After a moment Rav began to shift positions, and Nick drew his attention back from where it had drifted. He was a little nervous that Rav might be pulling back, but of course that had to be okay. In the end, though, Rav remained in contact, rolling over to lean his chin on his hands over Nick's stomach... his chest now resting against Nick's erection. Nick swallowed, smiling crookedly.
"I'm glad I stayed," Rav said. "I really want to hear the end of this story. And, maybe you felt some memories I don't want to think about creeping in at the edges. But I'm here with you, and..." Nick felt Rav's chest muscles clench just slightly, eliciting a small twitch from his groin. Bashfulness drew Nick's hands back up to cover his face again, his lungs slowly exhaling a shaky breath. "...this is... extremely exciting," Rav continued. "Please continue with the distraction?"
Nick lowered his hands to peek at Rav, and the man looked up at him with a hopeful smile. After a moment, he added, "If you still want to know what's coming up for me next time we hang out, I'll tell you then."
Nick nodded, though an impulse caught in his throat to say some clarifying thing or another--like, even if Rav couldn't quite tell him what was coming up, he didn't want Rav to pretend to be more present than he really was. But, looking at Rav's expression now, and feeling an echo of the man's flex against his length... Nick decided to trust that Rav wasn't trying to pretend anything right now; he really did want to hear the rest of the story, and Nick was definitely back in the mood to keep telling it.
"So..." Nick slid his hands from his face, holding them palms together just to the side of his lips as he spoke with a crooked smile. "The group of us that had hung out there before... This is kind of silly, but..." his eyes flicked over toward the string lights, embarassment flaring once again, but this time he didn't feel the need to cover his face about it; there was a bit more playfulness here than other similar flares. "We'd kind of... like... pretended to form a band? Honestly we really just hung out, but some people did play around with lyrics or melodies on a keyboard a little bit." Nick shrugged a little, shaking head head, amusement flickering across his face.
"Anyway, point being... we'd agreed not to date among the group of us. Like, for the sake of the band." Nick closed his eyes and wrinkled his nose, though his grin was still wide and amused. In fact he let out a little amused huff, shaking his head again and mustering the resolve to open his eyes and look back at Rav, gathering a little bit of gravity for this next bit.
"So then, at the party, there was this moment..." But Nick couldn't hold the eye contact. Rather than going to the string lights this time, though, he looked just to the side at the couch, keeping Rav's expression in his periphery. "The boy put his hand on my belt and murmured, like, 'What are we going to do about the band?' And I said, 'I quit the band.'"
Nick did draw his gaze back to Rav at that, a little bit sidelong but with a heaviness his gaze didn't usually hold, his smile a little curled and subtle. He let stand a weighty pause, wanting to take in Rav's expression. Though, in the midst of his own pause, he got excited about what came next, and he couldn't quite help the soft hum in his throat as his length pulsed again, growing yet firmer and warmer in his pants under Rav's weight.
Road to Repair: Rav and Nick
Re: Road to Repair: Rav and Nick
When Nick nodded and started back into the story, Rav laid his head to one side on Nick's abdomen, making sure he didn't crane his neck too much.
"So... the group of us that had hung out there before... We'd kind of... like... pretended to form a band? Honestly, we really just hung out, but some people did play around with lyrics or melodies on a keyboard a little bit." Rav wasn't sure where this was going and worried for a moment that he had lost the thread of the story, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"Anyway, point being... we'd agreed not to date among the group of us. Like, for the sake of the band." Nick let out a huff of an exhale, and Rav's mouth curled up in a smile at the sound. It was cute enough that Rav looked up again to see Nick's face--the man was shaking his head and looking pointedly at Rav, more intent than Rav had yet seen him. Rav raised his eyebrows.
"So then, at the party, there was this moment..." Nick looked away, and Rav laid his head back down, waiting for the punchline. "The boy put his hand on my belt and murmured, like, 'What are we going to do about the band?" And I said, 'I quit the band.'"
Bold.
