[PRP] A Galaxy of Flavors (Ellis & Noah)

[kuropeco]

Noah was watching Ellis watch the deer, because there was something utterly smitten in the other's face and it was endearing to watch. He wondered whether or not there was really anything in his own life that would make him wear an expression like that. Filming, maybe, but even then he couldn't be positive about it. He did love the camera, but there was a gentleness in Ellis' eyes that made something in Noah's chest unclench unexpectedly.

His lips twitched, fighting a smile as he said, "Oh, they're plenty, don't worry. They're definitely worth it. But, you know. Just in case they aren't enough, I do have other ideas to get that gorgeous smile back on your face."

That was shamelessly obvious enough, but Noah slid from the blatant compliment right into the rest of the conversation without pausing. "Well, I mean, school is freaking expensive. It costs like, seventy-five bucks to just get a parking pass sometimes, which is so dumb."

Even though he could afford it and then some. Noah chose not to say anything about that, and instead found himself being entirely distracted by the flustered reaction, the smile on his face growing. He took a step forward, then another, moving right up into Ellis' space, though not quite touching him, the baby fawn nudging at his still outstretched hand.

"I am interested in your life," said Noah, and then, leaning forward just a smidge, he dropped his voice and said, "and you. Just so you know."

Then he sidled away, grinning ear to ear, to the next stall, which housed a family of piglets all squealing energetically.

"Wow, there are so many of them, holy cow. Ellis, come look at this, there's a little black and white one."

felyn

 

[kuropeco]

It had been worth it just to see that brief look on Ellis' face; to watch as his eyes had widened, to see as that flush had overtaken his cheeks as fast as ink in water. Noah very much enjoyed being the one to make that happen; it caused a surge of pleasure and triumph and delight to course through him.

He was leaning with his arm pressed against the top of the stall door as the piglets romped around. Ellis was still standing where Noah had left him, stock still and apparently trying to either work out what Noah had said or get his mind back into order.

Or maybe both.

Noah waited patiently for him to come over, and when he did, he seemed just as shell shocked as when Noah had left him, Ellis' cheeks still red. But there was a smile on his face all the same, even if he still wore an expression that indicated he was possibly overwhelmed.

It made Noah want to hug him, but he didn't. Instead, he took a breath, and turned to face Ellis, leaning one elbow on the stall, even as the piglets squealed and clamored over one another in an attempt to look for food. There were dozens of people around, which possibly meant talking here was a bad idea, but Noah couldn't help it.

"Look," he said. "Not to be like...super obvious or anything, but...you said you don't pick up things well, so here's the deal." He took a breath, looking Ellis straight in the face. "I think you're great. You're sweet, and cute, and you've got the most amazing pair of blue eyes I've ever seen, and I know we've just met, but..."

Noah gave a little shrug, not dropping his eyes. Net to them, the piglets were still tumbling over each other in the grass, but Noah's attention was all on Ellis "I want to get to know you better. I like talking to you, and I think you like talking to me, but that could just be my imagination. I know it's a little, uh, unorthodox, but I was considering today a date if that doesn't make you uncomfortable. I don't want to seem way forward or push you, so if that's the case, just tell me now and I'll reel it in, I promise."

He flashed a grin at Ellis, feeling strangely nervous in spite of his outwardly calm expression. "There. All my cards on the table for you to see. Hopefully it doesn't scare you away or anything, because I'd really, really like to get you know you better."

felyn

 

[kuropeco]

It was possible that Noah was considering all the ways this could go wrong. Ellis could turn and walk away. He could tell Noah he wasn't interested. He could tell him he was weird and overbearing and too much for a first date, if he even thought of this as a first date. He could give him the ole' nonexistent so-called "friendzone" spiel, which Noah didn't even believe in anyway because it was stupid (there was no such thing as the friendzone).

It was also possible he was wishing they were a little less public because the desire to do more than just stare at Ellis' finely shaped face and his beautiful eyes was starting to nag at the back of Noah's mind. Inappropriately and badly timed as it was, he was a healthy guy, and what healthy guy wouldn't look at the masterpiece that was Ellis Crowley and not want to see if his mouth was just as soft as it looked?

