speakscanadian | I CH-CH-CHOOSE YOU [for Asher; plot: ILU Day]

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I CH-CH-CHOOSE YOU [for Asher; plot: ILU Day]

Ray had always been a fan of Valentine's Day - it was the best excuse to try and schmooze a woman without losing too much face. This year though, he hadn't really found himself in the schmoozing mood, so he'd just eaten candy hearts and slurped down coffee all day, pouring over the remaining reports he still had to catch up on and avoiding the scary little cherubs embarrassing people left, right and centre. Luckily, when he'd gotten his message, it had been received in the relative privacy if the IPD office. He had a fair idea who mighta sent it, even glanced around to see if he was right. No luck.

The next day didn't start much different, unless you counted the fact it began two hours earlier than normal due to a not-so-peaceful night's sleep. Ray had two things on his mind as he left his hut: coffee and doctors. Cooper wasn't expecting a visit but that was what made Ray hopeful - catch him off-guard and maybe there'd be something to spill. His hunch was still firmly hunched but he was no further forward in knowing what it was he was looking for. There was just something about the Talos siblings that simultaneously fascinated him and made him suspicious as all hell.

Slipping on sunglasses to shield his tired eyes from the bright light, he made his way to the Compound, caffeine-anticipation spurring him on. With one holiday out of the way and the winged Cupid guy having not caused too much trouble on the island, there was at least one thing for Ray to be thankful for today.

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"Sure, it's just like riding a bike." Except it was nothing like that. Or maybe it was, how was he supped to know? He'd never actually been on a bike before. He hadn't died in it yet, though, so that had to count for something as far as his skills operating it went.

"Watch your step climbing on," he told him, motioning to the steps and beginning to untie the rope attaching the boat to the dock.

Unbeknownst to Ray, he probably looked something akin to Onyx when the dog tries to get out of the boat. His gaze swung from vessel to Asher, Asher to vessel, back to Asher again.

Oh man, this was so embarrassing. He'd been on boats before. With people he had to impress too but this was different. If only the thing would stop moving for one second...

"Uh...hey, is that your sister?" Ray pointed behind Asher, hoping he'd look, then shut his eyes and jumped. "Oh fuck, oh...I made it," he mumbled, straightening up, thoroughly surprised that he was on dry...boat. "I mean, oops," he called out, "it was just a bird, never mind."

"Ohhh, real smooth," Asher said, laughing quietly as he turned back just in time to catch the tail end of that little display. He boarded a bit more gracefully, tossing the rope aside once he was on. "Maybe we should have brought you a set of water wings, just in case," he teased with an easy smile.

"Uh, you can go inside, if you want. It's gonna take a few minutes to get us out on open water. And there's something for you on the table." Technically, it was an entire plate of somethings. Cupcakes, just like Ray would have won if their pool game had turned out differently that day. Also on the table was a note, directing Ray to the small refrigerator where he could find the buttermilk to go with them, and informing him that he'd feel sort of put out if he really did wind up calling him Nero at any point that night.

Ducking inside, Ray wandered around, taking a good look at everything he saw. Compared to communal living or sleeping in a hut, this was paradise.

He was so caught up in his appreciation of the boat that he almost forgot to look on the table. But when he saw what was there, cupcakes of all things, he was suddenly appreciating something very different. Someone, rather. He could hardly believe that Asher had remembered, let alone made them for him, and it was impossible to keep the smile off his face. The note caught his eye when he reached for a cake and his hand diverted to the paper instead, scanning the words then glancing over at the refrigerator. A small laugh of disbelief escaped but when he opened the door, there it was, his eyes didn't lie. Buttermilk.

Jesus. He could feel his heart slipping away more and more after every passing moment. When he tasted one of the cupcakes, he reliquished his hold on it all together, happy for Asher to just take it and keep it.

Asher brought the boat out just far enough to feel like they'd gotten away from everyone and everything back on the island, but he made sure the land mass was still well in sight so getting back wouldn't be too difficult later on. Not that getting back was on the top of his priority list just then. He dropped anchor to keep the position before he finally headed inside to join Ray.

"Everything up to your standards?" he asked, grinning as he left the sliding doors open so the cool air circulated the cabin freely.

"Oh, you know..." Ray shrugged casually, as if this wasn't the best thing someone had done for him in a long, long time. He couldn't keep the act up though because as soon as he was close to Asher, the facade crumbled away and he was nodding earnestly. "Yes."

It only stopped once Ray'd kissed him, hoping to convey his appreciation for all the work without torrents and torrents of words. "It's amazing. All of it. Thank you." He mouth quirked teasingly and he pulled away. "Not-Nero."