Rav perked up immediately, resting on his elbows this time to make himself more comfortable but still in full contact with Nick's lower half. He wanted to ask a thousand questions, but Nick's gaze was heavy, and he was humming as his erection twitched under Rav again. How easy it would be to form his lips around Nick's cock through his pants...?
But... the band.
"That's my new favorite consent request," Rav said, murmuring what the boy from the story had said. " 'What are we going to do about the band.' Did it stop there? I mean, you can't just quit the band." Rav was fully invested now, squirming a little against Nick's pants and almost giddy with anticipation.
"So... the group of us that had hung out there before... We'd kind of... like... pretended to form a band? Honestly, we really just hung out, but some people did play around with lyrics or melodies on a keyboard a little bit." Rav wasn't sure where this was going and worried for a moment that he had lost the thread of the story, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"Anyway, point being... we'd agreed not to date among the group of us. Like, for the sake of the band." Nick let out a huff of an exhale, and Rav's mouth curled up in a smile at the sound. It was cute enough that Rav looked up again to see Nick's face--the man was shaking his head and looking pointedly at Rav, more intent than Rav had yet seen him. Rav raised his eyebrows.
"So then, at the party, there was this moment..." Nick looked away, and Rav laid his head back down, waiting for the punchline. "The boy put his hand on my belt and murmured, like, 'What are we going to do about the band?" And I said, 'I quit the band.'"
Bold.
Rav perked up immediately, resting on his elbows this time to make himself more comfortable but still in full contact with Nick's lower half. He wanted to ask a thousand questions, but Nick's gaze was heavy, and he was humming as his erection twitched under Rav again. How easy it would be to form his lips around Nick's cock through his pants...?
But... the band.
"That's my new favorite consent request," Rav said, murmuring what the boy from the story had said. " 'What are we going to do about the band.' Did it stop there? I mean, you can't just quit the band." Rav was fully invested now, squirming a little against Nick's pants and almost giddy with anticipation.
Re: Road to Repair: Rav and Nick
"That's my new favorite consent request," Rav said. " 'What are we going to do about the band.' Did it stop there? I mean, you can't just quit the band."
Nick giggled, delighted by Rav's own playful investment in the story now. Sometimes Nick's storytelling execution wasn't the best, but he felt like he'd hit the beats he wanted to on this one, and that settled a nice feeling of satisfaction in his stomach, swirling pleasantly with the excited buzzing that still warmed him all over.
"Well, after that... he undid my belt, and reached his hand into my pants..." The impulse swelled to roll his hips with the memory, and Nick allowed himself to indulge the motion this time, relishing the way that Rav had flexed against him just moments before, and replaying the motions of the boy's hand in his mind, all slow and languorous and savory. He managed to keep his eyes on Rav, though his cheeks burned with fluster. His hands parted from where they'd been hovering in their mildly awkward palms-together gesture, one moving to rest a knuckle against his lips as the other shyly caressed its thumb over Rav's forearm.
"The eye contact was intense." Nick said after a moment, his breath heavy as he slowed his motions, favoring stillness to keep telling the story. "I think we'd both been fantasizing about something like that for weeks, maybe longer. Nobody had ever..." Nick trailed off briefly, his eyes flicking to the side as he realized what he'd been about to say hadn't quite been true. But, he recovered quickly, his eyes returning to Rav's just as quickly as they'd left, and still with the same intensity. "It felt like a dream come true, honestly."
Then, just like that, the intensity lightened into a crooked smile as he continued. "... For about 30 seconds. Then someone came in the room looking for me to let me know my ride home was getting ready to leave."
Nick giggled, delighted by Rav's own playful investment in the story now. Sometimes Nick's storytelling execution wasn't the best, but he felt like he'd hit the beats he wanted to on this one, and that settled a nice feeling of satisfaction in his stomach, swirling pleasantly with the excited buzzing that still warmed him all over.
"Well, after that... he undid my belt, and reached his hand into my pants..." The impulse swelled to roll his hips with the memory, and Nick allowed himself to indulge the motion this time, relishing the way that Rav had flexed against him just moments before, and replaying the motions of the boy's hand in his mind, all slow and languorous and savory. He managed to keep his eyes on Rav, though his cheeks burned with fluster. His hands parted from where they'd been hovering in their mildly awkward palms-together gesture, one moving to rest a knuckle against his lips as the other shyly caressed its thumb over Rav's forearm.
