Fic: Baby, Nothing Comes for Free - Part I
MASTER POST
.:.
It's not unusual for Mark to be completely bored out of his mind at these things. He just doesn't see what the big deal is. Why should he have to schmooze with these people all night long? It's technically not his job to make nice with whatever potential investors come their way. What is his job, is making sure the site's running smoothly-that's what these people are really throwing their money at, not this wining and dining bullshit.
Mark's really had enough after the third or so anecdote some random businessman brings up about his borderline underage trophy wife. He less than politely ducks out of the conversation and scans the room quickly. Mark doesn't see Chris or Dustin anywhere nearby, but Sean's predictably at the bar in the process of picking up a pair of girls (who thankfully look legal this time). Mark makes his way over to him.
It's not very difficult to convince Sean to give up the keys to his Porsche, especially when he's halfway to totally wasted and shouldn't be driving anyway. Mark tells him to take his car service instead. The girls can even come with. He really doesn't care either way. As long as Sean doesn't end up dead in the streets somewhere, which would probably be bad publicity and a waste of life.
--
Mark's never driven a sports car before. He doesn't drive much of anything really, but he figures he might as well try it out. The experience might come in handy if he ever hits his midlife crisis. The only problem, (besides not knowing how to properly drive the thing) is that Mark has no idea where he's going. Sure he's been in California for a few years now, but Mark doesn't have the time for sight-seeing or leaving the offices of Facebook much beyond the requisite business trip and going home to crash for a bit after hours and hours of non-stop coding. Maybe he should've waited for his personal driver after all.
He ends up in a relatively remote part of town. At least, it looks to Mark like he's found the red-light district. There's really nothing other than half-lit signs indicating "Live Nude Girls" and a decrepit bar or two. He's pretty sure he sees a few hookers, but he figures that's par for the course considering the neighborhood he's in.
After passing the same couple of buildings three or four times in a row, Mark finally considers asking someone for help. He's pretty sure he won't get mugged or killed, but a little caution never hurt anyone. Mark drives on as he looks for anyone who seems to be the least threatening.
--
There's a shadow of a figure on the corner of the block ahead of him. Mark doesn't see anyone else nearby so he takes his chances and drives over to the edge of the sidewalk and lowers the passenger window. Squinting against the light of a flickering neon sign, Mark can make out the face of a man who looks to be about his age. He's tall and slender with dark hair and eyes. He's also in an outfit that leaves incredibly little to the imagination and would probably make even Sean blush. Or maybe just leer at. Mark finds that it suits the man rather well actually. He's not too sure what to make of that.
It doesn't take long before he catches Mark's eye, sees that his window's down and makes his way towards the Porsche. Mark can't help but notice the slinky, graceful way the man moves as he walks over.
The man leans down to the height of the window and studies Mark. Mark guesses he probably doesn't look like most of his typical clients, but he supposes it doesn't really matter because the man quickly pulls his expression into something more coy, laced with suggestion and seduction and all the things Mark never seemed to care about until now.
"Hey there, stranger." The man licks his lips, deliberately inviting. "Going my way?"
--
The man's voice is smooth, tinged with an accent Mark can't quite place. Spanish, maybe? No, probably more Latin American. Not that it really matters right now.
"Uh, no? I mean, I'm not here for your services or whatever," Mark gestures vaguely at the man's ensemble. "At least not in the traditional sense. I just wanted to know if you could help me out here." He frowns slightly. "I think I'm lost."
The man looks thoughtful for about a moment before nodding. "Sure, but it'll cost you."
"For directions." Mark looks at him skeptically, not bothering to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
The man shrugs. "Hey, I've gotta make a living somehow. Simply being a good Samaritan isn't going to pay the rent."
"Right." Mark stares at him, calculating. "Well, how much do you usually make an hour?"
The man raises an eyebrow and smirks. "Why, you looking for a good time now too?"
"What I'm looking for is a way back home. So why don't you just tell me how much people usually give you?" Mark can hear the frustration coming out in his voice, but he doesn't really care about niceties right now-it's getting late and he's tired and just really needs to get out of here. "I'll match it and then some for you to get in the car with me and play navigator or whatever," he adds. If there's one thing that Mark's learned over the years, it's that money usually goes a long way in motivating people.
"Okay, then." The man looks a little startled at Mark's bluntness, but takes it in stride. "Uh, I think two hundred will cover it."
"Are you just giving me an arbitrary number or is that how much it actually costs to fuck you?" Mark waves his hand at him. "Or get a blowjob or whatever the hell else it is you do with strange people in the dark?"
The man laughs slightly at that. "Who said anything about sex? I'm not making you pay for something you're not getting."
Mark nods. "That's fair."
"However," the man continues. "What I can do, is make some profit out of this probably once in a lifetime opportunity and take advantage of a lost little thing like yourself." He smiles brightly at Mark. "How does that sound?"
Mark makes a slight face at that. "I don't know if I want to be called a lost little thing, but sure, whatever. As long as you know where you're going, it's fine."
"That I do." The man nods somewhat enthusiastically. "I've lived in the area long enough, I think."
"Alright," Mark says awkwardly. "I guess you're stuck with me tonight."
The man stares down the length of Mark's body and looks at him suggestively. "I could do a lot worse."
"I thought this wasn't going to be a sex thing."
He just grins in response. "Oh, I'm going to have so much fun with this. I can already tell."
--
Mark's not exactly sure how this is supposed to work. The Porsche is still parked on the curb and the only change so far is that the man's now leaning on the windowsill for support instead of just looking through it.
"So, uh, what should I call you?" Mark asks, a bit uncomfortable at the prospect of having to make small talk.
The man gets that coy look back on his face and mock flutters his eyelashes at Mark. "Whatever you want, sweetheart."
Mark's less than amused. "Seeing that this is not your typical business transaction, how about we not play this game and you just tell me your name. I don't even care if it's real or not." The words out a bit more snappishly that Mark would've liked.
