FIC: Foundations
Title: Foundations
Author: rebecca
Pairing: Tony/David
Rating: NC-17
Summary: This is all moving kind of fast.
Notes: This was written for djmicheals and marilena22 for help_haiti. The joint bid was for the next chapter of Geometry, with a request to focus on Tony/David and have some porn in it. The initial goal was two stories about 2500 words each. However, the requests were so similar, I have one story that's about 5300 words. I hope this meets with your approval.
*****
"So we need to make three lists," Travis says, sipping his coffee. "Things you must have, things you would like to have, things you don't want. For example, when Daddy and I bought this place, one of the things on our must-have list was central air and heat."
"You mean one of the things on your must-have list," David teases him. "I don't see Kyle caring all that much about temperature."
"Well." Travis laughs. "His requirement was room to display his toys, since most of them were packed away or on display at Eden instead. Tony, you have seen his collection, haven't you?"
Tony nods. Kyle's collection of antique restraints and other devices is impressive, and a little disturbing. "Where is he, anyway?" he asks, looking around the kitchen.
"Working," Travis says. "He'll be home in an hour or so. Early night, but it is Tuesday. Fridays and Saturdays I'm lucky if I see him before two in the morning."
"Yes, but you often go with him then," David says.
"I do," Travis admits. "I like watching him work, he likes having an audience. Everyone wins. Now, back to the list. What do you absolutely have to have?"
"Central air and heat," Tony says immediately.
"A man after my own heart." Travis grins, writing it down. "David?"
"A room I can turn into a practice room," David says. "Preferably with soundproofing."
"Soundproofing we can install later," Travis says. "Between Stephen and Kyle, that won't be a problem. Do either of you require a home office?"
"I don't think so," Tony says, and David shakes his head. "I do want a home gym, though."
"We can arrange that," Travis says.
They spend the next hour discussing options and Tony's feeling a little overwhelmed when he hears the door open. "Kitchen, Daddy," Travis calls.
"I figured," Kyle says, walking in. "House hunting?"
Tony glances away hastily. It's not that he's attracted to Kyle, but between the leather pants, tight polo shirt, and serious boots, he's kind of overwhelming. He's grateful that neither David nor Travis seem to notice.
"Mm-hmm. Right now we're just deciding on the must-haves and the would-be-good-to-haves," Travis says, getting up. "Sit, Il'l make you a cup of tea. Rooibos?"
"Please," Kyle says. He kisses Travis, pulling him close for a moment. "I may leave you three to it and go soak for a bit," he says, releasing Travis and taking a seat.
"Rough night?" David asks.
"Just a long day," Kyle says. "How's the list coming along?"
"Longer than I thought it'd be," Tony says, slumping down in his chair. "This is going to take a while."
"Less than you think, I promise," Travis tells him. "You let me do the legwork, and in a week or so I'll have a few places for you to look at." He sets a mug in front of Kyle and rests his hands on Kyle's shoulders, rubbing them gently.
"Nothing too extravagant," David tells him. "I know the way you shop."
"Is my house too extravagant?" Travis asks.
"For you, no," David says. "For us--" He shrugs. "Tony?"
"Um," Tony says. "For what I want, not necessarily. For what we can afford? I work for the government."
"Price is the least of your worries," Travis says, waving a hand. "We'll sort that out once you find a place you like. And for what it's worth, Daddy picked this place out, not me."
Kyle shrugs. "Kink pays, and this was the best house we found that met all our requirements."
"I--okay, I have to ask," Tony says, distracted. "How much do you charge?"
"A private session with me lasts ninety minutes, including pre-scene and aftercare, and starts at three hundred dollars," Kyle says. "Prices vary depending on the number of people involved, whether or not another member of my staff is present in the scene, and what the requirements are. I do fewer sessions these days than some of my boys and girls, but I also own the place and draw a salary, which most of them don't."
Tony whistles. "Impressive."
"Kink pays," Kyle says again, smiling. "Especially in an area full of politicians and lobbyists. If you ever want to come see the place, let me know."
"I will," Tony says, not sure how he feels about the idea.
"I think Tony and I should head out," David says. "You look like you could use some decompression time."
"Don't leave on my account," Kyle says. "I'll just take my tea and go soak in the hot tub."
"Yes, but I think Travis would like to join you, and anyway, it's a school night for some of us," David says. "Travis--just--" He grins, shaking his head. "I can't even tell you not to go overboard because you'll never listen to me."
