Under Construction.docx

7/29/2019 Under Construction.docx

1/22

It was an agonizingly slow day study-wise, even for Craig, who regularly read and re-read his

textbooks from cover to cover. Regardless, it was the time hed set aside to sit in the library and study,

even though hed read through his humanities textbook at least four times now and the midterm exam

wasnt forthree weeks; he couldve passed the final by now.

In an increasingly more common moment of idle time, Craig leaned his chin on his hand andpeered out the window across the street. It appeared they were building a new addition onto one of the

many lecture halls on campus, so there were a group of men moving busily across the quad in hard hats,

work boots, orange vests, and the whole deal. From Craigs basic knowledge of architecture and how

things are built, they didnt need all of that protection quite yet. They were far from the street here and

were only digging up land.

He watched them for a moment, going to turn away when one man caught his eye. He was tall

and broad shouldered, wearing a work singlet that was wet and stained with sweat. First glance, Craig

found him attractive, more so than he liked to admit upon meeting someone, let alone just seeing them.

Such things took time and evaluation to confirm. Craig could only see the back of him right now,

shoulders knotted up; tensing each time the man pulled a shovel out of the ground to toss the dirt next

to him. Craig watched, mesmerized by the way his biceps moved under his skin, unconsciously

swallowing very hard. The man suddenly threw back his dark-haired head and shook, throwing beads of

sweat all around him.

A flash of green eyes had Craig staring the other way by reflex. That was strange, almost like the

man had sensed his gaze. Craig furtively looked back around to the construction worker, who had

crouched down so Craig could see his stubble-chinned profile. He had a concentrated gaze toward his

feet, where he was tightening the laces on a pair of dirt-dusted yellow work boots. The worker had a

strong, defined jaw; something stereotypically manly that didnt look stereotypical at all. Craig could

see the defined lines of his back from the wet fabric clinging to his skin; he swallowed hard, gathering up

all of his books back into his bag. He had to get out of here; he was clearly going out of his mind, staring

like that.

He finally tore his eyes away and rushed out of the library, slinging his bag across his shoulder

contemplating his next move. He left the building with idle thoughts of getting lunch, making a pointed

attempt not to watch construction workers doing their job as he walked by. Every shuffle of dirt made

him half flinch, though; he was so distracted by thoughts of that man A low whistle made him stop

dead in his tracks; Craig swiveled with a blank look wide-eyed look on his face.

That expression turned to one of shock when he saw who was standing there; white work shirtand orange reflective vest tossed over one shoulder. Craig didnt realize he was staring until his tongue

managed to work itself across his lips, trying to find some kind of moisture to speak or at least regain

some sense. There was no doubt about who that green-eyed worker was staring at. Craig hadnt even

made a specific attempt to look good or anything, simply what he always wore on his short, thin frame.

Why the hell


2/22

The man might have said something, but Craig was already walking away, double the pace hed

started. He suddenly realized his face was hot and his heart was pounding; this was an increasingly

strange reaction to simply how someone appeared. He charged down the path toward his dorm without

a second thought about lunch, his thoughts were completely consumed by something more confusing.

The very next day, Craig had to pass the work site again to get to his classes. There was a distinctlack of workers in the early morning; something which Craig couldnt decide if it left him feeling relieved

or disappointed. No tall, dark, and handsome workers getting dirty and sweaty in his line of vision. No

low wolf whistles that made Craigs spine straighten unbidden even just thinking about them. He

counted that lack of presence in the empty lot a good thing, suddenly.

He spent most of his increasingly boring humanities class distracted. The lecture was over

something lifted directly from the book, so Craig could nearly recite it from memory. Once the class was

over he very cautiously peeked out across to the building lot and still saw no one. He thanked whatever

luck he might have had and found a bench to spread out on. He picked up his latest recreational

hardcover reading. He glanced across the lawn, finding it mostly uncrowded. He arranged his back

against one end of the bench to lie down and hold the book in front of the sun. He pulled his knees up to

rest on the bench, filling up the rest of the empty space. No one would bother him like that and while

reading he hopefully wouldnt be bothered any other way, too; gaze occupied, bench filled.

At some point in his book, the plot lulled and his arms got tired of blocking out the sun. He laid

the book open over his chest, blocking the sun with an arm over his eyes. It was highly unwise to fall

asleep here, so he started to hum some chorus to a song he couldnt remember. Something he heard on

the radio driving someplace, something upbeat that he had stuck in his head. It took him a moment to

realize someone was whistling along with him. He sat up with a start and looked around, unable to spot

the culprit immediately.

He jumped as he heard a deep voice break out into words, And promise you, kid, that I'll give so

much more than I get. I just haven't met you yet!

There was a shadow over his head, making him crane his neck backwards to see who was

singing. A familiar strong-jawed face was peering down at him with a confident grin, making him nearly

fall off of the bench. The man caught him by the elbows and hauled him back to sit. Craig was only

aware he was back on the hard wood when that someone invited themselves to sit next to him.

Hi, names Rick, he heard, making Craig turn his neck mechanically to see the same set of

muscled shoulders he was staring at yesterday.

His face already felt warm, so he risked the rising blush to raise his eyes up to those of his new

acquaintance. He realized the other man had seated himself very, very close; Craig could smell a heady

earthy scent from his clothes. His confident grin never faltered, no matter how long Craig stared.

Heard yhummin somethin by that Mike Boob guy, took a break, though Id introduce myself,

Rick said, grin getting wider.


3/22

Craig finally realized he was gaping and quickly shut his mouth with a snap. His eyes flicked to

his bag that was sitting on the other side of this hulking man before looking back up at his eyes. His

mouth felt dry and he could feel his mouth moving to try to say something, but neither his vocal chords

nor his brain provided anything to say.

He hastily reached across the mans lap to snag his bag, I have to go, he mumbled, nearlytripping as he stood up to dash away.

The whole damn construction crew was out digging in the dirt now. He cursed his negligence,

glancing over his shoulder to see his book lying on the bench next to a slightly confused looking

construction worker. He ducked around a corner and pressed the back of his hand to his face, snatching

it away in surprise. His face was burning hot.

He didn't see the man- Rick- casually pick up the book and slide it into his pocket, humming as

he walked away.

The next day, Craig made it a point to leave especially early for his class, and gleaned his wanted

result- not a single worker in, out or about the school. Yet they hardly needed to be; he could still feel

the ghosts of strong hands hoisting him by the arms, and the echo of a deep, rumbling voice...

He shook his head in frustration and slammed his locker shut. This was utterly ridiculous!

Something as foolish as... as a slight, primitive attraction shouldn't possibly affect him so much!