"The eye contact was intense." Nick said after a moment, his breath heavy as he slowed his motions, favoring stillness to keep telling the story. "I think we'd both been fantasizing about something like that for weeks, maybe longer. Nobody had ever..." Nick trailed off briefly, his eyes flicking to the side as he realized what he'd been about to say hadn't quite been true. But, he recovered quickly, his eyes returning to Rav's just as quickly as they'd left, and still with the same intensity. "It felt like a dream come true, honestly."
Then, just like that, the intensity lightened into a crooked smile as he continued. "... For about 30 seconds. Then someone came in the room looking for me to let me know my ride home was getting ready to leave."
Re: Road to Repair: Rav and Nick
Nick giggled, and Rav smiled, delighted by the turn they had taken. Who knew that swapping spicy stories would save them in the end?
"Well, after that... he undid my belt, and reached his hand into my pants..." Rav raised an eyebrow, arousal spreading so suddenly and so thickly throughout his body that he almost gagged on it. To make it all the more intense, Nick's hips rolled upward into Rav's chest, and Rav moaned into Nick's stomach, unable to help the sound in the slightest, enjoying how the vibrations felt against the soft fabric.
Nick's thumb found Rav's forearm, stroking him there, and Rav's eyes rolled. He was grateful his face was mostly buried in fresh and shirt, obscured.
"The eye contact was intense," Nick said, prompting Rav to lift his head, eyes heavy, looking like, at any moment, drool might fall out of his mouth. He tried to get his face together, but it wasn't responding to commands. Nick's thumb stopped moving, and Rav hung on the man's every word. "I think we'd both been fantasizing about something like that for weeks, maybe longer. Nobody had ever..." The breathiness of Nick's statements were intoxicating. Rav had never so desperately wanted to be someone from a story, reaching his hand into Nick's pants, knowing for certain, that Nick wanted it--willing, even, to quit the band for it.
Nick's eyes flicked to the side but came back to Rav's in short order, and Rav took a big breath, bracing himself for the rest of the story. "It felt like a dream come true, honestly." Rav made his moaning sound again, burying his face back into Nick's shirt, his body slowly writhing now against the couch beneath him as his own erection took shape. Had anyone ever gotten this aroused listening to someone else's sexcapades? Of course they had. What was porn if not this sort of storytelling?
Rav could hear the smile in Nick's voice as he said, "...for about 30 seconds." Rav felt like a kid who had just had their ice cream stolen from them before they could take a bite. He looked up at Nick with furrowed brows, begging that not to be true. "Then someone came in the room looking for me to let me know my ride home was getting ready to leave."
Quietly, Rav said, looking up at Nick, "So... you walked home, right? Tell me you walked home."
"Well, after that... he undid my belt, and reached his hand into my pants..." Rav raised an eyebrow, arousal spreading so suddenly and so thickly throughout his body that he almost gagged on it. To make it all the more intense, Nick's hips rolled upward into Rav's chest, and Rav moaned into Nick's stomach, unable to help the sound in the slightest, enjoying how the vibrations felt against the soft fabric.
Nick's thumb found Rav's forearm, stroking him there, and Rav's eyes rolled. He was grateful his face was mostly buried in fresh and shirt, obscured.
"The eye contact was intense," Nick said, prompting Rav to lift his head, eyes heavy, looking like, at any moment, drool might fall out of his mouth. He tried to get his face together, but it wasn't responding to commands. Nick's thumb stopped moving, and Rav hung on the man's every word. "I think we'd both been fantasizing about something like that for weeks, maybe longer. Nobody had ever..." The breathiness of Nick's statements were intoxicating. Rav had never so desperately wanted to be someone from a story, reaching his hand into Nick's pants, knowing for certain, that Nick wanted it--willing, even, to quit the band for it.