"I'm not about to find you a mansion," Travis says. "I have good taste, thank you."
"I know you do, honey." David gets up, kissing him on the cheek. "Christian's blissfully happy in his new place. He just got the piano delivered yesterday."
"So trust me to do as good a job for you as I did for him," Travis says, returning the cheek kiss. "Come, I'll walk you out."
Tony scrambles to his feet, following them to the door. "One week," Travis promises. "Clear some time next weekend to go looking." He hugs them both.
"This is all moving kind of fast," Tony says weakly to David when they're walking back to the Metro.
"Welcome to Hurricane Travis," David says, taking his hand.
"How does Kyle manage?" Tony wonders.
David laughs. "The eternal question," he says. "Kyle manages because when Travis gets to be too much, he can throw him over his knee and spank him. I've seen Kyle physically carry him up to bed before."
Tony shakes his head. "No thank you," he says.
"And that," David says, "is the difference between a Dom and a Daddy." He laughs. "Well, one of, anyway."
"Right," Tony says. They get on the Metro and take seats. "Do you--you don't think we're moving too fast on this house thing, do you?"
"Do you not want to live together?" David asks.
"No," Tony says hastily. "No--I mean I do. Want to." He blows out a breath. "I want to live with you," he says again, a little more coherently. "It's just--three weeks ago we decided and now Travis is going to have places for us to look at in a week and I just thought it might take more time."
"It may take more time, depending on what we find," David points out. "Closing, packing, all that stuff, plus if it needs any renovation or work done before we move in."
"True," Tony says. "That--yeah. What do you think Travis is going to find for us?"
"Hell if I know," David says. "Trying to anticipate Travis is like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Eventually you just give up."
Tony has to laugh at that one. "Not a bad analogy," he says.
David smiles. "Thank you."
Back at his place, Tony kicks off his shoes and sprawls out on the couch. "What time is it, anyway?" he asks.
"Little after ten," David says. "You look about ready for bed."
"I miss the days when ten was when the night started, instead of when it ended," Tony says wistfully. He looks up at David, tipping his head back against the couch cushion. "Of course, those were also the days I didn't have to get up at six for work."
"I know how you feel," David says. He holds out his hands. "Come to bed with me?"
"Now there's an offer I can't turn down," Tony says, grinning. He takes David's hands and pulls himself to his feet, leaning in to kiss him. David kisses him back, long and deep; by the time he pulls back they're both breathing harder and Tony's mouth feels swollen. He licks his lips, feeling David's hands tighten on his. "Let me suck you," he says. "I want--"
"You want my cock, baby?" David murmurs, the low, predatory tone in his voice that always makes Tony shudder. "You want me to fuck your mouth?"
"God," Tony manages. "Yes. Please." He slips to his knees, reaching out to undo David's jeans.
"Why should I let you?" David asks, grabbing his wrist before he can do more than get the button open. "You think you've earned it?"
Tony looks up at him, swallowing hard. "Please," he whispers. "David, please, let me--" He knows David's turned on; he can see the bulge in his jeans, feel it in the heat of his hand against Tony's skin. None of it matters if David decides he can't have it.
David looks at him for a moment longer, just long enough to remind him who's in control here. As if Tony could forget--as if he'd want to forget. He swallows again, resisting the urge to press one hand against his cock.
"All right," David says finally, releasing his hand. "Suck me."
"Thank you," Tony whispers, already unzipping David's fly and getting his boxers out of the way. He licks his lips, sliding his mouth around David's cock and sucking him down, cheeks hollowing. David tangles one hand in his hair and Tony almost whimpers. God, it's so good, and it's even better when David's hand tightens and his hips push forward. Tony does groan then, because there's nothing he can do but take it, kneel on the floor and let David use his mouth.
"Yeah," David murmurs, just loud enough for Tony to hear him over the roaring in his ears. "So good, baby."
David doesn't give him any warning before he comes but Tony can read the signs of his body, can tell from the hand flexing in his hair and the hitch in David's breathing that he's close. He swallows, managing not to gag, and licks David clean, raising his head slowly. David's hand gentles in his hair, fingers scratching over his scalp. "Come to bed," he says softly.
Tony nods, but it's another moment before he gets up, following David to the bedroom. David kisses him once the door's shut, again and again, his hands stripping Tony out of his clothes and pushing him down on the bed. He crawls over Tony, biting at his jaw and his throat. Tony moans and tries to wrap around him, wanting friction, touch, anything. "No," David says, pressing him back. "I'll take care of you. Just relax."
