possibly screwed six ways from Sunday.
“Something on your mind, baby?” Travis’ lips were four millimeters from his ear from the sounds of it.
“No,” he lied. “Just wondering what your next move was going to be.”
He felt Marks shift on the bed and closed his eyes, waiting for whatever was to be his fate. A soft press of lips to skin was what he received and he was both relieved and disappointed by this. Cracking an eye, he looked at his partner, wary and nervous.
“You’re lying to me, Wesley Mitchell, and that’s very unlike you.” With a roll and a thump, Travis landed on his side, facing Wes.
“I am not,” he fibbed for the second time.
“You are too,” Travis counted. “Now spill it, what’s going on?”
Wes turned his face to the wall, unable to look Travis in the eye and tell him the truth. “I can’t have sex with you.”
“You’ve already made that abundantly clear, Mitchell. What else is bothering you?”
Marks wasn’t letting him off the hook so easily it seemed. “I was afraid you weren’t going to give me a choice and hold me to my earlier offers.”
Frowning, Travis pulled Wes against him. “As much as I’d like to, that would pretty much take all the fun out of it, don’t you think?” He nuzzled his nose into that space behind his ear and inhaled deeply, hot breath brushing Wes’ skin as he exhaled. “Besides, a sober, willing partner only makes for better adventures.”
“You would know,” he chided gently.
“Indeed I do, baby,” he agreed.
“So, what now? Where do we go from here?” His first instinct was to snuggle into Travis’ body again, to form fit his frame to that broader, sexier one, but he hesitated, afraid of leading Marks on.
“That depends on you. Do you want more from this partnership or do you want to go back to where we were?”
“Is it possible to go back,” he asked, honest concern in his voice.
“I doubt it,” Travis confessed. “Between my words and your words, things will never be strictly work between us.”
“I was afraid of that,” Wes admitted, feeling guilty for having ever complicated matters. “But I’m also not sure of what I want, either.”
“Did you mean the things you said to me?”
“I’m not exactly sure what I said but –”
“You said that you loved me too and that you wanted my body,” he stated, matter-of-factly.
Wes shut his mouth. He’d owned up to all of that? Out loud even. It was becoming apparent that he hadn’t been just drunk last night, but possessed as well.
“Wes? You still in there?” Travis tapped a finger lightly against his forehead.
“Yeah, sorry,” he apologized. “I can’t believe I said all of that is all.”
“Is any of it true?” Travis glanced down at the slice of sheet between them, studying it as if it held the answers to life, the universe, and everything.
“All of it is which is why I’m so surprised I said any of it. I was having a hard enough time reconciling my feelings within my own head, how I managed to spit them all out is unknown.” He took a deep breath and steeled his nerve. “I love you, too, Travis. I have for a very long time.”
Travis’ head shot up, his gaze latching onto Wes’. “You’re not screwing with me are you?”
“No,” Wes said, shaking his head for emphasis. “I’m not, I swear. And I was so distracted with worrying about you yesterday –”
“You let our perp get away,” Travis finished for him.
Wes hung his head. “Yeah, I did.”
“I’m not buying it. I think there’s more to it than that. You’re never that distracted, no matter what is going on in your life. Not even when your divorce became final did you miss a beat. You are the epitome of what a detective should be, man.”
“Then how did he disappear right before my eyes?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out,” Travis promised. “Right after we get some sleep.”
“But what about the case,” Wes asked, concerned.
“It will wait. Besides, you’re hung over and I didn’t get my beauty rest last night. We’ll take a couple more hours and then put in a little OT. Sound good?”
Wes thought it over for a moment before nodding. “You want me to set an alarm?”
“Yeah, do that, and when we get up, we’ll go find ourselves some food and talk this shit over. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Wes said, giving in to his needs and curling into Travis’ side.
“Perfect,” he grinned, wrapping his partner in his warm embrace. “Just like my little buttercup.”
Several hours later, he found himself seated in a corner booth at a diner not far from the precinct. Travis had assured him that, despite the rundown appearance of the place, the food was top notch. Wes had taken that recommendation with a grain of salt, considering a) the rec had come from Marks and b) they were in what any sane person would call a ‘greasy spoon’. The coffee, however, had been perfect – he’d already downed two cups and was working on a third – when his food arrived.
“Travis, this looks awful,” he complained, turning over a sliver of egg with his fork.
He pointed a half-eaten triangle of toast at his partner. “Try it before you judge it. Remember what you said to me the first time I turned my nose up at that funky eggplant mush you fed me?”
“You mean the baba ganoush?”
“Yes, that. Remember how you laid into me about ‘broadening my horizons’? Well, the same applies here. It looks awful, but it is damned tasty. And it’ll do your hangover a world of good.”
Wes made a face in Travis’ direction before forking a mouthful of scrambled egg into his mouth. It wasn’t his usual breakfast fare, but his stomach growled all the same. He heard a groan come from somewhere nearby and was ashamed to realize it emanated from within himself.
“See, not as bad as you thought, huh?” Travis chuckled in that annoying ‘I told you so’ manner he had, grin plastered to his face.
“Yeah, I’ll give you this one, Marks, but that’s it,” Wes growled back before digging into his breakfast.
