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 Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 5:21 pm
"Dull doesn't even describe it, " Hitch grunted with a low chuckle bubbling in his throat. He gladly ordered another bourbon, and made a mental note that if there was a way to get it on his own, he really should. - maybe someone at work would help him out? Either way, good stuff.
"What's worse is seeing these people, they - like, comin' to the deli and harassing the s**t out of us about their processed meats an' lo fat cheese, an' like, that's what they do. That's the damn highlight of their feet, that ********' counter, makin' our lives harder. An' they live for it."
He grabbed his burger again, his eyes on Tolliver. "But enough about that; seriously, I'm one to talk, my life's borin' as s**t. Tell me more about you." Like he thought it might be coming, his smile grew wider and toothy as he leaned forward in his seat. "Doesn't matter what. Anythin's good. Bands, family, music, whatever."
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 5:39 pm
Tolliver was extraordinarily grateful when the second drink arrived minutes later. He had a relatively high tolerance towards alcohol, but the bourbon helped relax him, gave him a nice distraction and a pleasant aftertaste in his mouth.
Hitch, it seemed, either had a lower tolerance, or maybe he just got more bright and talkative the more he relaxed. "There are just some people that enjoy messing with other people's lives," said Tolliver, lips twitching a little as he ate another bite of his burger, and then wiped his fingers; a repeated process. "Regardless of how well you do your job, some people are just never happy."
The space between them had shortened a little, what with Hitch leaning forward. Tolliver felt himself stiffening, his shoulders tensing, but he kept his position without leaning back, his face heating, his stomach twisting. Being friends with anyone outside of Fritz was unnerving, and Hitch was both comfortable and blunt in his speech.
"I, er - " Tolliver stammered, thoroughly caught off guard by the smile. "I...I'm from England, Leavesden, to be exact. I have a...a twin brother, whom I live with in a loft here in the City. I...I very much enjoy any kind of indie-rock band, or even classical music at times, though I like a lot of different music. I tend to like my coffee black, without sweeteners."
He hadn't said this much to someone else in weeks, months. Tolliver wasn't certain if it was liberating, terrifying, or both.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 6:16 pm
For Hitch, it was definitely both. The tolerance level was one thing, but he always kept himself on a tight leash. How did it look when he did this? How would his mother have felt if she saw him doing that? - he knew how people probably would have looked at him if they knew how many times he defaulted to his mother's ideals. But most people didn't have the kind of mother he'd had. Relaxed, tipsy, buzzed like he was now... it was less living by a memory and a lot more of himself shining through.
So when the next drink arrived, he didn't hesitate to take a long swig, shutting his eyes as the heat washed over him. "Leavesden, " he echoed out loud, his familiar trick for remembering titles; even if he wouldn't remember, it was force of habit at this point. "What a cute name. - see, I don't know much about England beyond London an' the cute accent, " and he laughed, wiping his own hands now that the burger was finished. "What's it like there? - is it one of those towns where they all know your name?"
His hand was tap, tap, tapping his his leg as Hitch hummed his approval, nodding. "I feel you on that - like I said, I'm mostly rock an' punk, but I'll listen to most anything. Love to get my teeth back into indie s**t - it's been awhile. - I used to play in a band during high school, myself. Pretty kick a** group of guys." He sighed, leaning back in his seat with a look on his face that was vaguely wistful, even if his smile stayed pasted on. "Lookin' back, y'know, wish I could've stuck with it - but I mean, c'mon, how many people have an indie band in high school, am I right? Not like it would've gone anywhere... "
He sighed, the kind of sound usually reserved for fleeting summer loves; still wistful, but with passion there, yearning, laughing softly as he reached for his drink again. "Best kinda rush though, bein' up there - best kind - aw, s**t, what'm I even goin' on about, " he grunted, his cheeks igniting a hotter shade of red.
Then, after a sip, his smile broadened again. "Huh. You like it the same way I do - 'cept I love it sweet, " and there was a kind of suggestiveness in his tone, his eyes sliding half shut and staring maybe a little too intently at Tolliver. Then he just laughed again. "So how long you been stuck in this place, huh? - was that thing on New Year's really the weirdest s**t you'd seen?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 6:27 pm
Hitch was perhaps not the typical, conventional movie-star type; but his rugged appearance and easygoing personality made him appealing in a different way that Tolliver wasn't quite certain he wanted to understand. He could feel the heat rising in his face, the phrase cute accent ringing in his ears.
"It's a smaller suburb of Hertfordshire, England," said Tolliver. "Not quite that small, no, but it is where the Harry Potter films were made if you're, er, into that sort of thing."