"Um," Tony says. "Not sure how much relaxing is actually gonna happen right now."
David laughs as he reaches for the lube, pouring a little into his palm. "You need to get off, baby?" he asks, wrapping his slick hand around Tony's cock and beginning to stroke him.
"God, yes," Tony whispers. "Please--David--"
"Yeah," David says, his grip tight and fast, just the way Tony needs it. "C'mon, Tony. Come for me."
Tony's head tosses against the pillow and he whines. His hips buck up into David's touch and he curls his fingers into the covers. "More," he begs, shameless in the way he writhes under David. "Please--God, David--"
David leans down and bites his throat, hard and sudden, and Tony cries out and comes, shuddering. He's still lying sprawled against the covers when David kisses him gently and pulls away to go get a washcloth, and he doesn't have the energy to do more than sigh as David cleans him up. He turns his head to watch David get undressed, slowly moving under the covers. "Love you," he mumbles, sprawling over David once he's in bed.
"Love you, too," David murmurs, stroking his hair. It's the last thing Tony's aware of until he wakes up two minutes before his alarm and slaps it off before it can wake David.
*****
They catch a double homicide the next day at work and by the time Tony has a chance to think of anything else it's Friday night and he's stumbling into the shower to wash the last three days off him and try to forget Samantha Nicholson's face. It doesn't work, but as he steps out of the shower he thinks he might, possibly, be able to sleep tonight. It's not until he's reaching for a towel that he realizes the towel is green, not his own gray, and he's in David's apartment, not his own.
He just hopes David's there to go with it, because wouldn't that be embarrassing?
"You done using up the hot water?" David asks, knocking gently on the door, and Tony breathes a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, just a sec," he says. He wraps the towel around his waist, not wanting to deal with his clothes, and opens the door. A cloud of steam billows out and David grins, waving it away. "Did I come here on auto-pilot?" he asks.
"We traded text messages this afternoon," David reminds him. "I said I'd be here tonight since you didn't know when you would be free, you said you'd come by if you could. Do you not remember?"
Now that he thinks about it, he does vaguely remember this, in between paperwork and interrogating Nathan Robb and everything else that's kind of blurring together. "It's been a long three days," he says with a groan.
"You look like it." David brushes his knuckles down Tony's cheek. "Come on, put on some clothes--or don't, I don't care--and have dinner with me. Are you on call or anything this weekend?"
"Um." Tony has to think about that as he hangs up his towel and ducks into the bedroom to find sweatpants and a t-shirt. "No."
"Are you sure?" David asks, sounding amused.
"Um." Tony gives him a grin. "No."
"Right," David says, laughing. "So when we go house shopping with Travis and you get called away, I get to decide for us?"
Tony makes a sound that is most definitely not a whimper and runs into the dining room, where David's laying out dinner. "That is completely not fair," he says. "I can't help it if I get called away, you know that."
"Sit, eat," David says, taking a chair. "Are you saying you don't trust my taste? Or Travis's?"
"I don't want a ten thousand square--well." Actually, that doesn't sound too bad. Tony takes a seat and picks up his fork. "I don't want a house that requires--"
"You already have a cleaning service," David points out. "I don't want a house that requires yardwork, though. That was on the list."
"Right. No yardwork. I remember. You still don't get to pick out the house without me." Tony gives David what he hopes is a stern look.
David laughs so hard he has to put down his fork for fear of dropping it. "Relax, Tony," he says finally, a little breathless. "I promise I won't decide on a house without you--but if you could clear this weekend, it'd be helpful. Travis has a few possibles he wants us to look at tomorrow."
"Tomorrow should be okay," Tony says. He's fairly certain their team's not on call for the weekend, anyway. "How many is a few?"
"He said four," David says. "One is an open house, one is for sale by owner and he's made an appointment for us, and the other two are being shown by the same realtor. He said he'll come by here around ten and we'll go from there."
"Will Kyle be joining us?" Tony asks.
"He didn't say, but I doubt it," David says. "Friday and Saturday are his busiest days at work. Really, I should ask Stephen if he wants to come. What good is having an architect for a friend if you can't use him?"
"Good point," Tony says with a grin. "Call him?"
"I will," David says. "I'm not sure he's home tonight--he and Joshua usually like to go to Steel Rose on Fridays. But I'll give him a try."
"I'm surprised you didn't want to go," Tony says.
