Welcome to Gaia! ::

A grin resurfaced as he watched Fidget, making a mental note to not play with the dog with his prosthetic. It would probably end with his arm dislodged.

"Good, now to work on you," he teased back, all crooked grin and arched brow. "No kidding? My best bud, his whole life is carpentry." Lucas paused, and tried - oh he tried to resist, but Rylan's smile was enough to make even his best attempts at not being an idiot just kind of melt away, leaving only himself there to deal with. The problem was, he was a lot to deal with. "If you ever need to test the sturdiness, I'm your guy."

He would have kicked himself, but -- but it was Rylan's fault. Honestly, the man was encouraging him and he could not be held responsible for how he reacted. Lucas could do little more than laugh at the possible invitation, shaking his head and looking at the firefighter with mirth. "That can be arranged, Chief. Don't tempt me." His tone, however, said otherwise: Too late. Tempted.

"Please say you know how to administer CPR. You're going to kill me today, mark my words. Make sure my gravestone reads, 'Worth It.'" The man exhaled sharply, putting his prosthetic hand over his heart and shaking his head, his other hand on his hip. Pale eyes turned over the other, appreciating. "Mercy. Carry on, teach me how you like it done." And he grinned. Rylan could not get out of it now, not when Lucas was under the impression he actually was enjoying their banter.

"Hah!" Lucas was not a typically vain man, but Rylan's encouragement was doing wonders for his sense of self, very nearly preening as he listened. The next part, however, made him laugh out loud, shaking his head albeit in agreement. "My friend is a bit too straight for that and while I'm sure you father is a fantastic man, judging by his son - it is definitely you I'm here for." A smile lit where his grin was, the type that was honest, warm, and perhaps a touch embarrassed. He was very nearly spelling out his interest and he'd hardly been there for ten minutes. The firefighter had some sort of power over him, that was for damn sure.

And then, to remind them both he was a mature adult, he wrinkled his nose playfully, flipping his ponytail in a mockery of the hair ads (because you're worth it). "Lucky indeed," he added, biting his bottom lip when he was done being silly. Normally, the ex-soldier wouldn't make jokes about being lucky to die, but damn, that smile! Those lips! Yes, he noticed that Rylan was a looker. Thank you.

Lucas made his way around the grill and nodded, putting both hands on his hips with the grin then replacing his more personal smile. "We can take our time. Make sure it's done well -- "

If he didn't know better, he'd have said Rylan did it on purpose. Lucas jerked back a little in surprise but didn't flee the spray, laughing instead and shielding his eyes with his good hand. "'Work up to it,' you said! And here I almost believed you!" Even so, he made his way over to Rylan's side, squinting. "No fire here yet Chief, good to know you're ready though. Are you hungry? I can help you out or start the food, but it'll be easier to get my shirt off if I'm helping." He playfully clapped the taller man on the back, laughing under his breath.

His hand slipped over Rylan's side as he moved away, grinning. "I'm versatile, I can go either way," the grin grew to near s**t-eating properties, "and you seem adept with the hose, if not a bit excited. You hang on to that." Lucas was all pins and needles of anticipation as he stooped to pick up the bucket, hefting it onto the back of the truck and following it with relative ease despite having a false leg. He was a man that spent a lot of time working on himself - what was left - and his everyday graces allowed him some freedom.

He just hoped when the shirt came off, it wouldn't be a jarring reminder of his reality for Rylan - a metallic arm connected to his shoulder by black supports was hard to miss, after all.

Lucas rolled his good shoulder, leaning over to scoop up the cloth for soaping, playfully flicking an edge of it towards Rylan. "You're up, Chief."

And Rylan. Rylan was being a s**t.

Lucas made an indistinct sound of surprise, bursting into laughter as the cool water fell against his rather warm skin. It occurred to him, under the spray and Rylan's sunny grin, that maybe it was the fireman's intent all along that nothing would get washed.

The thought was met with a wash of joy and amusement. He tossed the cloth back into the bucket, using his good arm to vault over the back of the truck and landing on both feet heavily. Standing, he muttered, "You're impossible," gripping the back of his tank top and pulling it over his head. His ponytail came out with it, tossing the garment and hair tie aside, approaching Rylan.