Surprisingly, the man laughs at this. "It's Eduardo. And yes, before you ask, that is my real name. I'm not like trying to be some Latin lover stereotype from a harlequin or telenovela."
"Alright." Mark sticks his hand out awkwardly. "Mark."
Eduardo grips it firmly. "Pleasure to meet you, Mark." He pauses for a second. "Now get out of the car."
"Wait-what?" Mark stares at him in confusion as he unbuckles his seatbelt and reaches for the door. "You can't be about to rob me now. We've just shaken hands and stuff." He points out, still unsure of what's going on.
Eduardo rolls his eyes as he watches Mark make his way out of the Porsche. "Thank you for jumping to the wrong conclusion. Now calm down, we're just switching sides."
Mark stands there awkwardly as Eduardo walks over to his side of the car. He's a lot taller up close. "What for?"
"Well, for one, you've clearly never driven stick before and second, it'll be a lot easier for us to get you where you're going if I'm driving." Eduardo effortlessly slides into the driver's seat and begins to admire the Porsche's interior.
Mark starts to open his mouth, but Eduardo holds his hand up. "Don't say a word. The car will be perfectly fine." He grins at Mark. "I've been told I handle like a dream."
"Are you sure that had to do with your chauffeuring abilities?" Eduardo makes a slight face at that, but he's still smiling. Mark doesn't really know what to think of all of this.
"Shut up and get in the passenger seat, Mark."
"I don't think I'm paying you to be mean to me," Mark grumbles, but he complies with Eduardo's request anyway.
"Oh, that you get for free."
--
So far, Mark has learned a handful of things about Eduardo.
For one, he's actually a pretty good driver. Eduardo wasn't joking when he said he handled like a dream. The ride so far has only emphasized how inept Mark is at stick shift and made him more appreciative of the fact that he regularly has someone else driving him where he needs to be. Though Mark wonders a little about how a guy he literally picked up off the streets is so comfortable behind the wheel of a car worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Mark also learns that he's Brazilian. Or rather, he learns about how Eduardo was born there, but raised in Miami and has been living in various parts of California for the last couple of years. He's been in San Francisco now the longest.
Eduardo's apparently very candid with facts about himself considering Mark isn't exactly prompting him with a ton of personal questions. Mark doesn't mind. He rather likes the sound of Eduardo's voice. It's far from the worst way to fill the silence.
Mark also thinks he's really nice for a hooker. To be fair, Mark's never met any other hookers, so really, Eduardo's just really nice for a human being, he supposes. Not to mention clever and funny and ridiculously attractive.
He keeps all of this to himself.
--
Somewhere along the way, Eduardo takes it upon himself to engage Mark in actual conversation instead of just telling Mark bits and pieces of his personal life.
"So," Eduardo starts.
"So." Mark echoes blandly.
"You're a long way from Palo Alto, Mark." Eduardo points out. It's not really a question.
Mark nods in agreement. "This is true. Which is why you're taking me to my hotel, instead of driving the forty or so miles down there."
"Right. So what were you doing in this part of town anyway?" Eduardo asks. "I don't think you usually make a habit of picking up pretty young things."
"You mean like yourself?"
"Naturally." Eyes still mostly focused on the road, Eduardo tosses his head back in a half-hearted imitation of some of the ridiculously rich and vapid women Mark sees a lot on the arms of his potential investors. The action should be more annoying than it actually is when Eduardo does it.
"There was this thing I had to go to. Dinner and drinking with businessmen and all that. The usual monotony." Mark admits.
"And what it is you do exactly?" Eduardo sounds genuinely interested, which is refreshing considering kind of the night Mark's had.
"I, uh, invented this site." Eduardo raises an eyebrow.
"An entrepreneur, not bad."
"You could say that. It all started in my dorm room in college." Eduardo nods, gesturing for Mark to continue.
"And I guess it just kind of blew up across campus. So here we are a few years later and I'm pretty much running the whole operation as President and CEO."
Eduardo whistles at that. "Impressive." He turns to look at Mark. "Is it something I've heard of?"
"I don't know." Mark shrugs, aiming for casual. "Are you on Facebook?"
Mark almost laughs at how comical Eduardo looks with his mouth hanging open in surprise.
"Holy shit." Eduardo stops the car abruptly and turns to gape at Mark. The Porsche's tires make a slight squealing noise against the pavement. "You're Mark Zuckerberg."
--
"This is so insane," Eduardo breathes, sounding a little awed. "I can't believe you're Mark fucking Zuckerberg."
"My middle name's actually Elliot, but I can show you my driver's license if you need some more substantial evidence," Mark offers.
Eduardo's still shaking his head in disbelief. "Why didn't you say something before?"
Mark shrugs. "It didn't really come up?"
"Dude, I can't believe you just let me ramble at you like that." Eduardo looks a little embarrassed. "And ask you all those questions."
"I liked hearing all of it. The stuff about you at least." Mark's never met anyone so earnest at finding out who he is. Eduardo's exceeding all his expectations. Not that he had very many to begin with. But it's still some kind of feat. "The rest," Mark makes a slight face. "It's not that big a deal."
Eduardo laughs like Mark said something insane. "You're like worth billions of dollars. This is so a big deal. A huge, incredibly massive deal. I mean, don't get me wrong," he turns to Mark, gesturing at him. "I don't think you're like a god or anything, it's all just so fascinating to me. I was really into business once upon a time." Eduardo's look turns a little more serious. "I also don't plan on kidnapping you and holding you for ransom if that's what you're worried about."
"Huh. That thought hadn't actually crossed my mind. But thanks, I do appreciate the sentiment." Mark cocks his head to the side. "Though now that you bring it up, maybe I should be a little more paranoid in life." He adds, only half-kidding.
Eduardo smiles a little at that before pausing to study Mark's face for a minute.
Mark frowns slightly. "What is it?"
Eduardo shrugs. "It's nothing really. I just didn't think you'd be this good-looking in real life." He flushes at that, quickly trying to back-track. "Not that I'd been fantasizing or thinking about you like that, I-oh god, this is so embarrassing." Eduardo leans his head against the steering wheel.