David shrugs. "I wasn't sure when you'd be getting out of work, or if you would, and going clubbing alone doesn't have the appeal it once did." He smiles, and Tony has to grin back, a little sheepishly.
"You think we'll find a house we like out of these four?" he asks, reaching across the table for David's hand.
"Don't know," David says. "Depends on if Travis actually listened to us or if he went with what he thinks we should have." He threads his fingers through Tony's. "My best guess is that we'll like at least one or two of the houses he's picked out, but whether they'll be the house, I don't know."
"Yeah," Tony says with a sigh. "We'll see, I guess."
"Would you rather we were doing all this on our own?" David asks.
"No," Tony says quickly. "No, it's not that. Just--I don't know." He runs a hand through his hair. "It's just been a long few days and I'm not exactly feeling enthused about anything right now."
"I can understand that," David says. "How about we clean up and think about bed?"
"What time is it?" Tony asks. "Is it even late enough for bed?"
David grins as he gets up. "I didn't say anything about sleep."
*****
"I need a drink," Tony says weakly, falling into a chair.
Travis laughs. "Champagne to celebrate? Or do you need something more suitably masculine, like beer or Scotch?"
"Beer? Beer would be good," Tony says. "I like beer."
"I have beer," Travis says. "David?"
"I wouldn't mind a beer," David says, rubbing Tony's shoulders and his neck. "I think Tony's still in shock."
"We found a house," Tony says, feeling shellshocked.
"Yes, darling, and by next week you will have purchased a house," Travis says. He pulls two bottles out of the fridge and pops the caps, handing one to Tony and one to David. "We'll make an offer on Monday, they'll counter, we'll either accept or counter-offer, and by Friday we'll be working out details of closings and arranging for the house inspection."
Tony takes a long drink of beer. "Are you sure we shouldn't have looked at more houses?" he asks, tipping his head back to look at David. "That was the third house we saw."
"Tony, you walked into the house and said you were in love," David reminds him gently. "There's a place to put a hot tub on the roof. There's a giant media room with a built-in bar and fridge for you to store beer and snacks and things."
"There's a guest suite that will make a perfect practice room for you," Travis points out. "We'll put a door there and it'll be your own little area, far away from the noise of the TV or whatever game system Tony's playing."
"I don't play video games," Tony says absently.
Travis waves a hand. "Whatever. The point is, he'll be on the first floor and you'll be on the third, so he won't bother you when he's practicing and you won't bother him when you're watching movies on your giant TV. And the location's perfect, you must admit."
"It's two blocks from you and two and a half from Christian," David says. "Of course you're going to say that."
"Yes, darling, but am I wrong? You're also very near the Metro, grocery shopping, coffee, and anything else you could want," Travis points out.
"There's no guarantee they'll take our offer," Tony says, feeling obliged to point out the obvious. "Or that they don't have another buyer, or there could be something hideously wrong that we'll find on inspection, or..."
Travis gives Tony an amused look. "Drink your beer, honey, and let me explain a few things. One, they don't have another offer. The house has been on the market for a month with no offers yet. It's priced a little high, given the market, so any offer we make will be better than what they have right now, which is to say, nothing. Two, you're not worrying about a mortgage approval. Cash always wins out."
"We--" Tony takes a gulp of his beer. "Right."
"We're not taking the whole house, Travis," David says warningly.
"We'll negotiate the details, darling," Travis says. "The way my boss does it is he buys the property, you take the money you would have spent on rent or mortgage payment and donate it to a charity of your choice. Everyone wins."
"Does your boss just go around giving away real estate?" Tony asks. "Who is your boss?"
"He does when he feels like it," Travis says. "Perks of being him."
"And him is?" Tony presses.
"Gil Sampson," Travis says after a moment. "CEO and chairman of Maverick Corp."
"I know who he is," Tony says, blinking. He supposes it makes sense--the third richest man in the world can, in fact, go around giving away anything he damn well wants, whether it belongs to him or not. "How long have you worked for him?"
"Just about four years now," Travis says, getting up to make himself a cup of coffee. "When I reach five years I told him I want a medal for putting up with him."
"What'd he say to that?" David asks.
"He threw a screaming monkey at me," Travis says cheerfully. "So I responded by shooting him with a Nerf gun, and then Adam sent the fire truck in and Bossman got distracted between the truck and the helicopter battle until he had to conference with Tokyo. It can sometimes be a little chaotic in the office."
"Ah--yeah," Tony says. He's really got nothing to say to that one.