He found the idea of Hitch having been in a band pretty interesting, especially considering Tolliver's own tendency towards drums, as well as music in general. His fingers closed around his glass, burger mostly finished, except for one or two bites left, but he wasn't hungry anymore. "It...it's nice," he said hesitantly. "Hearing someone so passionate about something."
He gave a self-conscious shrug. "I've not ever been that passionate about anything, I don't think."
The suggestive note to Hitch's voice was not missed; Tolliver felt the gaze like warmth seeping into him, laughter echoing around him, and he wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment, interest, or something else entirely. Confusion warred in his stomach, his head.
"A...about two years now," he said, voice sounding too hoarse. Tolliver tried to reign himself in a little. "And, er, yes...it was quite...the unexpected incident, but at least I'm able to talk about it with someone, right?"
The waitress came sweeping back, a small black folder containing their bill dropped onto the table, and Tolliver reached for it, heart pounding harder than he'd have liked it to.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 7:10 pm
"Harry Potter..." Hitch was loathe to admit he hadn't seen all the movies (he'd actually liked those), and he definitely hadn't read the books (most people looked at him like he'd grown a second head when he said that). But he knew a little bit, a brow arching playfully as he growled in a makeshift Hagrid, "So yer a wizard Tolli?" His cheeks were abruptly stained red with embarrassment, a sheepish laugh escaping him as he ducked his head in shame. "Aw, ******** I'm sorry - ******** that was just terrible - never again, I promise, that was the lamest - please, just leave me here, just go, don't look back."
With a hand waving dismissively in the air, he managed to steal a peek back at Tolliver through too-long bangs. "Really, though, I bet it's gorgeous, huh? - I'm jealous. I'd love to see England one day." It would never happen. But it was nice to wish.
His embarrassment showed in more ways than one when Tolliver said 'passionate', shifting a little in hid seat and tapping on his leg again. "Nah, I'm - " Hitch wanted to say a lot of things about what he was: helpless, useless, sad. Those words he kept in check in favor of directly the spotlight back to Tolliver again.
"- it's about findin' the right thing at the right time in your life, I think - and you gotta stick with what makes you happy. Then even if you think you're s**t, you just keep with it, y'know?" Elbows on the table be damned, his went there, his chin cradled in his palm as he looked at Tolliver. "I'm sure you got somethin' like that - you just don't know it yet, that's all. All kinds of flavors of passion."
"Two years, and that was the first weird s**t to happen." Hitch watched Tolliver's face from the corner of his eye (even if it was still pretty obvious) - the way his mouth moved when he talked, the way his cheeks flushed. "Still, though - lucky it was you." He laughed again, reaching for his drink to polish it off for good.
The check. Hitch's hand snaked out, his fingers rough and calloused as he caught Tolliver's hand. "Wait." He didn't ignore the jolt of excitement he got from that single action, but just accepted it, flashing his companion a sly smile. "I got a lot of s**t - an' 'sides, this was lots of fun - I got this, okay?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 7:23 pm
Tolliver had seen - and watched - all of Harry Potter, and found himself surprisingly amused at Hitch's impersonation. He smiled a little, a laugh threatening to burst out of him, but he reigned it in and said instead, "It wasn't that bad."
He had seen the intensity in Hitch's eyes when he'd talked about music and about his band; that sort of thing was most definitely passion, even if he seemed embarrassed about it. Tolliver found his throat feeling dry as he looked across the table at Hitch, trying to decipher the meaning behind "all kinds of flavors of passion."
"I should...figure out what it is, then," he said, a little too quickly, but his eyes were still on Hitch's; he quickly dragged them away, chest tightening. "Y...yes," said Tolliver, shifting restlessly in his seat. In spite of his leg, the pub felt strangely too warm; he wanted to get up and move, leave, but felt rooted to the spot.
He was too slow in reaching for the check - a hand came down over his, and something shivered up and down Tolliver's spine, something confusing and unnamed. His head turned quickly to look at Hitch, the smile on the other's face succeeding in warming his cheeks further.
Maybe he'd drunk too much. He felt a little dizzy.
"N...we can split it," he said hoarsely, quite unable to move his hand, blinking rapidly. The waitress fluttered by the table, raising a brow, but said nothing, merely asked if they were ready to pay.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 7:35 pm
If it was any other time, if he wasn't feeling so light and free, and if he wasn't consumed by the warmth of the bourbon churning in his stomach, the looked the waitress gave would have horrified him. All of this would have been too much.
Instead, he let his hand linger there for a moment longer as he shifted, fishing his wallet out of his back pocket. Almost begrudgingly, Hitch finally relieved Tolliver of his hand, checking the amount due and pulling out the necessary cash. "You were great tonight, " he told her, just in case she didn't hear it enough - service people usually didn't - and gave her a smile that promised a good tip in her future.