Mark thinks he's cute when he's all flustered. He tells Eduardo this, matter-of-factly.
Eduardo turns slightly to stare at him. "You're so unreal," he says, but he's smiling again, so Mark takes it as a good sign.
--
About twenty minutes later, Mark's beginning to see more familiar street signs. He guesses they're getting close to the hotel, when Eduardo makes an abrupt turn and parks the Porsche on a random street, just as they're a few blocks away.
"Uh, I should probably get back to work," Eduardo begins awkwardly. "But I think you can make it back yourself from here. It's right up ahead, I highly doubt you'll miss it."
"Wait, you're not going to come up?" Mark blurts out. He's not sure what's come over him. But he does know that he doesn't want Eduardo to leave quite yet.
Eduardo gives him a strange look. "I thought we agreed this wasn't going to be about sex."
"It's not." Mark bites his lip nervously. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea here. I want-I think you should stay-just for a little while longer. But only if that's okay with you." He manages to get out.
"So what, like to talk?" Eduardo still seems somewhat hesitant.
Mark shrugs, a little unsure. "I don't know. Maybe. I've never done this before." He admits.
"Which part? Pick up a hooker or interact with another human being? Because you were doing just fine on the way over here."
"Both, I guess." He looks down at his hands. "I mean," Mark's not sure how to phrase this. "How much would it cost-"
"Mark, Mark." Mark lifts his head to see Eduardo giving him a soft smile. He places his hand gently over Mark's own slightly shaky ones, keeping them calm and steady. "Do you want me to spend the night with you?"
"Yes." He's never been more sure.
"Then I will." Eduardo says easily.
He's still holding Mark's hand.
--
They settle on a thousand dollars for the whole night.
It's an awkward conversation, to say the least. But Mark is nothing if not persistent and Eduardo finally agrees after repeatedly insisting that he doesn't need that much money to stay. What he doesn't realize, is that Mark would've easily given twice as much.
Even though the awkwardness of the moment has mostly subsided, the two of them stay in the Porsche. Though not in an uncomfortable silence. Mark's not really sure what to do next, but Eduardo's the first to say anything.
"Shall we?" He signals towards the hotel with quick tilt of the head. "It's already getting pretty late."
Mark nods quickly. "Yes, right." He stops Eduardo from reaching for the door handle. "Wait-hold on a second."
"What is it?" Eduardo frowns.
Mark shrugs off the blazer he was wearing and thrusts it at Eduardo, who looks confused. "What's that for?"
Mark tries not to look at Eduardo. "I, uh, think you should put it on. Y'know, before we head inside."
Eduardo smirks. "Preserving my modesty? How chivalrous of you."
"Uh, no. Not exactly." Mark bites his lip anxiously. "I don't want people getting the wrong idea." He gestures at Eduardo. "About you. Or us. I mean, not that there's a wrong idea per se, I just don't want people thinking things," Mark finishes uncomfortably.
Eduardo gives him a look. "And what would that be?"
Mark's never been at a loss for words before, but finds himself stumbling trying to explain to Eduardo why the people at the hotel might take one look at his too-tight clothing, artfully torn and clinging to all the right places, and come to the same conclusion they did about Mark once upon a time-that somehow just because he doesn't look like the rest of them, doesn't quite fit in with their tailor-made suits and fancy ties and expensive everything, he's somehow less of a person for it. Mark feels strangely protective. He doesn't want Eduardo to feel anything like that, ever.
"Look," Mark begins. "I'm not trying to offend you or anything. It's just that this is an incredibly high-class hotel and-"
"And I'm a hooker?" Eduardo offers.
"Well, yes. But I mean-" Mark feels a little flustered. "What I'm trying to say, is that your clothes might attract a bit of unwanted attention and I'd rather avoid that."
Mark can see realization washing over Eduardo as he nods.
"So it's not exactly about the whole you being a hooker thing," Mark tries to say nonchalantly. "I mean, this place has plenty of those."
"Just not ones that look like me," Eduardo says quietly.
"More or less." Mark gives Eduardo a long look. "Wait. You're not offended are you? Because we can just call the whole thing off. Or go somewhere else. I don't mind-"
"Of course I'm offended." Eduardo interrupts loudly, arms flailing about wildly. "I won't stand for this. I have rights too, you know." He finishes dramatically, before bursting into laughter after seeing the intense worry on Mark's face.
"Relax, Mark." Eduardo nudges him gently with his shoulder. "I'm kidding."
Mark can feel most of the tension draining from his body and can't help but smile back at Eduardo's widely grinning face.
"This is so not the big deal you're making it out to be," Eduardo adds. "I mean, really. It's a jacket, Mark."
He slips into the blazer. It's a little snug around his shoulders, but even with the outfit he's got on, Eduardo looks like he was made to fit into expensive suits. Not like Mark, who always feels like a kid playing dress-up in his father's clothes or like he's getting ready for his Bar Mitzvah.
Eduardo catches him staring for a second too long and smiles.
"Now are we ready to go?"
--
As it turns out, the hotel lobby is actually pretty deserted aside from the doorman and the tired-looking woman at the front desk. Neither of them spares Mark or Eduardo a second glance.
Eduardo laughs all the way to the elevator. Mark's rolling his eyes, but he's finding it hard to keep from smiling as well. He stops trying as soon as Eduardo playfully holds on to his wrist, gently swinging their arms together back and forth, the entire ride up to the penthouse.
--
"Wow." Eduardo stares at the interior of Mark's suite. "This is kind of ridiculous."
It's not like I can't afford it." Mark shrugs. "I don't do a lot of frivolous spending-I figure I can splurge on a nice room every once in a while," he explains.
"Oh, I'm not judging you." Eduardo reassures Mark. "I'm just basking in the glory that is this suite and relishing in the fact that I get to enjoy it all for the entire night." He grins, eyes bright with anticipation.