He needed a distraction, is all; something to occupy his mind. School wasn't sufficient- he'd

memorized the textbooks already- and his stimulation-starved brain had merely tried to... entertain

itself by finding a subject of interest. Yes, that was it.

Relieved by this conclusion, he slung his book bag back over his shoulder and turned the corner

towards the main foyer... only to be greeted by a fairly shocking sight.

There, talking to a flushing, stammering secretary was the subject of interest himself.

Rick wasn't particularly dirty or work-ridden, this time. Instead- much to Craig's reluctant

attraction- he was dressed in plain black jeans and a green t-shirt. He had one finely-muscled arm

propped against the doorframe, having a casual conversation with a middle-aged secretary, who was

only too pleased at the attention. Craig didn't notice his expression had turned sour at the sight until

Rick caught him out of the corner of his eye, and returned it with a toothy grin.

Well, hey there, sweetheart. He drawled, standing upright. Craig's spine stiffened completely

and his mouth ran dry.

As Rick turned to seemingly give the secretary a polite goodbye, Craig turned on his heel and

disappeared back around the corner.


4/22

Of course. Of course! It only served his bored mind right to fixate on some... some philandering

Neanderthal! Craig seethed in fury- at himself, he tried to reason, but somewhere deep down he knew

the truth- and proceeded to stomp quickly down the hallway, looking for a hasty exit.

His anger was such that he never heard the heavy, yet leisurely stride from behind, and

consequently he was thrown off balance when an arm suddenly slammed into a locker ahead of him,stopping Craig cold in his tracks.

Woah, there, what's thhurry?

Craig peered up and saw Rick, smiling victoriously, with his arms on either side of Craig's

shoulders. Craig instinctively shrank into the locker behind him, heat rising in his face.

What, cat got yer tongue? Rick asked when Craig didn't offer a reply.

He hadnt said so much as a word to this this distraction and intended on keeping it that way.

No escape at this point, unfortunately, so he was left with his heart pounding in his ears at Rick staring

at him expectantly.

Now, I was hopin youd jus tell me yerself, but its Craig, innit? Rick finally asked after a very

long, tense moment of silence.

Craigs brow furrowed before he could think to attempt a neutral reaction. Rick dug into a deep

pocket of his jeans and produced the book hed left behind. Craig stared at the offered book for a very

long time before grasping it with a wary glare up to this smug fixation in front of him.

You wrote it in thcover, Rick supplied with a shrug, Made it easier tfind ya.

Craig cleared his throat and mumbled very quiet thanks, but Rick didnt budge. Craig glared at

him over the rim of his glasses, but still no movement.

I said, thank you for returning it, he repeated a bit louder.

Aw, see, there ya go. Talkin aint so hard, Rick brightened when Craig was understandable.

Now if youll excuse me

Its pretty damn early for classes, sugar, Im not that thick, Rick interrupted; pushing Craigs

slipping glasses right back up his nose with a single finger. Craig flinched away with a scowl.

I was going to say

I was wonderin if youd come nget a bite teat with me, Rick said, flashing a wide grin.

Why in the world woul

Dont have tbe right now, but mebbe some other time.


5/22

Im telling you I

Mebbe I can getchernumber and well work somethin out?

Craig fumed, For someone who was APPARENTLY looking for me to SPEAK you do quite a LOT

of interrupting!

Ricks grin never faltered, which only served to anger Craig further, And FURTHERMORE,

whatever gave you the false idea that I would date some dirty, clearly uneducated laborer, is BEYOND

me!

With that bit of well-laid insult, Craig ducked under the other mans arm and scurried off as fast

as he legs would carry him. He went to his class exactly 47 minutes early and it took exactly that amount

of time of heavy breathing to get his heart rate down. At least that would be the last hed see of that

construction worker, he assured himself.

Rejection was a lovely thing, Craig realized. Now that hed formally rejected that horrible

distraction in the shape of a muscle-bound man, his classes were much easier to pay attention to and

even take notes that he hadnt already memorized. In his free time, he actually finished a paper in

record time and submitted it several days before it was due. Yes, this was becoming a highly productive

and much calmer day. There was even an hour set aside to attempt to find a more engaging and

mentally stimulating hobby; no results, but it was time well-spent searching.

Once he arrived at his apartment, though, that was when a tidal wave of boredom hit. His

apartment was spotless, as usual, and he didnt have a part time job to attend As much as he had

gotten done today, as productive as it had been, Craig was honestly wishing he had something thatwould let him escape his own thoughts, friends, a job, a hobby. ANYTHING. Instead, all he had was the

option to go to bed early. Oh well, at least he wasnt thinking too hard in his sleep

Underneath the covers, his mind was wandering unbidden until he was too tired to attempt to

force it away from thoughts of strong arms trapping him to a locker, hopes of a warm mouth across his

neck, a pair of shameless wandering hands across his front. He felt like he was glowing with warmth,

moving closer to an unmoving wall of muscle, followed by welcoming arms.

He blinked his eyes opened slightly, peering at his surroundings. Everything seemed dark, vast,

and empty, until he began to focus on something in the distance. A figure was very clear suddenly; Rick

stood there, attempting to free himself of a sweat-and-dirt stained singlet. The material was discarded

without a thought and a flashy grin nearly blinded Craig, making him shield his eyes with his hand.

Its okay, darlin, ykinlook if ywant,Rick pulled down Craigs hand gently, knowing smile

replacing the flashy, arrogant grin.

Dont be ridiculous, its not proper to outright stareat someone, Craig mumbled.


6/22

But yhave been.

Craig shivered, feeling as though the voice was against his ear. It spoke like him; same inflection,

same drawl, same everything. Hard muscle was pressed against his hands, a force on his wrists

commanding him to explore, to touch this mans stomach, his chest, his shoulders. Everything Craig had

been attempting to stuff away as unnecessary and inappropriate was bubbling up suddenly. He movedto bite his lip; a set of teeth were already there, making him whimper in a slight amount of pain. He

couldnt see who was there, but he knew, just from the heady scent of earth and sweat; even a faint bit

ofcologne he hadnt let himself become aware of the last time they had met.

His back was cold, pressed up against thin metal that felt like perhaps a locker; broad, strong

shoulders pressed against him, a mouth trailing across his neck. His head swam, unsure of the sudden

warm feeling all across him; all across his stomach, across his groin. That feeling felt like slippery oil one

moment and changed to rough hands the moment he focused again.

A loud, keening moan made him sit upright in bed with a start. He fumbled for his glasses on his

bedside table to stare at his clock. 3:23 a.m., he saw with some distaste. He had been dreaming, he

realized. A very vivid and frustratingly familiar dream that made him realize perhaps he didnt have his

mind completely cleared of a construction worker named Rick. Dear god; he leaned back into bed with a

thump on the mattress. He had never had a dream like that and he hoped he never did again.