"I'm sorry, do you want to have to swim back to shore at this hour?" Asher said, and it probably didn't count as much of a threat when he was just outright smiling. Besides, now that he finally had Ray alone, there was no way in hell he was letting him get away.

"Don't mention it. Really. Thank you for sucking at pool."

Asher really hadn't smiled enough before today, Ray realized, quickly making it his personal goal to make at least one appear on Asher's face every day from now on. It meant Asher was happy and Ray got the warm and fuzzies. Total win-win.

"Well, at least now we know why I sucked," he insisted, giving Asher a pointed look. "Unresolved se--y'know..." Sexual tension. He cleared his throat. "Put me off my game." It all made sense now. With Asher having watched his every move it was no wonder he'd lost concentration. It was a lame excuse but that didn't mean it couldn't be true.

"I thought it was the table's fault for being too level." The nerve of it, Asher thought, snaking an arm around Ray's waist. "Or was it the dog...? Either way, all you have to do is say the word and I'm sure we can resolve it."

"Right," Ray agreed, swallowing around a suddenly dry mouth. "All three." His heart started thundering in his chest and he licked the corner of his lips nervously. All he had to do was say the word?

He reached up to Asher's collar and undid the top button, then tugged on the tie to loosen it a bit. The buttons on his suit jacket were opened next. Baby steps.

Ray left his hands on the front of Asher's exposed shirt. "Wanna....cupcake?"

Asher shook his head slowly, finally lifting his gaze from where his eyes hand been locked on Ray's hands. His own were still locked on his waits, unsure of where to go and what to do. He knew what he could do with them, what he wanted to do, but wasn't sure if he should. The last thing he wanted to do was push Ray too far, too soon and scare him off.

"I want you," he answered. Clearly, he could only manage to keep one thing in check at a time, and his mouth had lost out to his hands.

"They're really good..." Ray trailed off feebly, in an attempt to dissipate the growing tension in the cabin. It didn't work though and every inch of him felt it.

He wanted Asher too, of course he did, and it did feel right, getting more intimate with someone he was in love with. But seeing as he didn't have a clue what to he was meant to do, he dreaded the thought of excrutiating embarrassment.

Before he really knew it though, his hands were moving up Asher's chest and slowly pushing the suit jacket off his shoulders. That was when the problem occured to him. Slow gave him time to think, to worry. The band-aid theory was clearly the way to go.

Flicking questioning eyes briefly to Asher's, they filled suddenly with determination and desire and it was like someone had hit a switch in Ray. He pressed forward and practically tore the jacket the rest of the way off, dropped it fast so he could fill his hands with shirt, grab it at the small of Asher's back and start untucking. His mouth had been on Asher's before he'd even made his move.

The cupcakes might have been good, but there was no way this wasn't infinitely better. This was Ray and Ray's mouth and Ray's hands, on him and pulling at him, and Asher didn't know how he'd made it the past three months without knowing that touch. His entire body hummed, more turned on than he'd ever been in his fucking life, he was sure of it.

Much more reassured now, Asher hands moved with more confidence, unbuttoning Ray's jacket and undoing his tie, letting it fall before he began on his shirt buttons.

"You wanna move to, uh..." Asher trailed off. He much preferred kissing to talking. There was a table in the room with them if it came down to that, so Asher didn't bother trying to finish the sentence. Bedroom, kitchen, he didn't really give a fuck. They'd just have to mind the cupcakes.

As soon as Ray's hands were free from his own jacket, they were back on Asher, pushing up and under his half-open shirt to touch bare skin. If he hadn't been going to hell before he definitely would be now. How could anybody think something that felt this good could be wrong? He dragged his mouth from Asher's, pulled him closer and attached it to his neck, barely finding it easier to think or talk there.

"There's a bedroom on this thing?" He grated. It was all he could get out before his lips were back on a tendon, kissing their way up it and to his jaw, seeking out his mouth again. Fuck, Asher tasted like nothing he'd ever had before and every kiss made him want more.

Asher's mind was getting fuzzier as the moments rolled by and Ray's lips on his neck didn't exactly help clear it up any. He pushed into his touch, wanting more, needing to be closer.

"Three of them," he answered, words muffled against Ray's mouth, unbuttoning the last button on his shirt and running his hands up his chest.

Despite the warmth, Ray shivered at the feel of Asher's hands and it was only then that he realized he was shaking minutely. Passion, he decided, not nerves.

He couldn't quite tear himself away for the small task of talking, so he withdrew his own hands and wrapped his fingers around Asher's tie, pulling it up and over his head which forced him to break contact.

"Pick the closest," he breathed, attacking the last button on Asher's shirt too and pushing it open roughly. Only it wasn't quite the last button and it ripped, a short clatter heard moments later when said button hit the wall at high speed. "Oops." Ray only hesitated for a moment before he freed Asher completely. Holy fuck, there was a half naked man standing in front of him. "Pick," he reminded him, running a palm up Asher's chest and wrapping it around the back of his neck to pull him back in, "and let's go."