"Sure." Mark's never really thought about this stuff before. As far as he's concerned, a room's a room-he doesn't really care as long as there's functioning wireless and somewhere for him to sleep. Eduardo looks like the type to appreciate various aspects of the decor-everything from the marble finish on the kitchen counter to the generous size of the bathtub. Maybe not the kitschy hotel art though.
"Ooh, there's a real balcony too," Eduardo notes with a little excitement in his voice.
Before Mark can say anything, Eduardo rushes out the sliding glass door on to the balcony where he promptly climbs up, with some unnatural cat-like grace, onto the ledge and Mark just about has a heart attack.
--
"Uh," Mark watches nervously as Eduardo sits, seemingly carefree, on the balcony ledge, his right leg dangling dangerously off the edge. "You should really get down from there."
"You afraid I'm gonna fall or something?" Eduardo calls out in a playful tone.
"I'm a little concerned, yes," Mark admits. He eyes the side of the balcony a little warily.
"Well, you should really come and get me then." Eduardo suggests teasingly. "I'm balancing quite precariously, you know."
"I think I'm good right here."
"You sure?" Eduardo shifts a little, so he's leaning a bit further off the ledge. "It's really high up. I might need you as my safety net."
"I, uh, don't really like heights," Mark admits. He takes a few slow breaths to try and calm his nerves somewhat.
Eduardo gives him a strange look. "And yet you've got a penthouse suite."
Mark nods. "I've been told it's the best."
"Well, a lot of that's because of the view, Mark." Eduardo pats the side of the ledge next to him. "You should really join me."
Mark shakes his head. "I don't think so."
"Oh come on, just for a minute. The view's absolutely gorgeous." Eduardo urges. "I'll even hold you if you're that afraid of falling." Eduardo's look is wide-eyed and almost pleading. Mark doesn't have any resolve against that.
"Okay, okay." Mark relents. "Just a quick look though."
Eduardo's grin is practically blinding.
--
Mark has to admit Eduardo was right about the view being beautiful. The hotel is overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the skyline looks pretty amazing even at this time of night. However, it doesn't take long for the rush of fear to take over and Mark's vertigo gets the best of him, even with Eduardo pressed closely against his back, arms wrapped tightly around him.
Mark bites his lip and turns slightly to look up at Eduardo. "Can we go inside now?"
Eduardo makes a face. "Fine. Ruin all my fun," he sighs loudly and dramatically, but Mark can tell Eduardo's joking around by the lightness in his eyes.
He takes Mark's hand as they head back towards the suite.
"In case I forget to tell you later," Mark starts, right before they reach the door. "I'm really glad you decided to stay tonight."
Eduardo squeezes his hand tightly.
"Me too."
--
Now safely back in the suite (and far away from potentially plummeting to a rather horrible death), Mark watches as Eduardo takes off his blazer and sets it down neatly on a chair, before turning back to Mark and looking at him expectantly.
Mark can do this. Small talk isn't all that difficult. He's faked it countless times in front of faceless men and women in suits, so why should this be any different? In fact, it's supposed to be a lot easier, seeing as Mark actually doesn't mind Eduardo's company. This is getting ridiculous. Mark's not an awkward teenager anymore. He is perfectly capable of starting and maintaining a simple conversation with another human being.
"Food," is what Mark foolishly ends up blurting out instead, completely out of the blue.
"What's that?" Eduardo looks incredibly confused. Mark's not really surprised, he has no idea where that came from himself.
"We should get some. That is, you should let me go get us some," he says awkwardly, before rushing into the kitchen before Eduardo has a chance to really answer. Now that Eduardo can't see him, Mark hits his head repeatedly against the refrigerator door. This is hardly what he had in mind when he asked Eduardo to stay the night. Not that he had any substantial plans, but hiding out in the kitchen, feeling like a socially inept failure was definitely not one of them.
"Mark?" Eduardo calls out. "You alright in there?"
"Everything's fine. You, uh, don't need to come in here." Mark wrenches the fridge door open and looks inside. It's relatively well-stocked considering Mark's only staying the weekend. He's not exactly sure what Eduardo likes, but he spots some strawberries and a bowl of fresh cream. There's also the bottle of Dom Pérignon that Sean brought over earlier in anticipation of them celebrating the deal with their new investors. Mark grabs the bottle and searches the cabinets for some glassware.
Once he has everything ready, Mark pauses to take a breath. He can't understand why his nerves are acting up this way. Since when does he care what anyone thinks of him?
This is so stupid. Eduardo is just a guy. He can do this.
--
Eduardo looks incredibly amused as Mark tries to balance the strawberries and cream, a bottle of champagne, and two crystal flutes, while making his way over. He quickly takes the bottle and glasses from Mark before he can drop them.
"Is this your attempt at wooing me?" Eduardo bites his lip, trying to hold back his laughter as he helps Mark set everything down on the table. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kind of a done deal." He glances over at Mark, dark-eyed and flirtatious.
Mark can feel the slightest twinge of something in his chest and tries his hardest not to blush. His face betrays him though, as he can feel his cheeks heating up. Being around Eduardo is so terribly confusing.
"I-You know I didn't bring you here just for sex right? I really want to make it clear, that I'm not that kind of guy. I mean, I like you and you're certainly very attractive and I'm sure you're very good at what you do." Mark wrings his hands nervously, wishing he had pockets to bury them in.
"It's okay, Mark." Eduardo smiles at him and half-shrugs. "I don't doubt that. I'm just saying, it's not out of the question." He wets his lips slightly. "You know, if that's what you wanted."
Is he implying what Mark thinks he is? Mark can't be sure, but it's a possibility he's more than entertained since their meeting-the thought of Eduardo's lips against his own, his body, pressed flush against his-it's all a bit overwhelming, to say the least.
Mark clears his throat. "Right." He pops the cork off the champagne and pours Eduardo a glass.
He tries not to stare at the line of Eduardo's throat as he quickly drains the entire thing. It's a losing battle. Mark pours him another and then fills his own flute to the brim.