The peace he'd thought he'd managed to find was very quickly filled by memories of thatdream.

The vengeance, he tried to convince himself, of an intelligent and under-stimulated subconscious- all the

more reason to find a hobby. So, the next few days were spent filling out three papers in advance and

searching through the school bulletin board for some sort of club, or study group.

This proved fruitless, and left him with even LESS to do.

As well, he'd been making it a point to avoid the worksite entirely, and in a completely justified

fit of paranoia, checked around each corner of the school before walking down a hallway. He'd seen Rick

only twice, from a distance, and each time had pointedly ignored the man's attempts to approach and

walked in the opposite direction. This, he was sure, would drive the point home: that he wanted

absolutely nothing to do with the irritatingly attractive man.

On the third day, a Friday, he'd been horrified to learn that his alternate route home had been

closed off for- what else?- construction. Apparently there was some sort of asphalt-god that took greatamusement from Craig's suffering. And while on any other day he might have simply hid in the library

until nightfall, there was a faculty meeting, and the library was closed.

He trudged out of the foyer, miserable and thoroughly dreading the inevitable passing of the

worksite...

Until a strong, work-tanned hand clasped his shoulder in an iron grip.


7/22

Surprised, Craig's head spun and his gaze was caught by determined, green eyes and a stiff jaw.

Far from the carefree, ne'er-do-well look Rick had always had before, his expression now was.... intense.

Strained, almost. And it made Craig's head swim, just as it had while he was dreaming.

M' walkin' you home. Rick announced gruffly, and pushed the stunned man along beside him,

in a tone that expected no arguments.

Of course, that had never stopped Craig.

U-unhand me! Craig snarled in a mixture of stunned affront and nervousness. He tried to

wriggle out of Rick's grip, but his hand held firm, and the very strength of it summoned up snippets of

Craig's dream that he really, REALLY didn't need to be recalling. So he tried to focus on other things...

like righteous anger.

No can do, sweetheart. Rick replied, steering Craig down the street. A few people gave the

pair an odd look, and Craig's face burned even hotter. What a sight- a tall, muscular construction

worker, orange trousers and all, dragging along a slim, bespectacled student.

Despite the very vocal protests, Craig was soon staring at the front door of his apartment

complex. He wrenched his shoulder from Ricks very strong grip to whirl around with a fierce glare.

HOW did you know where I live?! he demanded.

Rick shook his head with a grin, Ymight not have noticed, but youwere leadin.

Craig flushed with shame; he hadnt noticed at all and now he came off as some kind of

paranoid. He swallowed and turned his gaze elsewhere, attempting to save some face and scrape up the

last dregs of his dignity. A push against the door made him shoot his gaze back up at the looming, bigger

man. That intense gaze while pressed up against something with a heavy hand on his shoulder made his

knees feel a little weak. He barely realized how wide his eyes had gotten. A brush of rough knuckle

against his cheek made it harder to breathe.

"Now, ya mind tellin' me why ykeep runnin' off like a scalded cat?"

Craig was again unaware his eyes shut; once he realized he tried very hard notto concentrate on

the low rumbling voice that was much, much too close to him. His chin trembled slightly when he tried

to open his mouth to answer.

I-I dont need such ap-poordistraction around, he managed to spit out.

The cool night made him pretty sensitive to the sudden warmth across his forehead. He almost

flinched away; he told himself later that he was so confused that he didnt know which direction to turn

and accidentally turned toward the mans face. Lips brushed against his brow very softly; he might have

made a noise, but blood was pounding in his ears.

Im amuch better distraction than ya think, hands were suddenly on Craigs cold waist.


8/22

Those hands were moving upward when Craig started to scrabble for the door knob. He fell over

the threshold and slammed the door shut in the face of a surprised Rick with a kick. The door locked

with a click that signalled his safety; he pressed his back against the wood and ran his hands through his

hair. He heard an annoyed knock and some muffled words, but he didnt pay much attention. He was

much more concerned with a pool of warmth gathering at the very base of his stomach.

Finally, he heard heavy footfalls, and then a silence that informed him he was, indeed, alone.

A long, miserable groan escaped him and he slumped against the door. That had gone just

splendidly; now the newly appointed bane of his existence knew where he lived. On top of which, his

traitorous skin clung to the memory of Rick's touches with an iron grip, leaving him shaking in the

aftermath. Dear god, the man hadn't even touched anything sensitive, and he was a quivering wreck!

Craig pushed blonde strands out of his heated face and sighed again in frustration. This... this

reaction, was only more cause to avoid the insufferable man! If a mere touch and a few words were

enough to affect him like this, the logical solution was to remove the offending subject completely. The

man was like a poison- one taste was enough to make Craig sick.

A drink would surely destroy him.

After dragging himself back up to his apartment, Craig didnt sleep well at all. He tossed and

turned all night, wishing to escape his thoughts just as much as his ridiculously vivid dreams. He didnt

dare enter proper REM sleep for fear hed wake up with a ghostly sensation across his midsection again.

Equations, factoids, mental re-readings of his textbooks all couldnt tire his buzzing mind.

A sickening thought flitted past his mind somewhere around 5 am. Maybe just maybe he wasnt stimulating his mind in the way it truly desired. He shuddered with disgust at the thought of actually

dating. If he did such a thing, his best course of action was to make himself more unavailable to a

certain persistent construction worker. Perhaps if he were taken, or appeared to be taken by someone

else, hed lay off.That presented a dilemma, though; there wasnt anyone he was particularly interested

in, except forwell, the obvious. That wasnt happening, that would neverhappen.

The clock blinked 7 a.m. suddenly and Craig was still as far from sleep as hed ever been. He

sighed and dragged himself out of bed and opened his curtains. There was a figure wandering around

the front door of the complex. Craig tensed when that figure came into focus, a scruffy mop of black hair

and broad shoulders gave Rick away before Craig could even think about leaving. Yes, Craig decided heneeded to do something socialand about as far away from campus as he could manage.

Ricks eyes flicked upward to the windows with a bit of a tired and squinted expression, only to

see Craig shutting his curtain with a bit of anger. Holing up here might not be an option for some people,

but Craig saw nothing wrong with it, until at least his visitorgave up.

However, after an hour, Craig realized that Rick had no intention of leaving.


9/22

Craig had peeked outside a few times, and each time Rick was still there, leaning against the

staircase or sitting on the edge of the flower-bed, looking bored but determined. Rick had caught him

looking only once, and far from looking angry or annoyed, had simply flashed him a devilish smile, as if

to say, Whaddya gonna do about it?

