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 Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:14 am
Oh. That was what he meant. Tolliver felt the heat rising in his face, breath stuttering out of him as shivers raced from his ear all the way down his spine. He could feel the tingling sensation all the way down to his bones, Tolliver's fingers curling against his palm.
He couldn't make a verbal reply without sounding stupid, so he gave a tiny, embarrassed nod instead, eyes flickering. Tolliver couldn't quite express the relief he felt at Hitch's declaration, because even though he'd done it to please himself, to separate himself from the rest of the world, Hitch liking it made it all the more better, all the more special somehow.
"They're, um," said Tolliver tentatively. "Violas, or wild pansies. They're also called, um..." He felt his cheeks redden further. "L-love-in-idleness. I used to pick them when I was a child, I always liked the purple together with the yellow, and I'd...tuck them into my hair, you know, not much goes well with red, but purple does."
His eyes fluttered at every gentle kiss, every soft touch that was an indicator of Hitch's warmth and kindness, his patience and concern. Tolliver twisted slightly and reached for one of Hitch's hands, drawing it to his lips and brushing a kiss across his knuckles.
"I haven't - not yet, I mean, I can," he said, but of course he'd neglected himself yet again, and his back throbbed a reminder of this. Tolliver's face softened as he cradled Hitch's hand against the side of his face. "...ibuprofen should work, thank you."
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:28 am
One wolfish smile and Hitch's tongue running hungrily over his lips were all the response that tiny nod needed, and he snickered after the fact, loving the rush that came with flustering his Tolliver.
"Love-in-idleness, " he echoed, the way he always did when he wanted to commit something to memory. "I've never heard 'em called that before... what a pretty name." He cast Tolliver a smile, warmed not by lust but by sheer affection. "That's ********' adorable babe. - I would've liked to have seen that." And he paused, his smile broadening a bit, and it was a little lame but, "Y'know, my hair used to be purple." It also used to have no course strands of gray, but, "Maybe I should go back."
He gave a content little hum at the sensation of Tolliver's lips on his knuckles, loving the softness of his lover's cheek as he cradled his hand. He wished he could just grab him and pull him close, but - Tolli was delicate right now. He got that. "Then I'll get you some - an' some water - an' some bread or somethin', somethin' small so it doesn't ******** up your stomach or whatever, " and it was more like he was making a list for himself than telling Tolliver what he was planning anymore. "Thinkin' hot dogs tonight - you like hot dogs?" Whenever he had something he hadn't given Tolliver already, he always asked first; he was learning his tastes, but you never knew.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:43 am
Hitch was going to be the death of him, with his consistent habit of riling Tolliver up. He turned his head a little, blushing furiously because the look in his lover's eyes was almost overwhelming with how affectionate it was, how warm and lovely and beautiful he thought it looked. Tolliver's gaze flickered up to Hitch's hair, and he lifted his hand, fingers trailing through the multicolored strands.
"Not purple," Tolliver murmured absently. "I like your hair. Maybe - maybe this color," he said, touching the auburn ends. "Or black."
He realized what he was doing a second later and withdrew his hand shyly, Tolliver still holding onto Hitch's hand. He gave a little nod, and then turned his face, pressing a kiss to his palm and lingering there for a moment, heedless of everything else, his eyes shut.
"You take good care of me," he murmured softly.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:53 am
Hitch let his eyes slip half-closed, loving his boyfriend's (the word still got him worked up, even just thinking it) fingers in his hair. "I don't hate this color either, " and as though Tolliver hadn't gotten flustered, he kept the conversation right on going. "But I'm gonna be candid here babe - the white's ********' killin' me. Mom's hair never pulled this s**t, " he mumbled, more than a little disgruntled with it even as he laughed about it.
That kiss to his palm - ******** like he wasn't charmed already. "Someone's got to, " he teased gently, leaning in to kiss his temple before he begrudgingly pulled away to go do everything he had to. Water. Pills. Crackers instead of bread. He made sure Tolliver was ready and set to go with those before he did any work on dinner.