Nick's eyes flicked to the side but came back to Rav's in short order, and Rav took a big breath, bracing himself for the rest of the story. "It felt like a dream come true, honestly." Rav made his moaning sound again, burying his face back into Nick's shirt, his body slowly writhing now against the couch beneath him as his own erection took shape. Had anyone ever gotten this aroused listening to someone else's sexcapades? Of course they had. What was porn if not this sort of storytelling?
Rav could hear the smile in Nick's voice as he said, "...for about 30 seconds." Rav felt like a kid who had just had their ice cream stolen from them before they could take a bite. He looked up at Nick with furrowed brows, begging that not to be true. "Then someone came in the room looking for me to let me know my ride home was getting ready to leave."
Quietly, Rav said, looking up at Nick, "So... you walked home, right? Tell me you walked home."
Re: Road to Repair: Rav and Nick
Nick relished the ways that Rav reacted throughout his story, feeling the reverberation of the man's moans against his stomach, the subtle movements of his body over Nick's. It really did feel a lot like the interactions with that boy in high school, only this time, nobody was coming to tell Nick his ride was about to leave, no friends about to return to the hot tub, nothing but open possibility. Nick felt heady with it.
"So... you walked home, right?" Rav asked in the end, looking up to Nick with furrowed brows. "Tell me you walked home."
Nick's crooked smile remained as he slowly shook his head, an almost apologetic lift in his eyebrows.
"That would've been a loooooong walk. Anyway, it kind of dawned on me then, too, that, like... I mean, we were under a blanket, but there were other people in the room, and I think they were starting to realize what we'd been doing." There, Nick's expression began to gather more embarrassment back into it, his eyes trailing sheepishly toward the couch. "I wouldn't trade those 30 seconds for the world, but I'm not sure we could've done much more that night, anyway."
"So... you walked home, right?" Rav asked in the end, looking up to Nick with furrowed brows. "Tell me you walked home."
Nick's crooked smile remained as he slowly shook his head, an almost apologetic lift in his eyebrows.
"That would've been a loooooong walk. Anyway, it kind of dawned on me then, too, that, like... I mean, we were under a blanket, but there were other people in the room, and I think they were starting to realize what we'd been doing." There, Nick's expression began to gather more embarrassment back into it, his eyes trailing sheepishly toward the couch. "I wouldn't trade those 30 seconds for the world, but I'm not sure we could've done much more that night, anyway."
Re: Road to Repair: Rav and Nick
Nick showed little remorse other than a slight lift of his eyebrows as he shook his head, dashing Rav's playful hopes to pieces. Rav collapsed back onto Nick's stomach with a groan, stopping the other motions of his body.
"That would've been a loooooong walk. Anyway, it kind of dawned on me then, too, that, like... I mean, we were under a blanket, but there were other people in the room, and I think they were starting to realize what we'd been doing." There was a deeper blush on Nick's face, then, and Rav had a hard time imagining being comfortable enough to do something like that in a room full of other people. Still, he was grateful for the story. "I wouldn't trade those 30 seconds for the world, but I'm not sure we could've done much more that night, anyway," Nick added.
Muffled from having his face shoved against Nick's shirt, Rav said, "Reasonable." Seeking comfort, Rav found his hand searching a little blindly for where Nick's thumb still made contact with Rav's forearm. After he found it, Rav traced up Nick's forearm with the ghosts of his fingertips, still not looking at him.
Pulling his head out of Nick's shirt a little, Rav said, "That's an impressive story. Almost more than an almost." And Rav couldn't help but contemplate the almost of what they were doing right then, sprawled out ridiculously on the couch, pressed into each other's bodies.
Absently, Rav's hand traced back down Nick's arm and glided the short distance from there to Nick's belt buckle, which Rav tapped with one fingernail in slow succession. Once. Twice. Three times. Rav raised his head, a glint in his eye.
"Makes me wonder..." Another tap. "...what kind of stories..." Tap. "...are ahead of us." Tap.