Craig shut the curtain again with an angry growl and glared at the pile of discarded books on hisbed. Again, the attraction to a total stranger had trumped his usual pastimes, and it made his decision all

the more desperate. Today was a Saturday... which, if his observations were correct, was the perfect

time to socialize and meet less... distracting, people. The campus was filled with clubs and bars; it would

hardly kill him to visit one or two, for the sake of his mental health?

That left, of course, the problem on the doorstep.

He gritted his teeth and threw on a stiff turtleneck, and then a thick white vest. Nothing in his

wardrobe screamed Not interested quite like this particular outfit, and he wore it only on special

occasions. Underneath, for later, he wore a light salmon-coloured t-shirt, and prayed that it remained

cool outside.

He grabbed his book bag, swept his hair back and stormed out of his apartment, preparing

himself for battle. The attempt to similarly storm across the lawn after opening the front door with a

bang was interrupted by a yank on his arm.

Let me go,he said, surprisingly steady for being unable to look up at what was stopping him.

Slow down, hear me out.

Craig still didnt look up, regardless, Youve beenfollowingme and you expect me to slow

down and hear you out?

Didnt I tell ya Im not sthick as ythink? Rick said, not quite so frustrated, as amused, Tryn

dodge me might work, but when Im right here, its pretty obvious, Craig.

Craig finally deigned to look up at the taller man with a glare that looked as though it could

shoot daggers, And exactly whatis obvious, pray tell?!

Rick attempted to say something, but it was Craigs turn to interrupt, You have made quite a lot

of assumptions on someone you do NOT know ANYTHING about. I have made it VERY clear that I do not

want

Hey now, you didnt say anythin like that

I am fairly certain I expressed my VERY CLEAR dislike

Another tug brought Ricks arm back around Craigs waist in a maddeningly familiar manner,

Would yshut yer trap a second?


10/22

Craig tried to pull away, a look of abject fear and skittish nerves in his eyes, but thick fingers

wrapped around his chin, making it impossible for him to even lookaway from those dark green eyes,

Im not blind. You. Want. Me. NI really, reallyfuckin want you! Fuck if I know WHY, yer so goddamn

difficult I wanna tear mdamn hair out!

The only expression that Craig could muster was one that resembled a deer in the headlights;Rick took that moment to pull him completely forward, roughly pressing his mouth against Craigs. The

muffled sound of surprise sounded vaguely pleased, which only egged Rick on more. The hand on his

arm was moved around his waist to join the other. Craigs clouded mind screeched to a full halt. He

shoved the other man away as hard as he could; face flushed a dangerously dark red. He stared in

complete shock before stumbling into a full run away.

He didnt stop running until he was completely out of sight and about a mile north of the

construction site. That was likely the fastest hed run away from anything in his currently very sorry life.

He leaned against a lamppost to attempt to catch his breath, he was near-wheezing. Once he was

breathing normally, he lightly banged his head against the aluminum.

There was really only one way to handle a situation like this and it was to promptlyforgetwith a

little aid of a foul little liquid that he typicallywould avoid. Nothing else had worked, now it was time to

destroy a few brain cells and hope the ones lost had everything to do with the latent sensation of that

mans stubble across Craigs chin and another mouth across his lips. Now to see what kind of bar was

open mid-morning

Status on social interaction: Complete failure. Status on sobriety: Very, verypoor. Status on

mood: Surprisingly elevated. Status on state of dress: Less than when he left. Status on location:Admittedly lost. Craig was stumbling back toward his apartment with the last vestiges of his sense of

direction; that really only meant that he was trying not to fall down around the library. He wasnt sure

what time it was, but the sun had gone down not too long ago He thought. It was much too much

work and headache to pay attention to how many chimes the local clock tower sang.

Craig stared over his shoulder, trying to figure out if he should have been going the other way

when he walked right into a wallNo wait, not a wall. He ended up on his ass, looking up at an amused

and concerned Rick.

Oh, its you, Craig slurred, suppressing an ill-placed laugh, You youve been causing me a

LOTTA trouble, y-yknow that!?

Rick raised an eyebrow and offered a hand to help the obviously drunk man off of his feet. Craig

tried to bat the hand away, but thought about it and grabbed it instead. The whole world began to tilt

and he found himself, once again, in the stronger mans arms, held up by that mans much more stable

center of gravity. The sense of vertigo took a second to die back down while Craig shut his eyes.


11/22

Im gonna do yaa favor ntake ya home, Rick said, gently turning him around to face the

opposite direction.

Yeah, I knew where I was going! Craig insisted, opening his eyes as Rick yet again marched him

down the street toward his apartment complex.

Course ydid, no shame ngettin turned round while a little tipsy, right? Rick assured him,

amused he was still so defensive while this far gone.

Of course not! I know where I live, I would have been fine, yes, Craig insisted again, looking

over his shoulder with an accusatory glare, You doubt me, I can see it.

Rick snorted, Me? Never.

Oh yes you do, youre INCREDIBLY bothersome like that, you know? Craig went on, Its hard

to get you out of my head like that, its not fair!

Well, this was one way to get information out of the stubborn prick, Rick reasoned. This wasnt

the most ideal way to get him to talk, but it was better than nothing. He was really only confirming

something that Rick was confident in already anyway.

Cant say Im sorry, sweetheart.

Why allthe nicknames, anyway? You know my name, dont you?

Course I do.

Feh, probably some some macho masculine thing, or or something, Craig waved on hand

in the air flippantly.

Rolls offthe tongue when Im dealin with people I like, Rick said with an easy shrug.

Luckily for Craig, he was already red-faced and unaware, so he couldnt get much pinker and be

noticed. At least the meaning hadnt been lost through the haze of alcohol. They had arrived at his

apartment complex, unlost and without any more stumbling. Craig broke away from being steered

around like a lost child and tugged out his keys. He fumbled with the keys to the front door, Rick

standing to the side to give him and his pride some space. Finally, he flung the door open, smacking Rick

square in the face.

Shit, he muttered, grabbing his nose when the door swung back slightly.

O-oh, sorry! Im so sorry! Craig fussed, grabbing at Ricks wrist to see the damage.

Rick pulled his hand away and there was a bit of blood trailing down his upper lip. Craig dizzily

tugged the other man toward the door, staring at the bit of blood trickling down his face with mixed

horror and concern.


12/22

L-let me clean that up, Im so sorry, Craig stammered, tugging insistently.

Rick reached up and gingerly touched his lip, pulling his hand away to look at his now-red

fingertips, Snot that bad, really, dont worry your pretty little head about it.