Then, he glanced back at Tolliver again with that same sly grin. "So, you live close by? - that safe to guess? I'll walk you back." It wasn't really an offer. These streets were ******** dangerous.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 7:41 pm
He pulled his hand back and tried to ignore the way that his fingers were tingling in a way he didn't quite understand. Tolliver fumbled for his own wallet and pulled out some money, dropping it onto the table to add to Hitch's amount. It was probably a little extra; his hand kept shaking annoyingly.
When all was said and done, he took a breath to steady himself, reminded himself that everything was just fine, that he wasn't being ridiculous, and gave Hitch a slightly bemused look.
"Er...that's not..." he started to protest, then figured that it wouldn't actually work to dissuade Hitch, especially not with that grin on his face.
"...all right," Tolliver said instead, and got to his feet, a little awkwardly, reaching for his stupid cane and cursing the damn thing as he waited for Hitch. "I just live about a block away, I walked here."
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 7:57 pm
Even if he was undeniably tipsy (whether he knew it or not), Hitch knew not to say he'd assumed Tolliver lived close by because of his leg. No one had driven him there, and he didn't know whether his friend was able to drive himself or not. (Not that he should have anyway, given the bourbon and all. Drinking and driving was always a terrible idea.)
"Good to know, " and when he stood up, he stretched out, popping a few joints that had gone rusty from an entire day of leaning over the slicer at work. He gave a satisfied little grunt when he felt his back pop the way he needed it to, then grinned again, gently sweeping past Tolliver to go and hold the door again. "I actually don't live too far either, it's like... " He thought about it, his brow furrowed as he fished around for his pack of cigarettes in his pocket with his free hand. "... three blocks that way, I'd say, " he concluded, tilting his chin to show what he meant.
Basically, it was no trouble. In case that came up.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 8:04 pm
He appreciated the door opening, because in spite of his hating pity, Hitch wasn't doing it because he felt sorry for Tolliver, or because he thought him incapable of holding a door. It was done just because, as Tolliver was learning, that was just the kind of person Hitch was.
He limped outside and carefully down the stairs, wincing a little. "So we're relatively close to each other, then," said Tolliver, starting down the street. It was growing darker outside, the twilight creeping over the city as the lamps started lighting.
It was a slow pace; Tolliver was not exactly the fastest of walkers.
"Er," he said, once they had reached the front of his building, which was a towering place stuffed with apartments, trying very hard to ignore the way his chest was feeling. Alcohol, he reminded himself forcefully, it was just the alcohol. "Thanks for..."
Tolliver floundered. His face reddened, his eyes flickering to meet Hitch's.
"...for all of...this..." he said, feeling horribly inept at formulating proper words, but he also made no move to go inside the building just yet, wondering if he was supposed to be doing something.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 8:31 pm
"Funny how that works, huh? - lived so close by, didn't see you for months, " Hitch mused out loud, sparing a glance upwards at the sky. It was cloudy, but it was fine; this was a city. The lights on the clouds did something for him. He hadn't gotten to see the stars much from home anyway, back before the move - it was comforting in a weird way, or maybe just comfortable. The tip of his cigarette was illuminated like a wizard's wand.
He seemed completely happy with the slow pace, due in no small part to how deliberate his steps were. He almost stumbled, once. But he kept it together, humming in an off-key way to the beat he set on his thigh as they went. There was a reason he'd never been a singer, but his inhibitions were low and his spirits were high.
Then, they stopped, and Hitch slowly turned to look at Tolliver, almost like he was considering him. He was silent at first, toying with the piercing in his lip. Finally, he took a step closer to Tolliver. Hitch grinned at him and plucked his cigarette from between his lips, the red in his cheeks darkening as he reached up to cup his companion's chin in his free hand. He leaned in closer still to him, closer than he'd ever been in the restaurant, breath hot and smelling of bourbon and nicotine.
There, he hesitated - waiting to see what Tolliver would do, ready to pull away if he gave any sign of resistance.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 8:40 pm
His nerves seemed to be on edge, fraying at the ends.
The smell of smoke had followed them to the front doors of the apartment building, and now it curled around Tolliver like a familiar cloud, settling against him. The humming had made him a little less anxious, but once they stopped and he turned to actually look at Hitch, the anxiety came back full force.
The silence was almost suffocating in its intensity. Tolliver felt frozen to the spot, feet refusing to move, even as Hitch contemplated him, his own face steadily growing redder. The step forward, the grin, the touch to his chin; Tolliver gave an involuntary little gasp, breath hitching in his throat. One hand rose, floundered, because he wasn't sure what to do with it.