"That would've been a loooooong walk. Anyway, it kind of dawned on me then, too, that, like... I mean, we were under a blanket, but there were other people in the room, and I think they were starting to realize what we'd been doing." There was a deeper blush on Nick's face, then, and Rav had a hard time imagining being comfortable enough to do something like that in a room full of other people. Still, he was grateful for the story. "I wouldn't trade those 30 seconds for the world, but I'm not sure we could've done much more that night, anyway," Nick added.
Muffled from having his face shoved against Nick's shirt, Rav said, "Reasonable." Seeking comfort, Rav found his hand searching a little blindly for where Nick's thumb still made contact with Rav's forearm. After he found it, Rav traced up Nick's forearm with the ghosts of his fingertips, still not looking at him.
Pulling his head out of Nick's shirt a little, Rav said, "That's an impressive story. Almost more than an almost." And Rav couldn't help but contemplate the almost of what they were doing right then, sprawled out ridiculously on the couch, pressed into each other's bodies.
Absently, Rav's hand traced back down Nick's arm and glided the short distance from there to Nick's belt buckle, which Rav tapped with one fingernail in slow succession. Once. Twice. Three times. Rav raised his head, a glint in his eye.
"Makes me wonder..." Another tap. "...what kind of stories..." Tap. "...are ahead of us." Tap.
Re: Road to Repair: Rav and Nick
Rav collapsed onto Nick's stomach with a groan, sending a sparking thrill up through Nick's chest, though he managed to finish with his explanation.
"Reasonable," Rav said, muffled into Nick's shirt. The vibration of his voice was low and pleasant, rumbling softly through Nick's lower body. Nick closed his eyes to fully appreciate the echoes of the sensation, and gasped softly when another sensation joined it: Rav's fingertips tracing up Nick's forearms, sending tingles dancing up into Nick's scalp. He felt utterly blissful.
"That's an impressive story," Rav added, his voice freed a little from Nick's shirt. Nick was almost sad not to feel the full resonance of the man through his body again. "Almost more than an almost."
Nick smiled crookedly at that, letting out a soft breath rich with amusement and wonder. Rav's fingertips traced back down Nick's arm, and Nick's attention followed, delighting in the sparkles of sensation that danced over his skin beneath the soft music from his phone.
Then, Rav's hand continued on from Nick's arm, crossing his hip to tap a fingernail against Nick's belt, sending a shudder through his whole body. Rav tapped it again, and again, and Nick squirmed beneath the sensation, growing self-conscious and embarrassed about how aroused he was, and his hands came up to cover his face again.
"Makes me wonder..." Rav continued, tapping once more. "...what kind of stories..." Tap. "...are ahead of us." Tap.
Nick finally let out a soft moan into his hands, his body nearly trembling. It all felt so good, but a small, sharp buzz of panic was starting to prick at his stomach, adding an uncomfortable edge to what would otherwise be an utterly pleasurable experience. He pulled his hands down just enough to finally look at Rav again, his eyelids heavy but his brow furrowed, some small hint of sharpness pinching at the outer corners of his eyes. He could feel the plead in his own eyes, like he was begging Rav for something, but he had no idea what, and had the terrible feeling that whatever it was, it was unfair to ask for--much less to ask Rav to figure out what it even is from just a glimpse of Nick's eyes.
Nick's vision started to get a little bit blurry, and he pulled his hands back up to cover his eyes again with a small, embarrassed groan.
"I am... both excited and terrified to find out," he managed to say with a surprisingly normal-sounding voice--albeit muffled behind his hands--though one of his breathy little laughs escaped in the wake of his words, carrying a hint of his unsteadiness with it.
"Reasonable," Rav said, muffled into Nick's shirt. The vibration of his voice was low and pleasant, rumbling softly through Nick's lower body. Nick closed his eyes to fully appreciate the echoes of the sensation, and gasped softly when another sensation joined it: Rav's fingertips tracing up Nick's forearms, sending tingles dancing up into Nick's scalp. He felt utterly blissful.
"That's an impressive story," Rav added, his voice freed a little from Nick's shirt. Nick was almost sad not to feel the full resonance of the man through his body again. "Almost more than an almost."