At some point, he leaned down and grunted as he scratched the bandaged scrape on his knee. Stupid ******** itchy thing.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 10:26 am
Strangely, he didn't mind the white, though he understood why Hitch didn't like it. Tolliver leaned closer and nuzzled his face into the black and gray strands, eyes closed, until he found Hitch's cheek, and then he pressed a light, soft kiss just beneath his eye.
"You pull it off well," he murmured. "Even if you have a hard time with it."
Which was true, at least in his mind - he'd never had any issues with how Hitch looked, for one thing, and for another, he'd always found him terribly attractive. That hadn't changed, even now, and Tolliver was always in constant awe of how very drawn he was to him.
His eyes fluttered at the kiss to his temple, Tolliver letting his hands fall reluctantly away. He tugged the blanket over his lap, accepted the water and the pills and the crackers with a little smile, and obediently munched on them while Hitch cooked.
"Did you hurt yourself at work?" Tolliver asked, concern in his voice as he glanced at Hitch's leg.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 5:31 pm
Hitch loved the soft warmth of those lips under his eye, and his cheeks burned faintly from the praise - constantly praise he still wasn't used to, still never really believed. But he still loved hearing it. "What? - y'think I'm distinguished or some s**t?" he teased gently (because really, who would ever called Logan distinguished?), ruffling Tolliver's own beautiful red hair affectionately before he went.
Y'know how Hitch knew he loved Tolliver already? - because he kept glancing up out of the corner of his ******** eye, stealing glances at him munching on those crackers with a sweet little smile, and even that struck him as ******** adorable. Waves of affection swelled and crashed in his chest, and even if he was only a few feet away, the temptation to sneak back over there, even if just to pat his hair or graze his fingertips over his shoulder, it was ******** painfully hard to resist.
"Mm? - mm, " Hitch had been ready to answer this if he had to. It was hypocritical considering how often he hid himself and told half-truths, but he still felt sort of guilty for lying now. Especially after everything with Tolli's back. "Yeah, I was cleanin' the floor, an' I wasn't really watchin' myself, so I went down." He laughed and tossed a couple of the hot dogs into the boiling water, throwing his boyfriend (even thinking it still made him stupidly ******** giddy) a lopsided grin. "Only thing that hurts is my ********' pride."
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 5:38 pm
If it weren't for his back throbbing still, Tolliver most likely would have gotten up to go into the kitchen with him, sat and watched while Hitch cooked, because he simply loved being in the same space as him. They didn't always have to be together, but Tolliver loved it when they were, loved even just the thought of Hitch coming home to him, or him coming home to Fritz.
It was a terribly, frighteningly addictive thought. He tried not to think too hard on it.
"I think you're very attractive," Tolliver said, face flushed, but he was starting to learn the little nuances Hitch had - such as his tendency to draw attention away from himself, especially when it came to compliments. And although he struggled a great deal with saying what he wanted to, it was something that Tolliver was trying to work on. "I like how you look."
He was still a little concerned about the scrape to his leg, but Tolliver wasn't about to press him.
"Later, I'll...I'll kiss it better," he murmured softly, and then turned his head away so that Hitch wouldn't see the redness to his cheeks.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 6:35 pm
Hitch looked back at his boyfriend with the wide-eyed look he got sometimes, as though each compliment took him by surprise - and this one, it was so blunt, so - honest. Instinctively, his cheeks burned, and he looked away and then back again, toying with the piercing on his lip with the tip of his tongue. Denial rolled there, his other base instinct.
He choked it back. "Thank you, " he said quietly, and even if he still didn't believe it, he wanted to at least be able to accept the words even if he couldn't have faith in their truth. He smiled that sheepish, small grin he wore sometimes when he was embarrassed, although it wasn't the bad kind of embarrassment at all.