No! Its my fault and I I fully intend on fixing it! Craig insisted, tugging harder on the bigger

mans wrist.

Rick finally acquiesced, allowing himself get pulled up the stairs toward Craigs apartment and

waiting patiently while Craig stubbornly attempted to unlock the door while Rick stood on the other

side. Inside, Rick could only watch while Craig forcibly made him sit on his small couch and tottered

away to find something to clean him up with. If it was possible, he was more stubborn while stinking

drunk and that was saying quite a something.

His insistent nurse returned with a bottle of peroxide and a cloth, failing at opening the bottle

several times before Rick gently took it out of his hands to pry off the cap. The worry of spilling peroxide

everywhere made Rick coat the cloth in a little bit of the stinging liquid, too, though he allowed theoverly prideful Craig to haphazardly dab at the line of quickly drying blood on his face. It didnt escape

Ricks notice that Craigs eyes were watching his mouth in half-lidded eyes with perhaps a bit too much

interest than the blonde might have allowed while more sober. He shifted closer, too, allowing their

knees to bump together less inconspicuously than Craig might have hoped.

The angle he was leaning toward the other man was fairly obvious as well. Craig finally lowered

the cloth, the rest of his body unmoving. His pale pink tongue passed across his bottom lip, followed by

the brush of his teeth. It was pretty damn obvious to Rick what was on his mind; it would have been

obvious even if he had been the one drunk.

Where didjago, Craig? Rick asked, hoping to distract him from anything decidedly not PG

rated that might be on his mind.

Some bar, I forgot the name, Craig mumbled.

Meet anyone?

Pfft, considering how much of my mind is on you, the corners of Craigs mouth dipped down

slightly.

How much didja drink?

A shrug in response, Dunno, really.

I should go, sweetheart.

Craigs fingers gripped into the fabric on Ricks shoulder, Dont. Please?

There was the only reason for hesitation. That was the kind of reaction Rick had been expecting,

perhaps wanting this entire time, but it took him being far beyond intoxicated for it to come out. That


13/22

wasnt right in Ricks mind; yeah, he wanted this guy pretty damn bad, but Rick wasnt that kind of guy.

He couldnt take advantage of someone he honestly liked while they were this drunk; he wasnt sure

hed even want to do such a thing as just a booty call. It was too shady and downright wrong; if he

expected to even talk to Craig after tonight, it was an apocalyptically bad idea.

However, when Rick gently tried to pry Craigs thin fingers off of his shirt, the smaller manleaned forward, eye shut, and mouth expectant. Rick leaned backwards, knowing what he wanted, but

not daring to even do that much.

Yneed tget tbed, Rick said firmly.

Craigs eyes opened and he looked more than hurt by the rejection, W-what?

That expression of sheer disappointment almost made Rick give in, but instead of cracking, he

got off of the couch, pulling Craig up with him, Cmon, lets getcha tbed.

Craig blinked a couple of times, letting that process before his expression turned to something a

bit more hopeful. He allowed Rick to help him into bed by leaning on his wide shoulders, head lolling

against his neck. Once Rick got him into bed and his head hit the pillow, he dimmed drastically. Craig

couldnt remember his head hitting the pillow, but it was soft and he was suddenly tired enough that he

couldnt keep his eyes open. His blankets were pulled over him and a warm hand pulled his glasses off

surprisingly gently.

His eyes fluttered open for long enough to see Rick make a move to leave. Craigs arm lashed

out and gripped his belt loop, tugging very faintly.

Stay please, he mumbled; even his mouth was too tired to move completely.

I aint getting in tbed with ya, sweetheart, sorry.

Craig made some kind of pitiful noise that he would claim never left his mouth; unintentionally

hitting a soft spot on Ricks sympathy. Rick gruffly said something that Craig didnt understand and

walked away. By the time Rick came back with a kitchen chair; Craig was already fast asleep, arm

hanging over the side of the bed. Rick shook his head at sleeping form in front of him with a wry grin. He

disappeared back into the kitchen, returning not too much later with a couple things; he figured it

wouldnt hurt to stay just a little longer.

Craig lifted his heavy feeling head with quite a bit of reluctance. The moment he did, a wave of

pain washed over his whole cranium. He sat up with fright and clutched his head, looking for a bump, a

fracture, anywhere but found nothing but a sense of vertigo at moving so quickly. Ah, that was right;

he made the mistake of drinking himself into a stupor last night. Nothing more of interest should have

happened, he assured himself, lying back down to sleep off more of the splitting hangover he had right

now.


14/22

A few hours later, he sat right up in bed, spine tingling with an electric shock of realization. Yes,

something MUCH MORE interesting happened, oh god oh god. Craig whipped around to look at the

other side of his decently sized bed. Empty. He breathed in relief before stumbling out of bed,

remembering that he was fully dressed. Also a relief. He pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead in a

futile attempt to stave off some latent nausea.

The living room and kitchen were undisturbed until Craig had a shower and a change of clothes.

He felt at least a little better after that, if starving and afraid to eat. There was no one on his couch,

thankfully, so he flipped the light on in his kitchen, greeted by a yellow notepad with some writing on it.

He gingerly approached it and read the messy writing from a stiff-backed distance as if the innocuous

yellow paper meant him some kind ofharm.

Craig

You kinda passed out on me after walking you home. You might think Im making it up, but you insisted I

stay. I made sure you fell asleep, at least and left you alone. Next time you go out and get smashed, think

about taking someone with you, in case someone who isnt as nice as me finds you instead. Dont worry

about my nose, its fine now.

By the way, youre pretty damn cute when youre sleeping. Just saying. Drew you a little something so

you can see what I see.

The name at the bottom was very obviously an angular RICK with a number scribbled

underneath of it. There was an arrow drawn at the bottom with a flip the page written at the bottom.

Craigs face involuntarily flushed with the flood of information and he immediately needed to go lie

down out of pure unadulterated shame. Oh god, he had hoped any half-memories ofthat man were

simply drunken dreams, but it appeared that wasnt the case. As much as he hoped it wasnt true, heremembered trying to kiss that brute; he remembered trying to get him to stay; he remembered

smacking him in the face with a door, oh god. All of this was suddenly tolerable with the knowledge that

Craig would simply never see the man again. Yes, of course, it was just that easy. Never show his face in

public again, never see him again, perfect plan.