"You actually had me going, you're a tricky one, aren't you?" he grinned at the other and, unabashed, put his hands on the other's hips, heedless to the water now that he was shirtless. "A very elaborate ploy and you could have just asked, you know." Lucas grinned up at him, pretending his heart wasn't beating a tattoo in his ribs, going along for the ride.

The wonder that crossed Rylan's features was a surprise, but not an unpleasant one, tempering the playful grin he wore into a softer smile. Lucas laughed lightly at the words, though the sound was lost when the man's lips found his shoulder brackets. He forgot how to draw in air, eyes wide and staring at Rylan's shoulder, immobile until hearing the other man's voice snapped him back to himself.

"Hah," he gulped his breath, holding onto Rylan's hips now to keep his knees from knocking. That -- that had never happened, that type of affection to what he thought was his most glaring flaws. Those words said over broken parts of himself. If Lucas could think, he might have been emotionally overcome, but lucky for both of them, thinking was not his strong suit just then. Instead, he pressed his lips against the firefighter's shoulder next to the line of cloth that kept them apart, kissing the warm skin.

"I, um." Lucas was short-circuited and frazzled, and after working his throat a little, he lifted his good hand to cup the opposite side of Rylan's neck, pulling back enough to look up at him. "Why are you so amazing?"

He flinched then, and then laughed, adding, "Great, now I'm speaking what I'm thinking, this could get bad." Exhaling through pursed lips, he shook his head a little, eyes full of wonder and exhilaration. "You don't -- I'm -- you broke me, good job." Lucas laughed again, shaking his head to try and clear it, his expression a little more coy when he focused on Rylan's face.

"Then let me make it up to you," he murmured, thumb ghosting over the man's jaw. "Let me take you out to dinner? Actual date. Not beating around the bush here." If he died on the spot, at least he'd die finally saying what he should have said the first time they met.

And the grin was back, because damn if Rylan didn't just pull it out of him. And that grin. That. Damn. Grin. He was fixated, and it was getting harder to pretend otherwise.

Lucas clicked his jaw to the side and made a soft 'tsk' sound, hand lifting from Rylan's jaw to gently thread through the man's wet hair, brushing it back. "I am game for that, but I'm gonna be real with you, Ry." He lifted a brow, critical, a little embarrassed, but honest. "If your shirt comes off, there may be a rearrangement of order of events. Because," his prosthetic hand lifted to rest on the man's chest, over his heart, "I don't want to be another fling, I want to be that spark that lights, but I am just a man."

He paused. "A man very attracted to your good soul and beautiful smile, so. Be kind." Lucas smiled, a little crooked, and lifted his chin to press a brief kiss to his jaw. "I also like to kiss before the date, so the anticipation doesn't wind me up. You've been warned."

And that was that. The ball was in Rylan's court.

Lucas was actually afraid he may have said the wrong thing finally, pushed Rylan over the edge -- but when he saw that familiar glint in the man's eyes, he understood there was an edge, just not the one he'd anticipated. That raw look was enough to unwind him, returning the gaze in kind. Rylan reached for him and everything became slow motion; he felt the tight hold in his hair, sliding his arms more fully around those broad shoulders and returning the favor, lacing fingers in the shorter hair as their lips met.

Everything unsaid was understood - he hadn't forgotten the insight granted in their first meeting - but he kissed Rylan back like he was air to a drowning man. He was drowning, the world tipping to their point of contact and how the man's presence, as strong and bright as the sun, consumed him. Even when the kiss broke, he was off balance, his eyes lidded and unfocused, his tongue chasing over his bottom lip. He was dizzy with what they were both denying, but there was a purpose for it. He would not succumb to it. For the chance they could be more.

"Just -- one more," he murmured in a thick haze, and kissed his firefighter again. A gentle n** to the man's lips and he let him go, drawing in a deep and wavering breath. "Alright." He ran his tongue over his teeth and grinned, flushed but content to do what was right by Rylan. "Let's get to work. I'll behave."

And probably to the surprise of both, Lucas kept his word.