"Anyway, not the point of this conversation." Travis takes a sip of coffee.
"What is the point? I think I've lost it," Tony says, taking refuge in his beer.
"The point, darling, is that you and David have found the house of your dreams, and very shortly you will have purchased the house. I'm thinking we can close quickly, so by...mm, the beginning of April you'll be ready to move in." Travis falls gracefully into a chair, crossing one long leg over the other. "You might even be able to have the hot tub at the housewarming party."
"I--you know, I think maybe it's better if we don't do that," David says. "Feds and queers don't mix well in hot water."
Tony won't admit it, but he's kind of grateful to David for saying that. From the amused glance David gives him, though, he knows what Tony's thinking.
"All right, so no hot tub," Travis says with a tiny pout. "But you're not getting out of having a housewarming party. Consider it my fee for finding the place for you."
"I think we can live with that," David says. "Tony?"
"Absolutely," Tony says, wondering if he can bribe dispatch to give them a case.
The door opens and all three of them glance up. "Kitchen, whoever you are," Travis calls.
"Look who I found," Kyle says, walking into the kitchen with Christian. "How did the shopping go?"
"We found a house," David says. "Hey, Goldilocks. How're you doing?"
Christian leans down to hug David, hanging on for a little longer than normal. "I'm okay," he says, going to hug Travis. "I hit a wall in the new song I'm working on so I decided to run down to the store and get some ice cream and I ran into Kyle on his way home from the Metro, so he invited me over for dinner."
"I didn't think you three would have eaten yet," Kyle says. "Was I wrong?"
"You were not," Travis says. "I was thinking I'd order Japanese, if that suits?"
There's a general round of agreement and Travis gets up to go call it in. Christian drops into his vacated seat at the table and Kyle goes to get himself some water. "Shouldn't you be off spanking the good little boys and girls?" David teases.
Kyle laughs. "Not tonight," he says. "I took the night off. I'm allowed to do that once in a while." He takes a drink of water. "So you found a house?"
"We did," David says. "It's two blocks from here, two and a half from Christian. Probably way bigger than we need but we fell in love with it."
Tony kinda tunes out, listening to Kyle and David discuss the house. At some point he realizes he's got a new beer, and then there's a ton of food on the table--and thankfully, some forks--but for the most part he's content to sit and eat and watch the others. Christian looks better than he did the last time Tony saw him, but there are still shadows under his eyes and Tony thinks he's lost some weight.
"All right, darlings," David says, once all the cartons are cleared away. "I think it's time for us to head out and start freaking over the fact that we're about to buy a house. Travis, we'll need to settle the financial details."
"Of course," Travis says. "Once they accept the offer, we'll sort it out."
They say goodbye to everyone and head out. "I can't believe we found a house," Tony says on the way back to David's place.
"I'm not sure I can either," David admits. "This is crazy."
"Still think you want to go through with it?" Tony asks, a little hesitantly.
"Yeah," David says, squeezing Tony's hand. "You?"
"Yeah," Tony says, grinning at him. "Yeah, I do."
*****
There's no need for a counter-offer. Travis submits the offer on Monday and by Tuesday afternoon they're working out details of closings and arranging for house inspections. Tony slumps down in his desk chair, rubbing his hands over his face. "This is insane," he mumbles.
"What is insane?" Ziva asks, looking up from her computer.
"Real estate," Tony says. "I, um, we, really, are buying a house." He feels sheepish for admitting it and guilty for feeling sheepish and sighs.
"You and David?" Ziva asks.
"Yeah. We--our offer got accepted, so...now we have to sort out all the other stuff."
"Where is the house?" Ziva asks.
"Dupont Circle, that area," Tony says. "It's near friends, and the Metro, and a bunch of other stuff. It's really a fantastic house. You should see the media room."
"You will be having a househeating, yes?" Ziva asks.
"Housewarming," Tony says. "And of course." He gives Ziva a brilliant smile and she rolls her eyes.
"Buying a house seems rather...grown up of you," Ziva comments. "Are you sure you're ready for this step? Ready to commit to plumbing repairs and property taxes and yardwork?"
"Ha!" Tony points a finger at her. "No yardwork. City house."
Ziva sighs long-sufferingly. "The point remains," she says. "Are you sure you're...mature enough?"
"Tony? Mature enough? Never," McGee says, returning from the coffee run. "What'd he do now?"
"He and David are buying a house," Ziva announces brightly. Tony glares at her and gets up to grab his coffee.