Nick smiled crookedly at that, letting out a soft breath rich with amusement and wonder. Rav's fingertips traced back down Nick's arm, and Nick's attention followed, delighting in the sparkles of sensation that danced over his skin beneath the soft music from his phone.
Then, Rav's hand continued on from Nick's arm, crossing his hip to tap a fingernail against Nick's belt, sending a shudder through his whole body. Rav tapped it again, and again, and Nick squirmed beneath the sensation, growing self-conscious and embarrassed about how aroused he was, and his hands came up to cover his face again.
"Makes me wonder..." Rav continued, tapping once more. "...what kind of stories..." Tap. "...are ahead of us." Tap.
Nick finally let out a soft moan into his hands, his body nearly trembling. It all felt so good, but a small, sharp buzz of panic was starting to prick at his stomach, adding an uncomfortable edge to what would otherwise be an utterly pleasurable experience. He pulled his hands down just enough to finally look at Rav again, his eyelids heavy but his brow furrowed, some small hint of sharpness pinching at the outer corners of his eyes. He could feel the plead in his own eyes, like he was begging Rav for something, but he had no idea what, and had the terrible feeling that whatever it was, it was unfair to ask for--much less to ask Rav to figure out what it even is from just a glimpse of Nick's eyes.
Nick's vision started to get a little bit blurry, and he pulled his hands back up to cover his eyes again with a small, embarrassed groan.
"I am... both excited and terrified to find out," he managed to say with a surprisingly normal-sounding voice--albeit muffled behind his hands--though one of his breathy little laughs escaped in the wake of his words, carrying a hint of his unsteadiness with it.
Re: Road to Repair: Rav and Nick
Hearing the soft moan fall from Nick's lips, Rav's mouth curled into an almost cruel smile, further emboldened by the way Nick's body trembled consistently beneath him. But, when Nick lowered his hands to look Rav in the eye, the man's eyes didn't match his sound. Nick's brow furrowed over his heavy-lidded eyes, and there was a watery quality to them. Rav needed to backpedal, now, slowly and steadily. That was becoming more obvious by the second, and Rav's smile retreated fluidly into a flat-lined expression. He felt the light leaving his eyes gently, subtly, as though he could feel his pupils constricting once more.
When Nick covered his face again, Rav let out a breath of relief, allowing his face to fully fall and return to stone.
He didn't think he had done anything wrong, but they'd hit an edge, and Rav needed to quit before they tanked this date. Again.
Nick's next groan betrayed the complexity of his emotions, and as much as Rav knew the kind thing would be to help Nick sort that out, he worried that he had exercised his emotional intelligence enough for one day. If Rav stayed to work this new knot out, he would only get impatient.
"I am... both excited and terrified to find out," Nick said, doing a good job of hiding the tears from the sound of his voice, though the breathy laugh he emitted afterward was not fooling anyone.
Normally, Rav might have considered words like excited and terrified to be synonymous, at least in the exaggeratory way most people used them, but not right now with Nick. Rav thought Nick meant exactly what he said.
As slowly as he could, Rav sat up and removed the pressure from Nick's body, trying to summon back a little of the openness he'd had before, just enough to show Nick he wasn't completely shutting down. They were just... putting this feeling to sleep. Temporarily. The arousal and excitement would surely still be there the next time they were ready to spend time together.
"Well, Nick," Rav said, the corners of his lips lifting the heavy weight of being playful in this moment. "Odds are, we'll have more than enough time to play those out. Thanks for having me over and for riding the waves with me. I think it's time for me to head home." He stared at the shower curtain Nick had closed after their last fiasco and smiled subtly, trying to work up the nerve to stand. He was still quite erect himself, the ache of knowing that there was nothing to do about that settling in uncomfortably like the slow, inevitable, withering erosion of rock.
Finally, he pushed himself up from the couch and looked down at Nick, offering the man a hand up.
((OOC: Rav is hoping for a hug, fyi. I think he will ask if Nick doesn't.))
When Nick covered his face again, Rav let out a breath of relief, allowing his face to fully fall and return to stone.
He didn't think he had done anything wrong, but they'd hit an edge, and Rav needed to quit before they tanked this date. Again.