Once he was more okay with the knowledge that he was simply going to become a hermit, he

deigned to go back into the kitchen. He eyed the yellow notepad with some disdain, but figured he could

suffer no more shame if he was going to become a recluse. He gingerly lifted the notepad and flipped

the first page over. Craig studied the second page with a furrowed brow. It was a rough sketch drawn in

pen, just like the first page had been written in. The face was peaceful and calm; it looked almost angelic

in how serene it looked, arm curled underneath of the head. No matter how much denial Craig had in

his body, even he couldnt deny that the face had an uncanny resemblance to his own.

There was a small note at the bottom, Got you some tomato juice. Sounds gross, but it

apparently helps hangovers. Craig very calmly put the notepad down and opened up his refrigerator to

see a cheery little can of V8 staring at him. He shut it again with a snap, going back to bed for some

more of his shame nap.


15/22

The next day, Craig stared blankly across the street at the construction site.

Once the hangover had passed and his dignity had creeped back in, it occurred to him that

becoming a recluse would not be particularly effective in any way- after all, his social life was already

pathetically non-existent, and he spent most of his day indoors. If Rick could catch him in the sparse

moments Craig had already, then there was simply no avoiding him.

Therefore, the only logical solution was to appeal to Ricks apparently gentlemanly heart and tell

him, clearly and concisely, that he. Was not. Interested. If subtlety- or Craigs idea of it- didnt work, then

a brute-force attack certainly would.

He assured himself of this, even as he crossed the street and cautiously stepped past the bright

orange fencing into the site. Immediately he was aware of the eyes of several burly workers on him,

which he sincerely hoped were merely curious. It did make him step a little quicker across the worksite,

scanning the forms to spot his intended target; he didnt want to stop and ask anyone who he was

looking for.

Fortunately, even among the mass of broad-shouldered, hard-hatted men, Rick kind of stuck out

just by personality. Even out of earshot, Craig could practically hear the story the man must have been

telling by the way he was moving his hands around. He steeled his nerves and continued to approach

until those green eyes were right back on him. Shit. The panic that caught in his throat almost convinced

him to completely turn tail and run again, but by the time his body listened to his brain, Ricks heavy

hand was clapped on his shoulder.

Well hey there, sweet thing, what brings ya here? he said cheerfully.

Craig scowled right back at him, I need to speak with you,privately, he muttered.

Sure, whats on your mind?

PRIVATELY, Craig glanced at several people looking at them, shoving the larger man away.

Craig had expected him to lead and Rick did just that, ducking under some boards blocking an

unfinished building. He hadnt been expecting perhaps thatprivate, but he followed, regardless. The

roof was finished, but the floor was not. It was still a bunch of gravel and dirt that crunched under Ricks

boots with nearly deafening sound. Yes, this was a little too private and the light streaming in from the

random windows was not helpful. Rick turned around with a smile and an expectant expression, rolling

back his shoulders a little, like they were tense. That light streamed across his front in stripes, it was

much more distracting than it should have been.

A deep breath and a quick reminder of how ridiculous thatwould be got Craig to reaffirm his

nerves again. A relationship would be ludicrous and even just aflingwould be so idiotic Craig couldnt

fathom agreeing to it. He was not the kind of person to go around throwing himself at people he was

interested in, even if it was painfully obvious to them. He took a deep breath before speaking. Rick

interrupted.


16/22

Change your mind yet? Youre goin round this like ygot two left feet, he noted with some

humor.

In fact I have not! Craig bristled, Im coming to tell you that I am very much notHey!

Ricks hand circled around Craigs wrist, tugging him forward and immediately pushing him

against the drywall behind him. Both gloved hands then slammed against the wall next to Craigs head

with a thump that made him wince.

Ive binmore than patient, sweetheart, he said, voice suddenly lowering in such a way that

made Craig wish he hadnt done this, Ive bin quite thgoddamn gentleman tya, too.

Those rough hands were suddenly curling into Craigs hair just as he was about to open his

mouth to respond. The words caught in his throat right at the worsttime; his jaw was working, he was

certain of it, but no sound was coming out. The only noise he managed was a desperate squeak of

surprise at the heavy weight of Ricks body against him. Craig could smell the dirt and sweat, just as he d

remembered; the hard lines of Ricks body were something he didnt take into account. Oh no, his headwas already starting to swim.

Now, I figure yer probly confused or summat, an thats fine. Dont mind tall, Ricks hand

tipped Craigs crimson face upwards, admiring it in the light narrowly escaping an open window with

cheap blinds.

Craig offered back only an embarrassed and indignant stare. He held stock-still, which prompted

Rick to continue, But I bin real nice- TOO nice- an I figure I got some good karma comin my way. A

goddamn answer at thvery least.

D-dont be ridiculous, Craig managed to say in an even voice; he knew his arms were shaking,I-Im not confused, I

"The more you move those lips, darlin', the more I wanna kiss you quiet, was the interruption.

Stubbornly, Craigs mouth moved again, but was again interrupted by a fulfilled threat. Yes, Rick

had managed to kiss him before, but this was when he wasforcedto pay attention and he couldntrun

away. It was just as heady and hot as he expected, pressed against the wall with Rick forcibly making

him look up, fingers pressing to the back of his head and Ricks mouth warm and his face prickly. Craig

finally remembered how his body worked and pushed his hands weakly against the wall of muscle

pinning him to drywall. Rick obligingly broke off the kiss, staying much closer than Craig had hoped hed

back off.

"I. AM NOT. INTERESTED," Craig announced desperately.

Rick stared for a moment, "I hate tbreak it to ya, sweetheart, but yer hard-on says otherwise.

An' look, mine agrees."


17/22

A gentle pressure on Craigs hip proved exactly what Rick was talking about. The hand in Craigs

hair slipped around his neck, across his collar, and down his chest. That horrid sense of nostalgia it

brought had Craig gasping in panic, face hot and mind too damn cloudyto summon up the words to ask

him to stop or to keep going, he didnt even know anymore. Sounds of metal on leather pulled him out

of the daze just enough to notice that Ricks work gloves were working through pulling off his belt. His

yellow hard hat was already forgotten on the floor; Craig couldnt remember when it had fallen off. The

feel of the rough gloved fingertips across his bare stomach was so sudden; he didnt have a chance to

stifle a small whimper. That bit of his own sudden noise snapped him out of it immediately.

"I'm.... not interested! In dating or kissing or.... t-THAT!" it took several tries, but Craig managed

to choke out what he had come here to say.

"... how kin' ya keep arguin' when I got my HAND down yer PANTS?!"

Ricks sudden bark of a question had Craig silent in shock for a moment; just long enough for a

brush of a strong hand across his groin. Craig gasped and pushed on Ricks chest harder, but the

involuntary thrust of his hips spoke volumes.

T-This is p-p-pointless, obsolete, a useless endeavor! Craig insisted, his pushing and his voice

getting weaker.

