WHITE PICKET FENCE 6/?
Trigger warning for mentions of abuse. Regular warning for non-explicit sexy-times.
---
They got Wendy's and went to the park to sit by the creek. They ate and drank and took off their shoes and socks to put their feet in the water.
"Aren't you hot?" Tyler said, looking at Elliott's sweatshirt.
"What? No, I'm fine." Elliott threw a french fry and Tyler ducked away.
"Ell, you look... you look really skinny."
Elliott's smile left fast, like it was never there. "I'm fine."
Tyler watched the tiny fish swimming around his feet. "Can, um, can we talk about what happened?"
"When?"
Tyler blushed. "When I kissed you."
"We had a lot to drink. It's not a big deal. Shit happens, right?"
Tyler knew he was supposed to say, yeah, I was just trashed and it was stupid and it won't happen again, but the thought made his chest clench and his breath stop. "I wanted to," he said at last.
Elliott looked at him with unreadable eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I think I -- I mean, I know, I like you. Like you. I should've done it different but I wanted to kiss you."
"No one ever kissed me before."
"Me either." Tyler waited for a long time, but Elliott wasn't saying anything. "Do you hate me?"
"What? No!"
"Maybe we should just pretend none of this happened."
"No," Elliott said.
Tyler looked at him with a question in his eyes, and Elliott hesitantly put a hand on Tyler's shoulder, leaned in close and kissed him. Tyler's hands went to Elliott's face on their own, fingers in his hair. His mouth was soft and tasted like the fruit punch they'd been drinking. Tyler's stomach did a flip and his skin felt like it was humming, all tingly and hot.
When the kiss ended they stayed close. Elliott was smiling a little, his perfect shy smile that Tyler hadn't been able to get enough of since they met, and Elliott said, "I guess Trey was right about us."
"I don't care about Trey. I just care about you."
"Yeah," Elliott said. He blushed deep pink. "I like you too."
Tyler had never felt so happy in his life.
They played in the creek all evening. Tyler tried to teach Elliott how to skip stones across the water and then took pictures of Elliott's brow furrowed in concentration as he tried, over and over, only to watch every stone drop to the bottom. They laughed and flopped around in the shallow water like dying fish and lay out on the rock shore to dry. Tyler snuck his hand over to Elliott's and they wove their fingers together and smiled and argued over the shapes of the clouds.
"We better head back," Tyler said as it started to get dark. "Do you want to go to my house?"
"Is your dad really mad at me?"
"He just said you can't stay over when he's not there. Because we might become alcoholics."
Elliott giggled and leaned against Tyler's shoulder briefly. "I don't think so," he said, "I was really sick for like three days."
"I wasn't planning on repeating that anytime soon either."
Before they left the trail for the parking lot, Elliott stopped. "Will you kiss me one more time?"
"A million more times," Ty said. "Just once for now though."
Nick was in the middle of cooking dinner when Cassandra arrived, tromping into the house in those boots she never seemed to take off. He hadn't given her a key, but he didn't need to; the house was never locked.
"I thought you were going to be working late."
"That's what you get for thinkin', honeybunches."
Cassandra hopped up on the counter and waited for Nick to come to her. When he did, she grabbed him and kissed him deeply, crossing her ankles at the small of his back.
"Hot damn," Nick said, and kissed her again. The kiss was long and he slipped his hands under her shirt, spreading his fingers across her back. He loved that he couldn't feel hard, unyielding bone anywhere on her, just soft flesh he could bite and suck.
"Water's boiling," she said.
With a groan, Nick untangled from her and took the pot off the stove. "My seduction skills are getting better though, don't you think?"
Cassandra laughed. "Yes, baby, your seduction skills are superb. Thanks to me." Nick smiled at her over his shoulder. "What are you doing Saturday night?"
"I think you're about to tell me."
"Well, I've been thinking. And if it's ok with you, I'd like to introduce you to some of my friends."
Nick turned, potato masher in hand. "It's like that, is it?"
She gave him a slow smile. "Yeah, it's like that. Unless you try to tell me we've been doing all this fucking for no reason."
He went back after the potatoes. "Do they even know you're dating a man?"
"Erm. Not precisely."
"As long as you can promise me that I'll make it home with genitals in-tact, I'll go wherever you want."
"I swear, all men think about is their dicks."
"I'm going to ignore that to tell you that I suspect Elliott will be here tonight."
"Grounding is over!"
"Yes. And it was brutal. I couldn't take one more day of Tyler moping around here all pathetic like his puppy had died or something. Next time I'll have to find a punishment that is less painful for me. Like church camp."
"You promised me on our first date that you would never resort to that!"
"I just said that to get into your pants."
"Um, ew!" Tyler said, bursting into the house with Elliott in tow. "Virgin ears here. No dad sex. Thanks."
Elliott almost seemed to be hiding behind Tyler, glancing nervously at Nick. "Hey Ty, Elliott," Nick said. "I figured you two would show up so there's enough dinner for both of you."
"If he ever finishes it," Cass said.
"That's it. All of you out of the kitchen. You too, missy."
Cassandra rolled her eyes and pinched him on the way out.
In bed Tyler was shy, not sure what to do with his hands, and he could see Elliott staring up at the ceiling.
"Ell? Can I touch you?"
Even in the dim light, Ty could see Elliott blush. Elliott nodded and watched as Tyler scooted closer, carefully putting his arm over Elliott's stomach. It took a moment for them to find the position where their bodies fit together like puzzle pieces, but when they did, Tyler had his face nuzzled into Elliott's neck and his hand cupping Elliott's bony hip.