"You should really try it with the strawberries," he gestures vaguely at the bowl. "They, uh, bring out the flav-" Mark trails off, seeing that Eduardo already has one in hand. He seems to be studying Mark's face as he takes a slow bite, the juices wetting his mouth and fingers. Eduardo licks at his lips and then slowly begins to suck at his fingers, tongue lapping at the faint pink trails of juice left behind. His eyes never once leave Mark's.
Mark takes a long swallow of his champagne. He's beginning to feel like he's being seduced and he can't bring himself to mind.
The tightness in his chest doesn't go away.
--
Mark grabs the remote off the bedside table and turns on the TV, before planting himself on his bed and making himself comfortable. He stacks the pillows in a way that he and Eduardo can share and rests back against the headboard. He distractedly clicks through the channels before finding one that looks to be playing something other than infomercials at this hour and tosses the remote away somewhere.
Eduardo easily settles in atop the comforter next to him. His body-long, lean and warm, is pressed closely along Mark's side. Eduardo reaches over to put his arm around Mark's shoulders. Mark freezes for a moment before slowly relaxing into it.
"Is this alright?" Eduardo carefully asks. He probably noticed that split second of tension in Mark's body. Mark quickly nods. He can't have Eduardo getting the wrong idea.
Mark reaches for his other hand and Eduardo shifts a little closer. He smells kind of amazing.
It's comfortable. And nice. Mark could very easily get used to this.
Mark turns to look at Eduardo only to find him smiling fondly back. He's already feeling a little warm and light-headed from the champagne. The TV is still playing in the background, but Mark has no idea what they're even watching.
"I like you too, by the way," Eduardo says softly. Mark blinks at the non sequitur, eyes growing wider as Eduardo moves to touch Mark's face gently. He can't help it as he inhales sharply at the contact. It's been a long time since anyone's touched him this way-with softness, with delicacy, with intent. "I actually thought I was being pretty obvious about that," Eduardo adds, before ducking down to press a light kiss on Mark's lips.
Oh.
Oh, wow.
--
Eventually, that first, rather chaste, kiss evolves into two and three and four and soon enough, Mark finds himself on top of Eduardo, pressing him into the bed, not quite roughly, but enough to really feel, trying to explore every possible inch of him. In between the soft, wet press of Eduardo's lips and tongue against his and the feeling of Eduardo's hands under his shirt, running along his back, his skin all hot and fevered, Mark can feel himself losing his mind in the best way possible.
For whatever reason, that's when he decides to be rational about the whole thing and somehow manages to find the willpower to pry himself from Eduardo.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Eduardo frowns, before giving Mark a concerned look. "I promise I'll make this good for you." He glances up at Mark, eyes dark and heavy-lidded, reminiscent of the coy, but seductive expression Mark saw when he first met Eduardo. "I've never had any complaints before." Eduardo looks a little flushed and his mouth is redder than normal, lips slightly swollen. He keeps licking at them, wetting them until they're practically shiny. It's more than a little distracting.
When Mark doesn't answer right away, Eduardo takes the opportunity to kiss him again-licking into his mouth, his hands curling around the back of Mark's head, fingers tightening in his hair. It's slightly more difficult to stop the second time, but Mark does.
--
"Wait," Mark pries himself away a little more forcefully this time around. "Hang on, I feel like there are-are there rules to this? I mean, do you-" Mark stumbles over his words, half-wondering why he's even saying them in the first place.
Eduardo is charming and lovely and apparently wants him. It should be more than enough, but there's a side of Mark, equal parts petty, bitter, and cynical (and maybe even a little vulnerable), that reminds him that maybe Eduardo is nothing more than a really good actor. Maybe it actually is all about the money. And maybe it's more than a little sad that the first person he's found this kind of connection with in ages, is someone he paid for.
Mark thinks he's better off alone somewhere, maybe sitting in his office, where there are no distractions or interruptions or feelings involved and he can simply code. He's not at all prepared for this kind of thing. Coding makes sense. People, on the other hand, only hurt and get hurt and it's all far too complicated.
"I really don't understand how this hooker thing works," Mark says honestly. "Aren't there guidelines or some kind of protocol I should be following in all of this? I feel like you might need to spell everything out for me."
Eduardo's face falls, almost imperceptibly, but Mark notices because he's looking. He can feel Eduardo pulling back and withdrawing a little. Mark can't be fucking this up already. He reaches for Eduardo's hand, trying to steady them in the same way Eduardo did for him earlier. It doesn't seem to be working.
"No, I just-I really, really don't want to mess this up," he says quietly.
"Earlier," Eduardo begins. "You, uh, you said you liked me." His face looks a lot more somber than it did a minute ago.
"This is true," Mark nods carefully. "And so did you, but what does that have to do with anything?"
Eduardo sighs. "Just treat me the way you think you ought to treat me." He looks away from Mark. "What would you have done if we'd met normally, like at a bar or club or something?"
"But you're not-this is not, by any means, normal." Mark shoots back, unthinkingly. He feels Eduardo slip his hand out from under Mark's own.
"Fuck. I said something wrong, didn't I?" Mark bites his lip, before turning to look at Eduardo apologetically. "I'm sorry. I take all of that back. Can I have a redo?" he asks. He's not sure what Eduardo's expecting from him, but he thinks he sounds earnest enough.
Eduardo shakes his head, but he's smiling slightly, even if it doesn't quite reach his eyes. He presses a quick kiss onto the corner of Mark's lips. "Let's watch some TV for bit, yeah?" Mark watches the lean line of his back as he makes his way off the bed. "I'll go get us some more champagne and strawberries." Mark shrugs, probably aiming a little too hard for casual, but Eduardo doesn't seem to notice as he leaves for the kitchen.
Mark stares blankly at the TV screen, waiting for Eduardo to get back.
--
Somewhere between trading stolen glances with Eduardo (which got awkward rather quickly, so Mark kept staring resolutely at the TV instead), the continuous glasses of champagne and the fifth or so rerun of the Beverly Hillbillies, Mark's phone rings. The shrill noise pierces the air, rousing Eduardo from where he was, half-asleep, head resting against Mark's shoulder.