"I swear to God Almighty, if'n ya keep talkin', m' gonna gag ya with an extension cord an' take ya

right here, privacy be damned!"

Threat of an extension cord was enough, but actually Craig paled considerably, just now

realizing that happened to be his intention. The thought of Rick actually taking him right here was

enough to make him almost wheeze. But oh god, that would be soCraigs eyelashes fluttered as he

mentally scrambled for more excuses.

"S-someone will hear us! Or SEE us!" he insisted with very real panic.

"Every man out there knows what m' doin' to ya right now, and not a damn one gives a flyin'

fuck. N'fact, if yer NOT screamin' out my name, my reputation's gonna be ruined. So we're at an... what

the hell do they call it, infraction? Crosswalk? I dunno, too horny tthink, Rick gritted out, his accent

thicker, his voice huskier.

Craig was very realistic about his problem right this second. This man was very intimately aware

of how much Craig wanted him, perhaps more than Craig was aware himself and it was incredulously

obvious how much Rick wanted him back. If he didnt do something nowhe was going to be losing his

virginity in a half-built house to a smoldering hot, but on-the-job construction worker. One who

expectedhim to be plain out screaming his name; Craig needed an escape plan and he really only saw a

few options. That mouth on his neck forced him into action.

FINE, he cried, pushing as hard as he could on Ricks chest, FINE, I-Illgo out with you!


18/22

Ricks hands paused for a moment and he pulled back to look at the smaller man against the

wall with a bit of a wary expression.

Just not here. Please? Craig confirmed, not at all liking how small and desperate his voice

sounded.

Not gonna back out onme, stand me up? Rick asked, staring at Craig with a disbeliving

sidelong glance.

I-I swear, he breathed.

Shit, came the swear Rick used to finally back off, pulling himself away and pacing around the

room.

Craigs back was still pressed against the wall for a very long time, just watching Rick pace with

some apprehension. When his green eyes were back on him, Craig realized his pants were still undone

and immediately turned away with embarrassment to right his clothing. He pressed his forehead against

the drywall for a moment to will himself down, so to speak, before turning back with his chin held a bit

higher.

Well? he repeated, surprising even himself on the fact he hadnt bolted yet.

Tomorrow, Ill pick ya up after work, yer apartment, got it?

With that nod and the retrieval of Ricks hard hat, Craig was led out of the unfinished building,

back under the planks that barred the door. He bid a very curt farewell and turned away; trying to avoid

all of the leering stares he got on his way out of the worksite. It wouldnt hit him until much later what

he had just done to himself.

It was inevitable that Craig would regret this. The amount of worry he was putting into what he

was wearing, where they would go, what Ricks intentions were, were inane for the stereotypical

female. He finally forced himself to sit down on his couch with a book after deciding on something

casual, but nice. The book was forgotten in favor of rolling and unrolling his sleeves up to his elbows

several times before realizing that rolled to his elbows didnt look like him at all. Of course with all this

worry, standing up his persistent pursuer had indeed crossed his mind, but he frankly feared the results

of such an action. Agreeing to a normal date was something out of desperation; Craig didnt want to

imagine what Rick might get him to agree to after that.

Thinking about it, Craig amended that thought process. It wasnt coercion, much as it might

have appeared to be, it was simply appealing to the part of himself that he didnt dare listen to. If he

were perfectly honest, he was secretly glad the persistent oaf pursued him so doggedly. He wasnt

aware he needed or wanted an ego boost, but there it was in the form of a construction worker who

made him feel wanted and made his head swim. Regardless of this admission, he didnt toss out the


19/22

theories of being a seriously under stimulated genius. This was simply one hypothesis to soothe those

rampant symptoms that left him so distracted.

The worry over the numerous outliers for just tonight, though, was reaching near-fever pitch. He

stared at his ceiling trying to talk himself out of this when the buzzer sounded on his apartment; it made

him nearly jump out of his skin. Already, hed decided on one thing and that was Rick was notgetting uphere tonight; that would be well, things would quickly get compromising knowing just how

frustratingly forward Craigs date was, however reluctantly attracted he was to him. Now, with all

thoughts ofthatpushed out of his mind, he locked his apartment and steeled his nerves for the date

that awaited him at the bottom of the stairs.

Craig opened the door to the complex, seeing Rick sitting in the same place he camped out not

too long ago. That night Craig got silly drunk, he remembered with some shame. Nearly cracked the

mans nose, if he recalled. Rick glanced up at him with a bright, winning smile and stood to meet him;

well not just met him, but rest his hand on the blonds waist and lean to press a kiss to his cheek. As

much as he tried not to stiffen, it was inevitable.

Ylook nice, Rick commented, his smile getting just that much brighter.

All Craig could do was huff out a thanks, considering just how nervous he was. The bigger man

didnt help at all by cleaning up well and taking it a step further by taking Craigs hand, lacing their

fingers together. Rick nearly had to pull him along, stopping with a laugh to let the other man catch up

while his expression was riddled with confusion. The construction worker who seduced him in a half-

finished building wasnt here right now, apparently. In his place was a good -looking, flirtatious

gentleman with some semblance of manners, leaving Craig to wonder which one he preferred.

Got anywhere ywanna go? Rick said conversationally as he lead Craig around his dormbuilding.

You are the one who asked, its typicallycustomary for that person to plan such an evening,

Craig muttered, though he wasnt nearly as angry as he sounded.

Oh I got someplace I wanna take ya, dont worry, he chuckled, approaching the passenger-side

door of a green SUV.

The door was unlocked and opened for Craig, who still looked confused as ever sinking into the

seat. Rick shut the door behind him and once inside himself, pulled away from the dormitory parking lot.

Something was quietly playing on the radio, Rick hummed along, and Craig tried to gather up his witsagain.

Ah, where is it you wanted to go? Craig finally spoke up, pointedly avoiding Ricks green-eyed

gaze by staring at the street signs.

Surprise.


20/22

Oh great, one thing that Craig did not do well with: Surprises.

It wasnt a very long drive anyhow, thankfully. Rick pulled into a field of all things and stopped

beside a bunch of other cars lined up haphazardly. Too busy gaping at the horrible anarchy of this place

already, Craig didnt notice Rick opening his door until he pulled him out. That big lug kept pulling, hand

tightly clasped with Craigs until he managed to focus on a wide spread of machines with brightlycolored lights and spinning carts and all manner of things that made Craig stop in his tracks.

A carnival, he said, glancing up at Ricks grinning face.

Yup. Saw it while I was drivin down tthsite. Hope ylike corndogs!