They both held their breath, listening and feeling each other's heartbeat.
---
They got Wendy's and went to the park to sit by the creek. They ate and drank and took off their shoes and socks to put their feet in the water.
"Aren't you hot?" Tyler said, looking at Elliott's sweatshirt.
"What? No, I'm fine." Elliott threw a french fry and Tyler ducked away.
"Ell, you look... you look really skinny."
Elliott's smile left fast, like it was never there. "I'm fine."
Tyler watched the tiny fish swimming around his feet. "Can, um, can we talk about what happened?"
"When?"
Tyler blushed. "When I kissed you."
"We had a lot to drink. It's not a big deal. Shit happens, right?"
Tyler knew he was supposed to say, yeah, I was just trashed and it was stupid and it won't happen again, but the thought made his chest clench and his breath stop. "I wanted to," he said at last.
Elliott looked at him with unreadable eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I think I -- I mean, I know, I like you. Like you. I should've done it different but I wanted to kiss you."
"No one ever kissed me before."
"Me either." Tyler waited for a long time, but Elliott wasn't saying anything. "Do you hate me?"
"What? No!"
"Maybe we should just pretend none of this happened."
"No," Elliott said.
Tyler looked at him with a question in his eyes, and Elliott hesitantly put a hand on Tyler's shoulder, leaned in close and kissed him. Tyler's hands went to Elliott's face on their own, fingers in his hair. His mouth was soft and tasted like the fruit punch they'd been drinking. Tyler's stomach did a flip and his skin felt like it was humming, all tingly and hot.
When the kiss ended they stayed close. Elliott was smiling a little, his perfect shy smile that Tyler hadn't been able to get enough of since they met, and Elliott said, "I guess Trey was right about us."
"I don't care about Trey. I just care about you."
"Yeah," Elliott said. He blushed deep pink. "I like you too."
Tyler had never felt so happy in his life.
They played in the creek all evening. Tyler tried to teach Elliott how to skip stones across the water and then took pictures of Elliott's brow furrowed in concentration as he tried, over and over, only to watch every stone drop to the bottom. They laughed and flopped around in the shallow water like dying fish and lay out on the rock shore to dry. Tyler snuck his hand over to Elliott's and they wove their fingers together and smiled and argued over the shapes of the clouds.
"We better head back," Tyler said as it started to get dark. "Do you want to go to my house?"
"Is your dad really mad at me?"
"He just said you can't stay over when he's not there. Because we might become alcoholics."
Elliott giggled and leaned against Tyler's shoulder briefly. "I don't think so," he said, "I was really sick for like three days."
"I wasn't planning on repeating that anytime soon either."
Before they left the trail for the parking lot, Elliott stopped. "Will you kiss me one more time?"
"A million more times," Ty said. "Just once for now though."
Nick was in the middle of cooking dinner when Cassandra arrived, tromping into the house in those boots she never seemed to take off. He hadn't given her a key, but he didn't need to; the house was never locked.
"I thought you were going to be working late."
"That's what you get for thinkin', honeybunches."
Cassandra hopped up on the counter and waited for Nick to come to her. When he did, she grabbed him and kissed him deeply, crossing her ankles at the small of his back.
"Hot damn," Nick said, and kissed her again. The kiss was long and he slipped his hands under her shirt, spreading his fingers across her back. He loved that he couldn't feel hard, unyielding bone anywhere on her, just soft flesh he could bite and suck.
"Water's boiling," she said.
With a groan, Nick untangled from her and took the pot off the stove. "My seduction skills are getting better though, don't you think?"
Cassandra laughed. "Yes, baby, your seduction skills are superb. Thanks to me." Nick smiled at her over his shoulder. "What are you doing Saturday night?"
"I think you're about to tell me."
"Well, I've been thinking. And if it's ok with you, I'd like to introduce you to some of my friends."
Nick turned, potato masher in hand. "It's like that, is it?"
She gave him a slow smile. "Yeah, it's like that. Unless you try to tell me we've been doing all this fucking for no reason."
He went back after the potatoes. "Do they even know you're dating a man?"
"Erm. Not precisely."
"As long as you can promise me that I'll make it home with genitals in-tact, I'll go wherever you want."
"I swear, all men think about is their dicks."
"I'm going to ignore that to tell you that I suspect Elliott will be here tonight."
"Grounding is over!"
"Yes. And it was brutal. I couldn't take one more day of Tyler moping around here all pathetic like his puppy had died or something. Next time I'll have to find a punishment that is less painful for me. Like church camp."
"You promised me on our first date that you would never resort to that!"
"I just said that to get into your pants."
"Um, ew!" Tyler said, bursting into the house with Elliott in tow. "Virgin ears here. No dad sex. Thanks."
Elliott almost seemed to be hiding behind Tyler, glancing nervously at Nick. "Hey Ty, Elliott," Nick said. "I figured you two would show up so there's enough dinner for both of you."
"If he ever finishes it," Cass said.
"That's it. All of you out of the kitchen. You too, missy."
Cassandra rolled her eyes and pinched him on the way out.
In bed Tyler was shy, not sure what to do with his hands, and he could see Elliott staring up at the ceiling.
"Ell? Can I touch you?"
Even in the dim light, Ty could see Elliott blush. Elliott nodded and watched as Tyler scooted closer, carefully putting his arm over Elliott's stomach. It took a moment for them to find the position where their bodies fit together like puzzle pieces, but when they did, Tyler had his face nuzzled into Elliott's neck and his hand cupping Elliott's bony hip.
They both held their breath, listening and feeling each other's heartbeat.