Mark checks the display. It's Chris.
Normally, Mark wouldn't give the call a second thought, but Chris has been taking on more assistant-like duties lately, while his real one is away someplace warm and sunny, taking a little time off for about the first time in two years. He should probably answer this. Mark gently eases himself from Eduardo and tells him to go back to sleep, before heading into the next room to take the call.
"Hello?"
"Mark?" Chris sounds a little harried, which means that Mark is probably not going to like whatever he says next. "Look, I know it's late, but there's been some, uh, changes to your schedule for the next few days and I wanted to give you a head's up. Before you start freaking out and complaining. Unnecessarily, I might add."
Mark frowns at that. "What now? More meetings?" Another equally unpleasant thought occurs to him. "Wait, there's not going to be another benefit dinner is there? You know I hate going to those-they always make me wear a suit and tie."
Chris sighs. "Yes, to both. I'm sorry to say."
Mark grimaces. He hates this part of the job.
Mark's a programmer. That's really all there is to it. So what if he also happens to run one of the biggest companies in the world. It's not like he asked for this level of success so quickly. He still doesn't understand why people keep insisting he make an appearance at fancy dress parties. It should be enough that he sends these people a check regularly, supporting whatever it is that's the cause du jour.
"And before you say anything Mark," Chris begins. "No, I seriously can't change a single thing. The meeting with the Winklevosses was scheduled weeks ago and I forwarded you the invite to the banquet last week. It's for charity, Mark. You absolutely cannot flake out on this. I will drag you there myself," Chris threatens.
"Fine.” Mark relents. “If it's actually for a good cause this time." He thinks he can hear Chris breathe a sigh of relief on the other line.
"Is that it?" Mark asks impatiently, sticking his head out the doorway to look at where Eduardo's lying peacefully on his side of the bed. "I'm kinda in the middle of something here," he admits awkwardly.
"What are you talking about?" Chris sounds perplexed. "The only thing you do all day is code or wish you were coding. Wait-no." Something that sounds suspiciously close to glee is creeping into his voice. "Is there someone with you?" Chris sounds openly excited now. Mark thinks he can hear Dustin in the background as well, which makes little sense at four in the morning. None of this bodes well for Mark.
"Oh my god, this is awesome. Dustin told me you took Sean's car, but I didn't think anything of it. Did you meet them at the party?"
"Uh, sure. Something like that." Mark can feel himself flushing slightly. He's glad neither Chris nor Dustin are physically here to mock him for it.
"You should bring them to the benefit. I mean, assuming they haven't been scared off and are about to hit the ground running," Chris says, only somewhat jokingly. Mark doesn't really have a good track record with dinner dates or people in general, really. "It'll be really good press. Y'know, make you seem a little more approachable, more-"
"Human?" Mark offers.
"Yeah, pretty much." Chris sighs. "But Mark, seriously. You've met someone all on your own. Usually Dustin and I have to suffer through your weird tantrums or whatever.” He points out. “This is kinda big."
Mark makes an annoyed noise into the receiver. "Fine, I'll bring them to the dinner or party or whatever the hell this is." Mark half-snaps in annoyance and embarrassment. He also notices that Eduardo's wide-awake now, watching him from the bed.
"Uh, listen. I'll talk to you later, Chris. Okay, bye." Mark manages to get out before he ends the call without waiting for a reply.
He turns to look at Eduardo.
"So I, um, kinda have a proposition for you."
Eduardo raises an eyebrow at that.
"Here's my offer," Mark begins, a bit uncomfortably. Eduardo's watching Mark from the bed, where he's sitting silently, propped up with his chin in his hands-the model of a perfect listener. If Mark's being honest, it's kind of ridiculously adorable. He's having a little trouble keeping with the task at hand.
"You can take it or leave it. I mean, obviously I sincerely hope you do the former, but I can't, like, force your hand or something." Mark tries not to sound too much like he's making a sales pitch of some sort. He's not sure how well that's working. "I can however, make it incredibly hard for you to refuse," Mark finishes.
Eduardo shrugs and says, "Okay."
"Okay?” Mark furrows his brows in confusion. “As in, okay you'll hear me out or okay, you'll do it?"
"The second one," Eduardo easily replies. Like Mark wasn't having some sort of internal meltdown trying to form the right words.
Mark's a little taken aback. "You don't even know what I was going to say."
Eduardo doesn't look particularly concerned about that. "Does it really matter? I trust you." He moves so that he's a little closer to where Mark's still standing awkwardly. "Also, I trust you wouldn't do anything crazy enough to ruin Facebook's image. And I know you have a whole ton of money. What's there to hear out, really?"
"Right. Well, when you put it that way..." Mark trails off. He's still slightly alarmed at Eduardo's complete willingness to do this without so much as a question.
A slow grin spreads across Eduardo's face. "Plus, I totally overheard the part about you bringing a date to some function. It's not that hard to put two and two together, Mark."
"Oh." That makes sense. "Well, okay then. We're agreed," Mark says, more confidently this time.
"I guess we are." Eduardo smiles at Mark. "Now come back to bed, it's not even dawn yet."
"Right, yeah.” Mark freezes. Sharing a bed with Eduardo is so incredibly tempting, but Mark’s pretty sure it’s not the gentlemanly thing to do in this case. “I'll just take the couch if you want to stay there, it's-"
Eduardo rolls his eyes. "Mark, I will literally carry you over here myself, if you don't get back to bed. With me. It's just sleep, Mark. Don't over-think this."
"Yeah, okay." Mark didn’t actually need too much convincing when Eduardo looks like that-all soft and rumpled and still unreasonably attractive.
Mark makes his way over to the bed and settles in next to Eduardo. He pulls the covers over the both of them and curls into the warmth of Eduardo's body.
There's still something unsettling in the back of Mark's mind.
"About earlier," Mark starts. "I-"
Eduardo makes a small noise of discomfort into his pillow. "Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal," he mumbles.