His heart was doing strange flips in his chest, which wasn't common. Noah realized just how much the answer to his question meant, and how little he liked waiting for the answer, because every second that ticked by was another second in which he wasn't sure if he was putting his foot in his mouth again.

But then Ellis spoke and all of the tension eased from Noah's shoulders, because it wasn't bad. It wasn't a rejection. It was shy and sweet - typical for Ellis, but also ridiculously endearing.

"Well, I mean, you never know," Noah said, lips twitching into a smile, voice laced with amusement. "Some people hold hands platonically. Which I don't see a problem with, but I definitely wasn't holding your hand platonically, so I'm glad you didn't see it that way."

His gaze flickered over Ellis as the other turned to feed the piglets, a sprinkling of food dropping over the straw. He could have looked at them, but he wasn't, instead all too aware of the cautious and careful way that Ellis had insinuated himself into Noah's space, arms brushing together. It was a warmth that made him draw in a breath, close together, and Noah reigned in, with a monumental amount of energy and willpower, an equally strong desire to kiss Ellis right then and there.

His smile was bursting onto his face, probably stupid, but he couldn't help himself in that regard. Noah very carefully didn't move.

"Good," he said, and then, in a more relieved voice, quieter, "Good. I'm glad. Because I'd hate to lose out on a chance to know more about you. That'd be one heck of a disappointment."

He was still fighting to manage the look of pure and wild happiness on his face, probably failing at it. Noah shifted a little, then reached with the hand not braced on the railing to tug gently at a lock of that vivid red hair; not lingering, just a playful little touch.

"Come on, let's go find some rabbits."

felyn

 

[kuropeco]

As shameless as he was, Noah wasn't going to try anything right here in front of what was, essentially, a pig pen, as adorable as the piglets were. But there was something wonderful about the way that Ellis visibly reacted to him; about the faint tremor he could see shivering through him, the way his body shifted a certain way.

This was dangerous. Noah said, as Ellis turned, smile wide and eyes bright, "I'm pretty positive the only way you'd disappoint me is if you'd have said you weren't interested."

Ellis moving made it even more dangerous. Now they were close together (too close) and Noah had to suck in a breath, because he could see the way that Ellis' eyes had flicked downwards and then back up again, his face pinking. It was so unbelievably tempting to just lean in and...

Not here.

He wanted very badly to kiss Ellis, but this was a bad place for that and bad timing for what was otherwise a good moment. There were too many people around, too many things happening, and something told Noah that if (hopefully it would be when, but Noah couldn't guarantee that) he did get to kiss Ellis, it would take a certain amount of careful planning.

That was okay. He was good at planning. Mostly.

Fingers pressed against his stomach, and Ellis was doing that very soft, gentle thing again, lashes low and shy, voice matching, and that was unfair, because it was the sort of voice that would make Noah agree to anything. He lifted his own hand and, after only a few seconds of hesitation, moved to cover Noah's hand with his, grinning over at him.

"Onward!" he said dramatically, and turned, without letting go of Ellis' hand, towing him towards the next stall. As they walked, he shifted his fingers deliberately and, slowly, laced them through Ellis' so that they were intertwined, palm to palm.

This was bad for his heart.

The rabbits were in a different enclosure altogether, but Noah had been here before, and knew where to go, three buildings down from the barn.

felyn

 

[kuropeco]

This was ridiculous. Noah was a known flirt, and he knew it; he was confident in almost every aspect of who he was (mostly) and he was aware he wasn't terrible looking, even if he didn't think he was stunningly handsome. Casual flirting was ingrained into him like a second skin.

This did not quite feel like casual flirting. It felt like a lot more than that, and what was more, Noah wanted it to be more than that, a fact made apparent by his basically spilling his intentions out not even five minutes earlier. He liked Ellis. A lot. A lot a lot. He liked his pretty hair and his pretty eyes and his shy demeanor and his gentle voice and the way he held himself. It made him want to know more; to just...talk.

And to kiss him.