There wasnt much of a chance to say whether or not he liked damned corndogs or not. Rick was

excitedly dragging the smaller blond across the field toward a stand to buy tickets, get a pair of footlong

corndogs, and pick out the very first ride he wanted to ride in one fell swoop. As it turned out, with a

little mustard, corndogs werent bad and better yet was walking through groups of people and loud

music playing stuck very close to Rick. Never once did he let go, thankfully, leaving Craig to use his otherarm to cling to his elbow. Through the noise, he could barely hear aside from Ricks deep laugh when he

suggested something else for them to go see.

A lot of it was pretty blurry, it all went so fast. There was a goldfish Craig won with an expert

ring toss that was soon passed off to a small crying child he and Rick had to guide back to the main ticket

booth to find her parents. A kiss shared between a big pink cloud of cotton candy that was both sticky

and quick, with Craigs paranoia about being watched. Rick just chuckled and dragged him into the tent

that was marked something about a show of oddities and bizarre feats. Craig could tell Rick exactly why

the man walking across glass was fine or the man who could staple dollar bills to his head was not

suffering brain damage, but it didnt stop the bigger man from getting a little queasy when one of theperformers said he could stick a needle through his arm.

Though of course, revenge was to be had in the form of a ride that strapped them both in and

spun them in two directions at once, revolving around a rather shaky looking bolt in Craigs opinion!

That was all he could take and Rick was kind enough to hold his bangs out of the way while he re-

experienced that corndog and cotton candy.

Now his mouth tasted rather disgusting. He had several cups of water that Rick pressed into his

hands, but still he wanted to go home. Rick patiently sat next to him on a bench, camped near a large

metal garbage bin, all too happy to wrap his arm back around Craigs shoulders every time he returned.

Tiredly, the blond found himself dozing off with his head resting on Ricks big shoulder.

Bout done? Rick smiled gently, speaking softly.

Though it was nighttime by now and all of the lights made everything look much prettier, Craig

nodded. Tired and now with an empty stomach, but he couldnt say he was unhappy. Rick took his hand

again and started to lead their way out of the thick crowds of people. The smaller man was tired enough

that he almost walked straight into Rick as he stopped to look at one last game booth.


21/22

Ylike pink, dontcha? Rick muttered thoughtfully to Craig with a squeeze of his hand.

All Craig did was hum noncommittally, but it was true. Rick carefully pulled away from him and

moved toward the booth; about then Craig shook himself more awake. The booth was lined with stuffed

animals, all pretty typical carnival fare for a game knocking down a stack of milk bottles.

Rick, what are you doing? Craig asked flatly, approaching the man who was picking between

three large softballs.

Hold on a sec an youll see, Rick shooed him a little ways away and tossed on of the softballs

in his hand.

Three games and eight perfect throws later, a huge pink teddy bear was pushed into Craigs

arms, who was just staring with a bit of impressed awe. Rick didnt look like he could be any prouder of

himself at that moment, steering Craig back to the car, who couldnt see over the top of the bear. All

buckled in with this huge plush in his line of sight, the man nearly dozed off on it on his way home. Only

with the threat of Rick carrying him into his apartment did Craig reluctantly crawl out.

Cmon, Im walkin ya up, jus tmake sure yer alright, Rick said, watching Craig fumble for his

keys.

At that, Craig halted a moment, remembering that he had sworn not to let Rick up to his

apartment that evening.

Im fine, you neednt do such a thing, he finally said, sliding the key into the lock, fully

intending on slamming the door in his facebut Rick caught it, making that impossible.

Ylost yer dinner causea me, the least I kin do is make sure yaint sick or nothin.

That was how Craig led him up to his apartment and made sure he was comfortable on his

couch for a second time. Of course, since he wasnt expecting company, this left him to fuss about the

rooms to put up this and that, setting up the bear in place of where Rick would notbe, he vowed to

himself and brush his teeth to get that horrible taste out of his mouth. By the time he wandered back

into the living room, Rick was watching him carefully.

What? Craig said self-consciously as he plunked himself down on the other side of the couch.

Why didntcha want me tcome up here, huh?

Oh he was going to be blunt about that, wasnt he, Perhaps because someone happens to be so

painfullyforward that its awfully hard to say no sometimes.

No confusion if I like ya or not is there? Rick laughed and slung his arm over the back of the

sofa.

Well nobut frankly it isnt one of my talents dealing with people who are so doggedly

stubborn, the blonde huffed.


22/22

Why not?

Possibly because no one has been even vaguely interested in even just pusuit, he shrugged.

Oh please, I find that awful hard tbelieve. Whys that, huh?

Craig regarded the other man with a leery eye, Ive been called many, many names before.

Prick or perhaps pompous asshole or smug douche even by most people I meet if they arent wholly

apathetic to my presence. None of those hold a lot of chance for the type of interest you clearly have

garnered for me.

Typically, that mightve wiped the grin right off of most peoples faces, but of course, Craig was

clearly not dealing with most people. Rick slid in a little closer, still smiling.

Heres the million dollar question: wouldja go back an change yerself so people didnt say all

that shit? Rick mused thoughtfully.

Craig scoffed, Of course not.

An thatswhat I like aboutcha. Sides thwhole bein shy bit, I like that, too.

That wasnt quite what Craig expected. He gaped a moment before shutting his mouth with a

snap, Well, I might not be so opposed to it all if it appeared I had some kind of choice!

Rick chewed at the inside of his cheek a moment before shifting closer on the couch again,

Fine.Sfair.Can I kiss ya?

Oh no, he shouldve expected that, but Craigs eyes widened slightly and his mouth went try.

Several moments went by before Craig realized neither of them were moving and Rick was staringexpectantly, wanting an answer. Itd be easy, just one syllable, just spit it out, he was screaming to

himself, but Rick moved first, playing his hand over Craigs for a squeeze.

Jus sayin, thats probly why I go for it pretty bullheaded, he shrugged, I oughta get outta

yer hair now, gnight Craig.

After a pretty haphazard, but fun night, he was about to screw this all up. Rick got up from the

sofa, but Craig snagged his wrist and pulled gently.

Y-Yes, he exhaled all too quickly, You you can.

Rick studied his face a moment and plunked back down on the couch with a motion for Craig to

come a little closer. Further permission, Craig noted, for which he was a little peeved with. It was hard

enough for him to even just say yescouldnt he just With a nervous huff, Craig shakily slid over as

much as he dared, which felt like miles but was only a couple of inches. It seemed like enough to Rick,

mercifully, who wrapped his hand around Craigs chin and pulled him forward lightly. By now, Craigs

face was heating up and he was absolutely positive that it was an embarrassing tomato red; it was

inevitable thats what the grin playing at Ricks mouth was about.

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