Mark doesn't really understand why Eduardo's brushing it off, like it was nothing, like Mark didn't specifically insult him and what he does, no matter how inadvertently.
"No, but I have to apologize or something. I said-"
"Just let it go, okay? I'm not mad, Mark. I promise.” Eduardo rolls over so he can study Mark’s face. “Look-can we just not talk about it." His voice is quiet, but it's still the harshest Mark's ever heard it.
"Okay," Mark allows. "Um, if that's what you really want."
"It is." Eduardo's face visibly relaxes. "Thank you," he says softly before he wraps an arm around Mark's side, shifting until his nose is gently nudging Mark’s collar. "Sleep, now." He mumbles into the crook of Mark’s neck. Mark shivers a little at the contact.
It takes a moment, but Mark soon sighs in contentment before he drifts off into a peaceful slumber.
--
"Hey."
Mark looks up from his laptop to see Eduardo padding barefoot into the room, hair a bit of a mess, still brushing the sleep from his eyes. He's still kind of ridiculously beautiful, even in this half-woken state. He's also wearing Mark's fluffy white bathrobe, compliments of the hotel. It doesn't look like there's very much underneath, but Mark chooses to ignore that fact for the time being. Eduardo's distracting enough as it is.
"Good morning." Mark gestures at the table completely covered in various breakfast foods. "There's breakfast, if you want."
"Oh, wow." Eduardo's eyes widen comically as he notices the sight in front of him. He looks back at Mark in mild disbelief. "Someone went all out."
"Yeah, about that." Mark blushes slightly. "I, uh, wasn't sure what you liked. So I ordered a little bit of everything. It's not too much is it? I don't-"
Eduardo cuts him off, laughing gently. "Mark, this is the very definition of overkill. But I don’t mind. It's rather sweet of you actually." He reaches over to grab a bowl, before laughing to himself quietly. "I don't even know where to begin."
"There's also coffee. And tea. Or freshly-squeezed orange juice if you prefer your morning beverages on the colder side," Mark suggests.
"You are too much," Eduardo grins widely at Mark. "But I think I'll stick with caffeine for now."
--
The rest of their breakfast passes relatively comfortably. In between lines of code, Mark engages in conversation, or rather, listens to what Eduardo has to say and nods in all the right places. He even manages to eat a piece of fruit or two, at Eduardo's coaxing. (Like Mark was ever going to deny Eduardo feeding him anything, once he pulls out the big eyes and disarming smile.)
Then, they're interrupted by some abrupt and unnecessarily loud knocking on the front door.
Eduardo raises an eyebrow at Mark. "Are we expecting company?"
"I have a feeling it might be my friends." Mark makes an annoyed face. "Who may have to seek employment outside of Facebook, if things go my way." He adds, only half-kidding.
Eduardo laughs around a mouthful of waffles. "I can go hang out in the other room if you'd rather I not be here for this," he offers.
Mark mulls it over for a second, but he's pretty sure that if he's right about who's at the door, Dustin and maybe even Chris will just invade the entire suite, hoping to catch a glimpse of Eduardo.
Eduardo shrugs slightly. "I could also answer the door. That might be a fun surprise for whoever's behind it."
The banging starts up again, more incessantly this time. It vaguely sounds like Dustin's making some kind of animal noises against the door as well.
"Actually, as much as I would probably enjoy that," Mark says. "Maybe you should go, shower or something. It's probably safer that way."
Eduardo swallows the last bit of his coffee and nods. Mark tries not to notice the wide expanse of smooth skin around Eduardo's neck and chest that's not quite covered by the robe. He also doesn't think about Eduardo, wet and naked, in the next room, while he has to deal with Chris and Dustin on his own.
"Uh, there's some of my stuff in the closet for now. Just take, um, whatever fits." He pauses for second to think. "Plus, I think we need to go out and get you some clothes for tonight."
This time, Mark actually lets his eyes trail down Eduardo's entire length. Eduardo looks relatively pleased at Mark's brazenness.
"Yeah, we're definitely going to need to get you something more, uh, suitable," Mark says, a bit flustered.
"You mean, your clients won't like my streetwalker chic?" Eduardo makes a face of mock dismay and horror. "They clearly don't know what they're missing out on."
Mark rolls his eyes, which only amuses Eduardo further. He flutters his eyelashes at Mark while making his way to the other side of the suite.
Mark shakes his head, still smiling as he walks over to the door. "I'll, uh, come get you when it's safe, or something. They can be a bit of a handful." He looks thoughtful for a moment. "Though that's mostly Dustin, really."
Eduardo looks amused. "I'm looking forward to meeting your friends."
Mark scowls. "Sure, you say that now. Just wait. You'll regret even thinking that when they suck the life right out of you."
Eduardo's still laughing, all the way down the hall.
--
Dustin bursts in through the door as soon as Mark so much as gets the lock undone. Chris has to pretty much hold him back from tackling Mark in his haste.
"Jesus, Mark." Dustin half-whines. "What took you so long?"
"Maybe if certain people were a little more polite about their knocking, instead of trying to break down my front door," Mark glares pointedly at Dustin, who gives him a sheepish look in return.
"Okay, so maybe I was a little too enthusiastic. But that is totally Chris' fault." He slaps Chris on the shoulder. "He told me all about your special someone," Dustin says excitedly.
Mark narrows his eyes accusingly at Chris. "I'm sorry," Chris raises his hands apologetically. "But you know how Dustin gets. Not to mention he spent half our call eavesdropping anyway."
Dustin nods. "This is true." He looks over at Mark expectantly. "So who's the lucky lady?”
"Or guy," Chris adds. "We obviously don't discriminate."
"Yeah, yeah." Dustin waves him off. "More importantly, are they hot? There may be an office pool going already. A surprising amount of people put their money on custom-built android." Dustin slings an arm around Mark's shoulders. "But I totally had faith in you. I mean, they are real, right?"
Chris rolls his eyes. "What Dustin means is that we're very happy for you, Mark."