Then, it broadened, blossomed back into the lopsided smirk that felt more at home on his face. Back to familiar territory. "You too babe. You're ********' sexy as hell - man, I can't believe my boyfriend got a hot a** tattoo, " he purred out, tossing him a playfully smoldering look. "The ******** did I get so lucky, huh?"
It helped that Tolliver was Tolliver, and that moment was so very much him that Hitch swore his ******** heart was about to give out. "I think that'd make me feel a lot better - thanks baby, " and amazing how he could say that so sweetly, so tenderly, and then shift right into, "I've got a bruise on my a**, If you wanna kiss that too, " with a fiendishly playful grin and a smack of his lips.
Then, it didn't take long after that for the hot dogs to be done - a couple of pieces of bread (he didn't have buns), some mustard and s**t on the side in case Tolli was into any of that. Six hot dogs were made - one never even made it to the bread. He just shoved that one right into his mouth in about four massive bites, because <********> he was hungry.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 6:48 pm
In the dark, it was hard to see what sort of expression Hitch was wearing, the lights still off in the living room. But Tolliver thought he caught a faint red tinge to Hitch's cheeks before he looked away - and then looked back again, doing that thing with his tongue and his piercing that always made Tolliver's stomach twist, even if he'd never said it.
He gave a little nod in place of you're welcome, but a second later, Tolliver's face heated, and he turned bashfully away, all but melting under that look he was giving him.
"I think the lucky one is me," he murmured, almost too quietly to hear - and then he gave a choking sort of laugh that was half a snort of disbelief and half a laugh, a flustered expression on Tolliver's face. "Maybe if - if you're good," he mumbled, because Tolliver was nothing if not awkward when it came to flirting.
The hot dogs were much appreciated, in spite of Tolliver's lack of appetite earlier. He didn't want to actually get up, so he waited for Hitch to bring it over - probably selfishly - Tolliver rearranging the blanket around himself so that he was at least sort of covered, pulling the shirt back on but leaving it unbuttoned.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 7:00 pm
Hitch wondered if he should pretend not to hear it, but the chuckle that rumbled in his throat might've given him away if Tolliver could hear it - because it was literally laughable that Tolliver got the better end of this deal, even if he was flattered as hell that his boyfriend thought so much of him.
Maybe it was awkward, but that was half the charm... and let's face it, the fact that he said anything at all was kind of thrilling. He laughed hard, winking playfully over at him. "I'll be a ********' angel, and ******** yes it hurt when I fell from heaven to come find you, " the lamest possible re-tooling of a classic line, especially since let's face it, Tolli was more the angel type than he'd ever be.
Hitch wasn't expecting Tolliver to get up for anything - except maybe to pee or whatever. (Technically he could, but somehow he didn't think Tolli would appreciate being handed a jar for his business.) Still chewing his mangled hot dog, he walked back balancing the plate with the hot dogs in one hand, and two cans of soda plus the jars of condiments and napkins pressed up against his chest with his other arm. It was one of those things that looked like it easily could've been a super messy disaster, but he set everything down without any incident. "Bon apetite babe!"
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 7:33 pm
This time he managed to give Hitch a pointed look that clearly indicated he knew exactly what sort of flirting he was trying to do, but there was still a blush on Tolliver's cheeks, regardless. Hitch may have been kidding around, but he'd done more for him than anyone else had; had managed to drag him into his world and make him feel safe and warm and secure and normal.
He glanced up as Hitch came in, and Tolliver reached to take one of the plates, setting it down carefully next to him once it was all settled. He carefully made himself a hot dog with plenty of ketchup and mustard and took a bite, eyes flickering with pleasure.
It may have been easy, fast food, but it made him happy.
"Thank you," said Tolliver, after he'd managed to eat an entire hot dog for himself. He licked his fingers clean and debated if he wanted a second one or not, his eyes sweeping over the plate. After a moment, a terrible, childish idea came to him, and Tolliver, after hesitating only a moment, dipped a finger into the mustard, reached over, and smeared it down the side of Hitch's face.