He might have made a fuss about it under most ordinary circumstances, but Asher didn't even flinch, easily ignoring the damage to his shirt. It wasn't like he missed it all that much once the entire shirt was gone.

Fangs bit down gently on Ray's bottom lip, his fingers slipping into his belt loops before he pulled back and started tugging him further into the cabin of the boat. "Stairs," he warned, descending the three steps ahead of Ray and turning toward the room on the right, stepping out of his shoes before he hit the door.

Extracting Asher's fingers from his belt loops, Ray held onto them as he followed, then let go so Asher could go ahead of him. He paused briefly by the door, letting out a uneven breath even as his hands worked on autopilot, removing his shoes and socks and adding to the long line of discared clothes.

He'd do almost anything to feel those teeth on him again; it was frightening how badly he wanted it. Once inside the bedroom though, everything became a lot more real and Ray wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. His voice might have disappeared but he sought out Asher again with renewed enthusiasm, hoping fervour would conquer the ever-growing fear. Maybe if he just concentrated on Asher - on his fangs, on his pale electrifying skin, on the way his hair felt grasped tight between his fingers - he could forget about himself.

"Are you okay?" Asher asked, tilting his head and pressing his lips to Ray's neck before he could offer an answer. His tongue flicked out against his skin, followed by teeth scraping over a pulse point and nipping at him lightly.

As bad as he wanted this, he didn't want Ray to feel like he'd done all of this and brought him all the way out here just so he could get into his pants. He pulled back just to look at him, hands working slowly up and over Ray's shoulders, the sound of his own heart thundering loudly in his ears.

It was spectacularly unfair, Ray thought, to ask if he was okay and then do that to his neck. Who in their right mind would say "no" and risk it stopping? All that came out in response was a lot cut-off moan in the back of his throat and then he was forced to try and focus when Asher looked at him.

"Who, me? Yeauhh...sure." He waved it off, literally, turning them around so he could push Asher back onto the bed. "I'll be fi--c'mon, let's...I'm good," he insisted stubbornly, though perhaps not entirely convincingly. With a hand at the small of Asher's back, he pressed foward, reached out his free arm to stop a hard fall and stuck his tongue in Asher's mouth to prevent any more questions.

With a response like that, Asher had fully intended to continue pressing the issue, but to Ray's credit, he certainly didn't kiss like someone who was having any kind of second thoughts. Once Ray was hovering over him, he could barely remember what his own name was, let alone what he had just been worrying about only a few seconds earlier.

The kiss was returned eagerly, his arms moving up to wrap around Ray and his hip rolling up against him.

Holy fuck! Alarm bells went off in Ray's head when he felt Asher press up against him and he let out a grating noise but refused to break the kiss. He knew Asher was turned on but there was turned on and then there was turned on and as stupid as it sounded, Ray hadn't been prepared for the latter.

Control, that was all he needed to maintain, so he reached a hand behind his back one at a time and pulled at Asher's arms, clasping him around the wrists and lifting them above Asher's head. When Ray shifted to straddle him, he slid his palms along and laced their fingers together, gripping tightly and pressing their hands into the mattress.

It didn't last long. When he lowered himself onto Asher's hips he felt it again, reality came thundering back and Ray freaked out, shooting to his knees and covering his face with his hands, too late to stop the scared-as-shit "Oh my God!" from escaping.

Asher blinked up at Ray, spent the next few seconds trying to catch his breath. Eventually, he shifted, propping himself up on his elbows. "You're good, huh?" With a small grown, Asher flopped back down with a harsh Fuck, scrubbing a hand over his forehead. "I'm sorry. I should have known this was going to be too much for you."

Ray was convinced Asher was going to think he was a tease and bang would go the potential love of his fucking life. All because he couldn't give Asher what he wanted yet.

"I'm the one that should be apologizing," he insisted, uncovering his face slowly, shame written all over it. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I want to, Asher, I do, but I've never done, I mean, I don't know how...I'm not rea--" He gasped, emotions overwhelming him, and pressed a hand to his chest like his heart was about to fall out. He climbed off Asher and rolled to face the wall, drawing his knees up so he was as small as he could make himself. "Please don't hate me."

"Hey, whoa, come on now. Don't talk like that," Asher sat up slightly, reaching over to run the backs of his fingers over Ray's shoulder. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you. If you're not ready, you're not read and that's alright. Okay?"

He dropped a light kiss down onto the side of Ray's neck, fingers still moving gently over his skin. "Come on, look at me. Please."

I CH-CH-CHOOSE YOU [for Asher; plot: ILU Day]

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