Nick's next groan betrayed the complexity of his emotions, and as much as Rav knew the kind thing would be to help Nick sort that out, he worried that he had exercised his emotional intelligence enough for one day. If Rav stayed to work this new knot out, he would only get impatient.
"I am... both excited and terrified to find out," Nick said, doing a good job of hiding the tears from the sound of his voice, though the breathy laugh he emitted afterward was not fooling anyone.
Normally, Rav might have considered words like excited and terrified to be synonymous, at least in the exaggeratory way most people used them, but not right now with Nick. Rav thought Nick meant exactly what he said.
As slowly as he could, Rav sat up and removed the pressure from Nick's body, trying to summon back a little of the openness he'd had before, just enough to show Nick he wasn't completely shutting down. They were just... putting this feeling to sleep. Temporarily. The arousal and excitement would surely still be there the next time they were ready to spend time together.
"Well, Nick," Rav said, the corners of his lips lifting the heavy weight of being playful in this moment. "Odds are, we'll have more than enough time to play those out. Thanks for having me over and for riding the waves with me. I think it's time for me to head home." He stared at the shower curtain Nick had closed after their last fiasco and smiled subtly, trying to work up the nerve to stand. He was still quite erect himself, the ache of knowing that there was nothing to do about that settling in uncomfortably like the slow, inevitable, withering erosion of rock.
Finally, he pushed himself up from the couch and looked down at Nick, offering the man a hand up.
((OOC: Rav is hoping for a hug, fyi. I think he will ask if Nick doesn't.))
Re: Road to Repair: Rav and Nick
Nick felt Rav's weight slowly retreating, leaving confusing swirls of both sorrow and relief in the increased spaciousness. A flood of impulses hit to reassure Rav that he hadn't done anything wrong, that Nick had been thoroughly enjoying everything that had been happening, that he didn't want to stop touching. But they all caught in his throat, threatening to spill tears out instead if he tried to say anything.
"Well, Nick," Rav said. Thankfully, his voice sounded steady, maybe even playful, relieving a little of the tension in Nick's throat. "Odds are, we'll have more than enough time to play those out. Thanks for having me over and for riding the waves with me. I think it's time for me to head home."
Nick had slowly lowered his hands to his mouth, tentatively looking at Rav again, his brow a little more hopeful now. At that last sentence, though, the knot of tears in his throat constricted tightly, pulling a wince into his expression. Again the flood of impulses to reassure, to try to convince Rav that he didn't have to leave. But, he also didn't have to stay. It was approaching Nick's bedtime, and, what, was he expecting the man to stay the night? No, Rav would need to head home sometime, and now was genuinely as good a time as any. They had gotten past multiple stumbling blocks, had exchanged some delectable tales, had engaged in contact improv of the traditional sort was well as cuddling on the couch.
Rav was looking at the shower curtain, which did give Nick a moment to let out a deep, slow breath, trying to exhale whatever franticness was scared about Rav leaving. They would have time. Sloooooooow also meant taking time apart.
At last the moment came when Rav pushed himself to stand up from the couch, and Nick's mind began to calculate whether he ought to walk Rav out or whether that would be more awkward and he should just let the man leave from down here; he hadn't heard either of his roommates arrive home, so probably, there was no need to navigate that at least. But then Rav turned to face Nick and held out a hand, silently offering to help Nick up.
The gesture surprised Nick, but pleasantly so, sending a splash of comforting warmth through his chest. Nick was still a little teary-eyed, but he smiled--crookedly, nervously, but genuinely--as he accepted the man's hand and the subsequent assistance to his feet. He found that the knot in his throat actually dissipated quite a lot just in that short moment, his body loosening as he felt Rav fluidly support his weight without yanking or forcing anything, like their bodies effortlessly visited another brief dance.
Awkwardness did begin to bloom once Nick was to his feet, though. He looked at Rav with wide, hopeful eyes, not wanting to let go of the man's hand, and feeling a gentle pulsating yearning for--what? Nick's cheeks grew warm and his chest fluttered as he imagined stepping forward to kiss the man, but his feet remained rooted to the spot. Not here, not now; the gravity of the couch was too great, beckoning them back. It was as though it was becoming a black hole that might swallow them up.