"Really?" McGee looks surprised. "Wow, Tony, never would have figured you for the domestic type. Next you'll be putting up a fence and having kids."
"Biologically impossible," Tony snaps, and wow, isn't he glad for that one. "I was going to be nice and invite you to the housewarming, but..."
"You realize we'll just get Abby to take us if you don't," McGee says smugly.
Tony sighs. "Yes, McGruesome, I'm aware that you and Ziva would think nothing of barging in, which is why you will undoubtedly be reluctantly invited once we have a date. Right now we don't even know when we're closing, so just ease up, all right?"
"Somebody's touchy today," Ziva says, trading amused looks with McGee.
Gibbs comes in just then, and Tony's hoping he'll tell them to grab their gear, but all he does is take his coffee and head toward MTAC. Tony sighs and goes back to his desk, stabbing at his keyboard a little more viciously than he needs to. He tries not to think about the housewarming party, and why on earth he'd told Ziva and McGee he was having one. He could have lied, or put it off, and now the only way out of it will be to be working a major case. Otherwise, he'll have Ziva and McGee and Ducky, God help him, meeting Travis. And Christian. And Kyle. And they already know Stephen and Joshua, although under unfortunate circumstances, and won't that make for a fun evening?
Wait. Gibbs, Kyle, David, and Joshua in the same room? Tony nearly whimpers. He's screwed.
Maybe Gibbs won't come. He can always hope.
He's still mulling over it when he gets out of work, enough so that David takes one look at him and demands to know what's wrong. Tony groans, falling down on the couch and pulling one of the throw pillows over his face. "Gibbs," he says. "And Kyle, and you, and Joshua, all in the same room. I don't think the house can take that much alpha-ness. Throw in Ziva and McGee, who'll be bitchy just because it's their job in life to drive me up a wall, and...can we not have a housewarming? Or just not invite them?"
David pries the pillow away from Tony's face and swats him with it. He pushes Tony's legs out of the way, sitting down on the other end of the couch. "You know better," he says. "If Ziva and McGee get truly horrible, we'll sic Kyle on them. In terms of alpha-ness, he wins."
"Against Gibbs?" Tony asks skeptically.
"That one might be a draw," David concedes. "We're meeting with Travis and some lawyer he knows Thursday night to go over the legal stuff and work out the financial details of how we're actually buying the house."
"Sure," Tony says weakly. "Okay. Anything you want." He steals the pillow back and stuffs it under his head. "Just tell me where to sign."
"Wimp," David says, poking him. "You are such a drama queen."
"Hey!" Tony thwaps David with the pillow. "That's not nice." He sighs, sitting up and smoothing down his hair. "Is Christian okay?" he asks, changing the subject. "He looked--better, but not great, when we saw him on Saturday."
"That's about accurate," David says. "He's doing better. Getting to Boston helped, as did moving into the new place. He's really, really happy there. He's still having occasional nightmares, but I think between me, Travis, and Stephen, we've convinced him to find a new therapist and support group. Travis found a couple that were men only so he said he'd try. It helps that he's keeping busy--Belfry's about to do a bunch of gigs up and down the East Coast in conjunction with their first CD becoming available. Depending on how it goes...well, we may one day be able to say we knew him when."
Tony's skeptical about that one, but David seems to believe it, so he nods and says nothing. "Pizza for dinner?" he suggests.
"Sure," David says. "You call it in."
Between the two of them, they put away most of the pizza, a couple of beers, and some chocolate chunk cookies from Stephen. Tony sighs with contentment, sprawling out against the couch, and David laughs at him. "What?" Tony demands.
"Nothing," David says, shaking his head. "Absolutely nothing."
Tony would glare at him, but he's got a full belly and half a beer left and life is looking pretty damn good right now. Even the thought of the housewarming isn't enough to terrify him. Cold shivers down his spine, maybe, but he works with Abby. He's used to that, and usually for less reason.
David drapes his legs across Tony's lap, picking up his book. "Relax," he says. "It'll all be fine."
"You're still laughing at me," Tony says, eyeing him.
"Mm-hmm." David grins and looks up at him. "I'm trying to figure out how you can be simultaneously a bigger drama queen than Travis and an overgrown frat boy."
There's really no response to that except to hit David with the pillow. So he does.
Author: rebecca
Pairing: Tony/David
Rating: NC-17
Summary: This is all moving kind of fast.