Then he quickly drew back his hand, fighting a smile.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 7:49 pm
The pointed look just earned Tolliver one Hitch sticking his tongue out at him with a grin. Mature? Not even remotely, but he was something of a schism, too old for his age in many ways, and plenty immature in others.
Tolliver's help was nice, what was nicer was watching him actually sit down and eat. Again, it was hypocritical considering Hitch's own food habits, but ever since his mother's sickness had started, it was up to him to make sure she ate and kept her food down. She needed her strength for all the tests and s**t that followed.
Now that he had someone else in his life to take care of, it was kind of inevitable that he'd start mother henning - papa roostering? - his boyfriend too. It helped that he'd realized he loved cooking, no matter how bad he was at it.
By the time Tolliver was done with his own, Hitch had gone ahead and inhaled another with a glob of ketchup strewn on top, some of it catching on the edge of his lip. Which, by the way, went perfectly with the cool streak of mustard his boyfriend smeared across his cheek. He blinked once, surprised, and then looked at Tolliver, his eyes a little wide - and then that dangerous smile surged onto his face and he was snickering. "Oh, it's on babe, " he growled playfully, stealing some spare ketchup that'd dribbled out over his plate to go poke Tolliver's nose with.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 8:05 pm
He didn't know what on earth had possessed him to do such a thing. Maybe it was the fact that Hitch had been playful and flirtatious and silly, and it had started rubbing off on him. Or maybe it was the fact that he was just so damn happy about everything that made him act the way he was, even with the pains in his leg and his back.
Either way, he was now responsible for the yellow streak down Hitch's cheek, and Tolliver was staring wide-eyed at his boyfriend, biting down on his lip - for once, not because he was anxious, but because he was trying very hard not to smile, not to laugh.
He broke that approximately three seconds later when a glob of ketchup was dotted on his nose, and Tolliver gave a little squeal, dipping his fingers back into the condiments and then patting Hitch's face with them so that he had a ketchup and mustard hand print across his cheek.
"Oops," said Tolliver, not sounding sorry at all.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 8:14 pm
Whatever caused it, Hitch loved it - he loved the look on his face and the playful little undertone of his voice. He loved getting to see a side of him he hadn't really seen yet, fun and free and playful.
He grunted a little when Tolliver pressed his hand to his face and left the print behind, trying to suppress a smile as he reached back in for more condiments - more than they'd been using - and happily slathered them all over his own face. It helped that his hair was tied back, and by the end his cheeks, chin, nose, and even some of his forehead all had traces of yellow, red, and the brown that came from a mix of the two.
"Oh no." Really, Hitch's wolfish smile probably should have been a blaring warning signal. "I tripped, " and he was sitting so that was just ridiculous, instead just sort of flopping over and rubbing his face against his lover's exposed chest.
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:40 pm
He couldn't stop the giggles that were bubbling from his throat, Tolliver trying in vain to hide his laughter, but it was useless. Hitch just looked so ridiculous slathered in condiments that he felt outrageously, wonderfully silly at present, allowed to be as carefree as he could. It was goofy, but it was much needed fun, because Tolliver had not allowed himself to have this much fun in so long - and it was different than the heady adoration that came from kisses or holding hands. This was simple, childish silliness, and he was loving it.
A gasp and a squeal escaped him as Hitch rubbed his face against Tolliver's chest, and he squirmed and laughed at the sticky, wet sensation. He tried pushing Hitch away, his fingers tangled with ketchup and mustard and sliding sloppily against his boyfriend's shoulders.
"You're awfully clumsy tonight," Tolliver said, trying to sound reprimanding, but he was smiling too hard for that to be true at all. "And a little pale. I think you need a bit more color to you..."
And he promptly splattered Hitch's chest and stomach with more ketchup.
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