Hitch was too close too close, and Tolliver's mind seemed to have stopped, his entire body frozen in place. His stomach twisted in confusion, chest tight, heart nearly beating its way out of his ribcage, and he couldn't figure out how he felt about this situation, his mind completely devoid of any thoughts except the feel of Hitch's fingers on his chin and the way his mouth was only a scant few inches from his own.
Tolliver moved a fraction of an inch closer, in involuntary gesture, and his hand came to rest finally on the side of Hitch's upper arm, a loose gesture. He didn't close the gap between them, but his eyes fell to rest on Hitch's mouth and the little piercing, and he licked his lips unconsciously before his wide-eyed gaze flickered back up to the other's.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 10:30 pm
Hitch's grin was tugged a little higher at the edges, and that was more than enough incentive to keep going. He looks so cute like that... he thought to himself, catching a glimpse of that wide-eyed look before his own slid shut, blood hot with more than alcohol.
He quickly closed the gap between them, and the sensation of Tolliver's lips was like - it was better than the bourbon's burn had been. A pleased hum resonated deep in his throat, his hand sliding from Tolliver's chin to bury itself in his hair, curling finally at the back of his neck.
This was no innocent, unsure kiss; Hitch's lips were insistent, almost desperate, too long deprived of something he badly needed. The same kind of longing passion he'd shown when he'd talked about his lost band days, just another thing he'd given up for the sake of his mother.
Finally, abruptly, he pulled away, sucking in a slow breath between his teeth as he looked at Tolliver again - and if it looked like he hadn't wanted to stop, it was because he hadn't.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 10:49 pm
He'd kissed a few girls before, but Tolliver's experience in anything at all physically affectionate ended there. Not only had he had his accident, successfully ruining any social abilities he might have once had; but he'd already been incredibly confused and uncertain about himself. Attractions had swung first one way, and then another, and it had sent ripples of frustration through him as he'd tried to work through the mess inside of his head.
He wasn't even really certain if he wanted to kiss Hitch, if he wanted to kiss another man, but Hitch as there and he was grinning at him with that expression on his face, and all Tolliver could really be certain of was that his chest was so tight it was difficult to breathe.
Maybe that was the point.
Maybe it was just the alcohol. He couldn't tell anymore.
A startled gasp was muffled against Hitch's lips, a sharp intake of breath that had his fingers clenching in the other man's sleeve. For the first few seconds, his eyes remained open and wide, every nerve ending in his body frizzing violently. He stood stock still, trying to process how he felt about this - about having this warm, firm press of a man's lips against his own - and then Hitch gave that soft hum, his fingers in Tolliver's hair, and shivers reverberated up and down his spine.
He'd expected it to be soft, gentle. He was definitely wrong, and Tolliver gave an inaudible sound that was lost, eyes squeezing shut, hand clutching his arm as he gave into the kiss, unable to do anything more than be swept along with him.
When Hitch finally pulled back, Tolliver stumbled forward a little from leftover momentum. His face was painted a deep scarlet, his chest heaving, and for several seconds he just stared at Hitch, eyes still wide and uncertain, almost fearful.
Almost. The sensations were almost overwhelming him, lips tingling, heat burning across his skin, but -
....but it hadn't felt wrong. Or gross, or anything at all except really good. Tolliver felt hazy and confused. But then he found himself staggering forward and he'd clenched his fingers in the front of Hitch's shirt, leaned up and slanted his lips back against the other man's in a kiss that wasn't quite as insistent, but still needy; because he wanted to know, needed to know if it was just a fluke, the sensations of being kissed like this by another man, Tolliver leaning against him.
When he broke away this time, he kept his eyes shut as though afraid to know what Hitch was thinking, breathing labored, hands shaking in the front of the other man's shirt.
It wasn't a fluke, he thought dizzily.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 11:14 pm
The moment between kisses lasted, for Hitch, an eternity. On one hand, he savored the look on Tolliver's face, the stain of red in his cheeks, the way he stumbled, even the way his chest heaved. But on the other, although it didn't show, the look in his eyes made Hitch very much afraid. It would not be his first rejection. But he'd been so alone for so long, closed off, angry - he just wanted, even just once, just -
Then, Tolliver stumbled again, and Hitch felt his blood pump hot again as the gap closed between them again. He was the one surprised this time, his eyes widening at first, but then quickly closing again, savoring the closeness, the need. When Tolliver pulled away, Hitch felt those hands shaking against his chest, clutching the fabric of his shirt.
He tossed the cigarette somewhere behind Tolliver, and it gave off a small flurry of embers as it hit the pavement. The now free hand slid up the back of his shirt to stroke his spine. His other hand went to his chest, settling warm and heavy over one of his friend's shaking fists. Hitch leaned in again, brushing his lips against Tolliver's neck now, right where it met jaw.
"Is your brother home?" and his lips were sudden and hot against the shell of his ear.
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