For now, the handholding would do, because Noah could feel Ellis brushing nearer, shoulder to shoulder, and that was a lovely thing too. He glanced sideways and caught the redness of Ellis' face and gave a nod, glancing around before he spotted the exit.

"This way," said Noah, and his grip tightened on Ellis' hand as they wove in and out of the crowds. But at last they were there, out of the barn, and it was cold outside but not dreadful, the sun high above casting bright sunshine down everywhere. Overall, it was a glorious day.

Noah set off down a side path that would eventually lead to the picnic areas of the petting zoo, and where there were much less people, only a few scattered here and there. He stopped, however, under the shade of a nearby tree, reaching up to press the backs of his knuckles against Ellis' overheated cheek.

"You okay?" he asked, concern in his voice. "That, uh, wasn't too much, was it? Was it too many people or did I say something dumb?"

felyn

 

[kuropeco]

The flush was abating a little, which was good, because it wasn't the sort of flush that came from Ellis' normal shy demeanor. It was the kind of flush that indicated overheating or possibly more, and so watching it dissipate, just a little, was a good thing.

Noah felt some of the worry slide away, even if the concern was still in his eyes. Then he felt it replaced by a different feeling as Ellis' hand slid up his arm, fingers tangling together, and he drew in a breath, both of their hands now interlaced, warm skin against warm skin.

They were around the same height, almost, maybe an inch or so difference. It put their faces right in front of each other, so that when Ellis smiled, it was a glorious and bright thing and immediate for Noah to see. He felt something in his chest ease a little at the same time that he felt a sense of wonder, eyes flickering over Ellis' own.

There was something about Ellis that was drawing him in, and he couldn't seem to step away from it. It should have mattered that this was only their second meeting; that he still had so much to learn about Ellis to make sure that he wasn't some serial killer from Madrid or what have you. But that was the entire point, really. He wanted to learn more. Stuck in this orbit that was pulling him irrevocably nearer and nearer.

"Well, luckily for you," Noah said softly, and he took the smallest of steps forward. Not quite touching, but shortening the distance between them inch by inch. "I happen to like puzzles and putting pieces back where they should be."

His gaze moved across Ellis' face, tracing the lines of it.

"Just so you know," said Noah, voice still low. "I really...really want to kiss you right now, but I don't know how public you want it to be, and I don't even actually know if you want me to or are ready to kiss me, but if you did want to kiss me, this tree is just far enough off the path to not draw too much attention if we shuffle around to the back of it."

His fingers squeezed Ellis' reassuringly, gently. "Not to pressure you. If you don't want to, we can always go find more bunnies."

Felyn

 

[kuropeco]

The corners of his lips curved up, just a little. Noah wanted to say something witty, something charming, but the words were dying in his throat as Ellis looked at him, the silence stretching between them. Not quite uncomfortable, but a little tense, because the question was there hanging in the open and it was up to Ellis to decide what to do next. Noah felt as though he was holding a breath he wasn't aware of, on the edge of a cliff.

Fingers curled around his and tugged. Noah's feet moved before his mind did, following Ellis around to the other side of the tree, its wide trunk and low hanging branches giving them a decent amount of privacy. The path the tree sat next to was devoid of anyone passing by, a babble of voices muted and distant somewhere to their left.

Except Noah couldn't think about that now, because Ellis had backed himself against the tree and he was still holding Noah's hands and he was giving him that shy smile that always wrenched at something deep in Noah's chest that he couldn't quite control.

And there it was - kiss me.

Noah sucked in a sharp breath. He took a step forward, so that he was right up against Ellis, chests brushing together; not intruding Ellis' space so much as he was simply closing the distance between them. His eyes kept hold of Ellis' for a few seconds, then dropped to look at his mouth.

Tightening his hold on their locked hands, Noah leaned in, and, at last, with a rush of warmth, pressed his lips against Ellis'. Not greedily, not roughly, but a little light, relatively chaste; a soft, slow thing. One hand disentangled from Ellis' fingers but only so Noah could rest his palm against the side of Ellis' neck, barely touching him.

He'd been right, at least - Ellis' mouth was just as soft and perfect as Noah had thought.

felyn