"May I walk you out?" Nick blurted, suddenly eager to get some fresh air.
"Well, Nick," Rav said. Thankfully, his voice sounded steady, maybe even playful, relieving a little of the tension in Nick's throat. "Odds are, we'll have more than enough time to play those out. Thanks for having me over and for riding the waves with me. I think it's time for me to head home."
Nick had slowly lowered his hands to his mouth, tentatively looking at Rav again, his brow a little more hopeful now. At that last sentence, though, the knot of tears in his throat constricted tightly, pulling a wince into his expression. Again the flood of impulses to reassure, to try to convince Rav that he didn't have to leave. But, he also didn't have to stay. It was approaching Nick's bedtime, and, what, was he expecting the man to stay the night? No, Rav would need to head home sometime, and now was genuinely as good a time as any. They had gotten past multiple stumbling blocks, had exchanged some delectable tales, had engaged in contact improv of the traditional sort was well as cuddling on the couch.
Rav was looking at the shower curtain, which did give Nick a moment to let out a deep, slow breath, trying to exhale whatever franticness was scared about Rav leaving. They would have time. Sloooooooow also meant taking time apart.
At last the moment came when Rav pushed himself to stand up from the couch, and Nick's mind began to calculate whether he ought to walk Rav out or whether that would be more awkward and he should just let the man leave from down here; he hadn't heard either of his roommates arrive home, so probably, there was no need to navigate that at least. But then Rav turned to face Nick and held out a hand, silently offering to help Nick up.
The gesture surprised Nick, but pleasantly so, sending a splash of comforting warmth through his chest. Nick was still a little teary-eyed, but he smiled--crookedly, nervously, but genuinely--as he accepted the man's hand and the subsequent assistance to his feet. He found that the knot in his throat actually dissipated quite a lot just in that short moment, his body loosening as he felt Rav fluidly support his weight without yanking or forcing anything, like their bodies effortlessly visited another brief dance.
Awkwardness did begin to bloom once Nick was to his feet, though. He looked at Rav with wide, hopeful eyes, not wanting to let go of the man's hand, and feeling a gentle pulsating yearning for--what? Nick's cheeks grew warm and his chest fluttered as he imagined stepping forward to kiss the man, but his feet remained rooted to the spot. Not here, not now; the gravity of the couch was too great, beckoning them back. It was as though it was becoming a black hole that might swallow them up.
"May I walk you out?" Nick blurted, suddenly eager to get some fresh air.
Re: Road to Repair: Rav and Nick
It took Nick a few moments before he took Rav's hand up, the movement between them easy and fluid. Whatever had gone off the tracks during the earlier interaction, they had come out of this with excitement about seeing each other again, and Rav had to call that a win.
After that, though, Nick stood and looked at Rav with wide, begging eyes, and Rav furrowed his brow, not sure what Nick was trying to get at. There was a lurking thought in Rav's mind that maybe Nick expected a kiss--that was first-date behavior, wasn't it?--but Rav didn't know how to check in properly for that. And, besides, he had decided not to push his luck. He had been moderating his behavior well--no need to stop now on account of external societal pressures. If Nick was sad about it later, he could say as much.
"May I walk you out?" Nick said all at once. The corner of Rav's mouth quirked up, and he nodded, letting Nick lead the way up the stairs.
After that, though, Nick stood and looked at Rav with wide, begging eyes, and Rav furrowed his brow, not sure what Nick was trying to get at. There was a lurking thought in Rav's mind that maybe Nick expected a kiss--that was first-date behavior, wasn't it?--but Rav didn't know how to check in properly for that. And, besides, he had decided not to push his luck. He had been moderating his behavior well--no need to stop now on account of external societal pressures. If Nick was sad about it later, he could say as much.
"May I walk you out?" Nick said all at once. The corner of Rav's mouth quirked up, and he nodded, letting Nick lead the way up the stairs.