"Well, yeah. If we're stating the obvious. Dude." Dustin spots the remnants of Mark and Eduardo's extravagant breakfast and starts pointing wildly at it. "Oh, my god. Are they still here?" He practically bounces in excitement. "This is perfect. It's like we get to play meet the parents or something." He pokes Chris in the arm. "I call being the fun dad."
Mark groans in frustration. "Eduardo's in the shower, but if you promise to behave, maybe I'll introduce you."
"Ooh, even his name sounds dreamy." Dustin says, teasingly.
Mark gives him a warning glance. "And he's not my anything-we, um, only just met last night," he admits.
"Well, he's already surpassed your last few dates by actually spending the night and making it through breakfast without wanting to claw your eyes out. I'd say that was a good sign," Chris notes with some amusement.
"Thank you for the vote of confidence," Mark replies, letting the sarcasm roll off his tongue.
--
Dustin literally can't stop staring at Eduardo. It starts as soon as Eduardo walks out from the other room, hair still slightly damp, wearing an old t-shirt of Mark’s under one of his hoodies and a pair of sweatpants that barely contain his ridiculously long legs, ending right above his slim ankles. Mark maybe notices the way Eduardo’s hipbones are exposed, when he moves a certain way. From the way he’s been staring, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, Dustin probably has as well.
The introductions are brief (since Mark’s still not quite sure what to call their arrangement), but Eduardo looks almost as delighted as Chris and Dustin do, which Mark still can’t get his head around.
But ten minutes later, Mark can still see Dustin sneaking glances over at Eduardo. It’s reached the point where even Mark's uncomfortable. Chris is at least distracting Eduardo with small talk as the four of them make their way to the nearest boutique.
When neither of them are looking, Mark smacks Dustin on the back of the head. It's an effective deterrent.
At least, until they make it inside.
--
Chris suddenly finds the need to stare as soon as Eduardo drifts over to the other side of the store to pick out a bunch of suits.
"I’m not doing it to be creepy like Dustin,” he explains, ignoring the pout Dustin throws his way after hearing that. “Eduardo has this aesthetic appeal to him. There’s nothing wrong with appreciating an attractive man in an expensive suit.”
Mark resists the urge to smack either Dustin or Chris any further. Instead, he just hisses at them to quit gawking at Eduardo, who hasn't even tried anything on yet. And maybe Mark even threatens to fire them a few times.
"Your possessiveness is kinda adorable." Dustin says, delighted. "I've never seen anything like it."
Chris just waves it off as empty threats. “Facebook would fall to pieces without me and you know it. And you'd probably perish of malnutrition." He jerks a thumb over towards where Dustin's sitting. "Dustin, on the other hand, is more than expendable."
"That's nice, Chris, real nice," Dustin huffs, looking over at him with disapproval. "I thought we were tight, man. And you just throw me under the bus," he snaps his fingers. "Like that."
Mark's not sure how much more of this he can take.
He finally caves and ends up throwing a designer shoe at Dustin's head, not five minutes later.
"Fucking ow, Mark. That actually kinda hurt." Mark notices Chris shaking with laughter from the corner of his eye.
"Then stop ogling him," Mark practically growls back.
"I'm sorry. I really can't help it-dude's seriously hot." He squints in Eduardo's general direction. "I'm trying to figure out his damage. Like what is he even doing here with you? Uh, no offense."
Mark raises another well-polished loafer and raises an eyebrow challengingly at Dustin, who rolls his eyes and throws his hands up in mock surrender.
"Alright, alright. I give. I'm genuinely sorry. You can, uh, put those away now." Begrudgingly, Mark does so.
Dustin rubs at his head. "I can't believe you threw a shoe at me."
Mark shrugs. "It was the closest thing that could serve as a projectile."
Thankfully, Eduardo’s still busy with the suits, remaining blissfully unaware of all of this.
--
A short while later, Eduardo steps out of the fitting room, dressed to the nines in one of his selections, and makes his way over to them.
"So," Eduardo gives a little twirl and bows dramatically. "What do you think?"
The suit is sleek and smooth-looking to the touch. It's formal, without being overly so, and gives Eduardo an overall appearance of elegance. He looks like the perfect gentleman-tall, dark and handsome.
Dustin looks positively gleeful and gives him two thumbs up. Chris nods approvingly. Eduardo waits for Mark to comment, but he's mostly just stunned silent.
Mark chokes on his own saliva as soon as he even tries to open his mouth. This leads to Dustin falling back into his seat, laughing hysterically at Mark's inability to form words. Chris smacks him on the arm, and then turns to hiss at Mark to, say something, you idiot.
"Um." Eduardo looks a little more tense than he did a second ago, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, awkwardly.
"You-you look perfect," Mark finally blurts out.
Dustin stops laughing as both he and Chris turn to look over at Mark, surprised, but with something akin to approval.
Eduardo ducks his head and blushes a little, mumbling a quick, thanks, before snatching another outfit off the rack and heading back into the changing room.
Chris and Dustin are now staring at Mark with some kind of fondness in their eyes. Mark fidgets uncomfortably under their matching gazes. His cheeks are burning, more than a little flushed from embarrassment.
"Aw, man. Look at this-Eduardo turns Mark into, like, an incoherent puddle of goo. This is precious." Dustin pinches Mark's reddened cheeks, before turning to Chris. "Can we keep him?"
--
Later, after the suit's been paid for and the four of them start to make their way back to the hotel for lunch, Mark watches as Dustin sidles up to Eduardo, demanding that they link arms as they walk and talk. Eduardo is visibly caught off guard for a second, before he laughs at the expression on Dustin's face and acquiesces. To Dustin's dismay, Eduardo apparently draws the line at skipping, but he laughs loudly at Dustin's lame jokes and cheesy puns so Mark doesn't think he's too torn up about it.
Chris nudges Mark, grinning happily. It's then that Mark realizes he hasn't thought about Facebook at all since breakfast. His fingers didn't itch to code and he didn't long to be alone, hiding behind a laptop screen.
It's a strange sensation, Mark thinks, but not at all an unpleasant one.
.:.
Continued here.