He amazed himself by devouring every last morsel on his plate. Wes surprised himself even further by stealing a heap of hash browns off of Travis’ plate when he wasn’t looking. “Hey man, those are mine,” he’d laughed, using his fork as a guard against any further thievery.
“Sorry, but you were right, it was tasty.” He pushed his empty plate away from him and grabbed the almost empty cup of coffee before him. Taking a sip, he looked at his partner. “Have any thoughts about where this guy might have gotten off to?”
Wes had outlined his failure for Travis after the waitress had left to put their order in. They’d agreed to not discuss it again until after they’d finished their meals and Travis had had time to mull over the information. “Yeah, knowing what we know about this perp, and given his predictable behavior to date, I’m betting he’s hiding out with his girlfriend in Burbank.”
Nodding, Wes tapped on the table with his fingertips. “I was thinking the same thing, but figured it’d be too obvious, even with this idiot. If you think it’s worth a shot, I have the file in my car still. You want to go pay them a visit?”
Travis’ natural grin widened even more. “You damn well better believe it, buttercup. I left you in the lurch yesterday because of my insecurities. I’m not letting you down again.”
Standing, Wes dropped some money onto the table to cover the meal. “Really now, to listen to you talk, you have no insecurities, Marks.”
“Yeah, well, let’s just say that I’m better than most at keeping them under wraps.” He caught Wes’ gaze and gave him a wink. “Although I’m not nearly as good as some others I know.”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Wes deadpanned, trying to play off the compliment like it didn’t affect him.
“Liar,” Travis goaded. “Just promise me one thing, okay?”
“What’s that,” Wes asked, confused.
“Promise that you’ll stop second guessing yourself just because I’m being a dumbass, okay? Your intellect is ten times more powerful than my gut instinct.”
“Okay,” Wes agreed, uneasy but willing to make the effort. “Are we ready then?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Travis agreed, slipping out of the booth and standing by the table. “Lead the way, Mitchell, and let’s go nail this guy.”
Unsurprisingly, the guy had been exactly where they guessed he’d be – at his girlfriend’s house having a late brunch with her family. It amazed Wes that criminals could pull of such intricate heists and yet still make such idiotic mistakes when it came to the simple things. He wasn’t going to argue the point, however. Instead, he simply handcuffed the perp and hauled him out onto the porch and made him sit on the concrete and wait until the patrol car showed up.
“I always knew that guy was trouble,” the woman’s father had said, glaring at the perp. “I don’t know what Callie ever saw in him, honestly.”
“Don’t be too hard on your daughter,” Travis said to him, giving him a squeeze on the shoulder. “Love is a complicated thing and we don’t always go in with our eyes fully open.” He snuck a glance at Wes when he said the last part, driving his point home.
“He has a point,” Wes agreed. “Just make sure she takes more care in picking out the next one.”
They shook hands with the girl and her parents, wishing them all well and letting them know that the uniforms would be taking their statements. Halfway to Wes’ car, Travis started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Wes glanced at his partner while thumbing the button that unlocked the doors of his car.
“That this guy made it almost too easy on us,” Travis said, climbing into his spot in the passenger seat. “And if you hadn’t been so heartbroken over little ol’ me, you might have figured it out all on your lonesome.”
“You can shut up now,” Wes warned him, turning the engine over and backing out of the driveway.
“Aw, you know it’s true though,” Marks teased, making his tone light and affectionate. “But I promise not to tell anyone if you do something for me.”
“And what would that be,” he asked, wary of whatever Travis might have come up with in the last few minutes.
He reached across the console separating their seats and rested his hand on Wes’ thigh. “Go on a date with me this Friday. Dinner, a movie maybe? See if this thing works out.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea or not,” Wes said. “Shouldn’t we take some time to figure this thing out?”
“That’s why I suggested a date. It’s usually the best way to decide whether you like someone or not.”
“I already know I don’t like you,” he stated.
“That’s not what you said last night,” Travis reminded him.
“Shut up.”
“Only if you say yes,” he prodded.
“Okay, fine. Yes, I’ll go out with you on Friday, Travis. Are you happy now?” He tore his eyes off the road long enough to throw a glare in Marks’ direction.
“Yes, I am. And I will be so much happier on Friday.”
“Oh for the love of god,” he muttered, gripping the steering wheel more tightly than necessary. “Just kill me now.”
“Now, now,” Travis scolded. “You have to at least make it through a date before you beg for death.”
He had a point.
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no subject
Date: 2014-10-23 11:23 pm (UTC)Sucking on a cat, eh? Buddy been sleeping too close? Hahah. (also, 'I gave you a hand', and 'his perfect self' - heh)
'I don't even like men'? LOL.
'Thank you' ? Oh, gosh, Wes.
As I said, this was a sweet piece of writing. This chapter had more humor than I expected. It could've so easily gone along a very dark path, but I love the path it took. So much mystery between them to be solved ...
no subject
Date: 2014-10-24 04:37 pm (UTC)ROFL! Not sure if Wes would let Buddy within ten feet of him, not that the jerk cat wouldn't try.
I'm tickled that you found so much to laugh at in this last chunk. I knew Wes wouldn't be able to respond in kind, not right away, so 'thank you' sounded exactly like something he might actually say.
But thank you again. It started so dark that I really wanted to end it on a much lighter note, so I'm very thankful that the humor came through and that it worked so well.