Notes: This was written for djmicheals and marilena22 for help_haiti. The joint bid was for the next chapter of Geometry, with a request to focus on Tony/David and have some porn in it. The initial goal was two stories about 2500 words each. However, the requests were so similar, I have one story that's about 5300 words. I hope this meets with your approval.
*****
"So we need to make three lists," Travis says, sipping his coffee. "Things you must have, things you would like to have, things you don't want. For example, when Daddy and I bought this place, one of the things on our must-have list was central air and heat."
"You mean one of the things on your must-have list," David teases him. "I don't see Kyle caring all that much about temperature."
"Well." Travis laughs. "His requirement was room to display his toys, since most of them were packed away or on display at Eden instead. Tony, you have seen his collection, haven't you?"
Tony nods. Kyle's collection of antique restraints and other devices is impressive, and a little disturbing. "Where is he, anyway?" he asks, looking around the kitchen.
"Working," Travis says. "He'll be home in an hour or so. Early night, but it is Tuesday. Fridays and Saturdays I'm lucky if I see him before two in the morning."
"Yes, but you often go with him then," David says.
"I do," Travis admits. "I like watching him work, he likes having an audience. Everyone wins. Now, back to the list. What do you absolutely have to have?"
"Central air and heat," Tony says immediately.
"A man after my own heart." Travis grins, writing it down. "David?"
"A room I can turn into a practice room," David says. "Preferably with soundproofing."
"Soundproofing we can install later," Travis says. "Between Stephen and Kyle, that won't be a problem. Do either of you require a home office?"
"I don't think so," Tony says, and David shakes his head. "I do want a home gym, though."
"We can arrange that," Travis says.
They spend the next hour discussing options and Tony's feeling a little overwhelmed when he hears the door open. "Kitchen, Daddy," Travis calls.
"I figured," Kyle says, walking in. "House hunting?"
Tony glances away hastily. It's not that he's attracted to Kyle, but between the leather pants, tight polo shirt, and serious boots, he's kind of overwhelming. He's grateful that neither David nor Travis seem to notice.
"Mm-hmm. Right now we're just deciding on the must-haves and the would-be-good-to-haves," Travis says, getting up. "Sit, Il'l make you a cup of tea. Rooibos?"
"Please," Kyle says. He kisses Travis, pulling him close for a moment. "I may leave you three to it and go soak for a bit," he says, releasing Travis and taking a seat.
"Rough night?" David asks.
"Just a long day," Kyle says. "How's the list coming along?"
"Longer than I thought it'd be," Tony says, slumping down in his chair. "This is going to take a while."
"Less than you think, I promise," Travis tells him. "You let me do the legwork, and in a week or so I'll have a few places for you to look at." He sets a mug in front of Kyle and rests his hands on Kyle's shoulders, rubbing them gently.
"Nothing too extravagant," David tells him. "I know the way you shop."
"Is my house too extravagant?" Travis asks.
"For you, no," David says. "For us--" He shrugs. "Tony?"
"Um," Tony says. "For what I want, not necessarily. For what we can afford? I work for the government."
"Price is the least of your worries," Travis says, waving a hand. "We'll sort that out once you find a place you like. And for what it's worth, Daddy picked this place out, not me."
Kyle shrugs. "Kink pays, and this was the best house we found that met all our requirements."
"I--okay, I have to ask," Tony says, distracted. "How much do you charge?"
"A private session with me lasts ninety minutes, including pre-scene and aftercare, and starts at three hundred dollars," Kyle says. "Prices vary depending on the number of people involved, whether or not another member of my staff is present in the scene, and what the requirements are. I do fewer sessions these days than some of my boys and girls, but I also own the place and draw a salary, which most of them don't."
Tony whistles. "Impressive."
"Kink pays," Kyle says again, smiling. "Especially in an area full of politicians and lobbyists. If you ever want to come see the place, let me know."
"I will," Tony says, not sure how he feels about the idea.
"I think Tony and I should head out," David says. "You look like you could use some decompression time."
"Don't leave on my account," Kyle says. "I'll just take my tea and go soak in the hot tub."
"Yes, but I think Travis would like to join you, and anyway, it's a school night for some of us," David says. "Travis--just--" He grins, shaking his head. "I can't even tell you not to go overboard because you'll never listen to me."
"I'm not about to find you a mansion," Travis says. "I have good taste, thank you."
"I know you do, honey." David gets up, kissing him on the cheek. "Christian's blissfully happy in his new place. He just got the piano delivered yesterday."
"So trust me to do as good a job for you as I did for him," Travis says, returning the cheek kiss. "Come, I'll walk you out."
Tony scrambles to his feet, following them to the door. "One week," Travis promises. "Clear some time next weekend to go looking." He hugs them both.
"This is all moving kind of fast," Tony says weakly to David when they're walking back to the Metro.
"Welcome to Hurricane Travis," David says, taking his hand.
"How does Kyle manage?" Tony wonders.
David laughs. "The eternal question," he says. "Kyle manages because when Travis gets to be too much, he can throw him over his knee and spank him. I've seen Kyle physically carry him up to bed before."
Tony shakes his head. "No thank you," he says.
"And that," David says, "is the difference between a Dom and a Daddy." He laughs. "Well, one of, anyway."
"Right," Tony says. They get on the Metro and take seats. "Do you--you don't think we're moving too fast on this house thing, do you?"
"Do you not want to live together?" David asks.
"No," Tony says hastily. "No--I mean I do. Want to." He blows out a breath. "I want to live with you," he says again, a little more coherently. "It's just--three weeks ago we decided and now Travis is going to have places for us to look at in a week and I just thought it might take more time."
"It may take more time, depending on what we find," David points out. "Closing, packing, all that stuff, plus if it needs any renovation or work done before we move in."
"True," Tony says. "That--yeah. What do you think Travis is going to find for us?"
"Hell if I know," David says. "Trying to anticipate Travis is like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Eventually you just give up."
Tony has to laugh at that one. "Not a bad analogy," he says.
David smiles. "Thank you."
Back at his place, Tony kicks off his shoes and sprawls out on the couch. "What time is it, anyway?" he asks.
"Little after ten," David says. "You look about ready for bed."
"I miss the days when ten was when the night started, instead of when it ended," Tony says wistfully. He looks up at David, tipping his head back against the couch cushion. "Of course, those were also the days I didn't have to get up at six for work."
"I know how you feel," David says. He holds out his hands. "Come to bed with me?"
"Now there's an offer I can't turn down," Tony says, grinning. He takes David's hands and pulls himself to his feet, leaning in to kiss him. David kisses him back, long and deep; by the time he pulls back they're both breathing harder and Tony's mouth feels swollen. He licks his lips, feeling David's hands tighten on his. "Let me suck you," he says. "I want--"
"You want my cock, baby?" David murmurs, the low, predatory tone in his voice that always makes Tony shudder. "You want me to fuck your mouth?"
"God," Tony manages. "Yes. Please." He slips to his knees, reaching out to undo David's jeans.
"Why should I let you?" David asks, grabbing his wrist before he can do more than get the button open. "You think you've earned it?"
Tony looks up at him, swallowing hard. "Please," he whispers. "David, please, let me--" He knows David's turned on; he can see the bulge in his jeans, feel it in the heat of his hand against Tony's skin. None of it matters if David decides he can't have it.
David looks at him for a moment longer, just long enough to remind him who's in control here. As if Tony could forget--as if he'd want to forget. He swallows again, resisting the urge to press one hand against his cock.
"All right," David says finally, releasing his hand. "Suck me."
"Thank you," Tony whispers, already unzipping David's fly and getting his boxers out of the way. He licks his lips, sliding his mouth around David's cock and sucking him down, cheeks hollowing. David tangles one hand in his hair and Tony almost whimpers. God, it's so good, and it's even better when David's hand tightens and his hips push forward. Tony does groan then, because there's nothing he can do but take it, kneel on the floor and let David use his mouth.
"Yeah," David murmurs, just loud enough for Tony to hear him over the roaring in his ears. "So good, baby."
David doesn't give him any warning before he comes but Tony can read the signs of his body, can tell from the hand flexing in his hair and the hitch in David's breathing that he's close. He swallows, managing not to gag, and licks David clean, raising his head slowly. David's hand gentles in his hair, fingers scratching over his scalp. "Come to bed," he says softly.
Tony nods, but it's another moment before he gets up, following David to the bedroom. David kisses him once the door's shut, again and again, his hands stripping Tony out of his clothes and pushing him down on the bed. He crawls over Tony, biting at his jaw and his throat. Tony moans and tries to wrap around him, wanting friction, touch, anything. "No," David says, pressing him back. "I'll take care of you. Just relax."
"Um," Tony says. "Not sure how much relaxing is actually gonna happen right now."
David laughs as he reaches for the lube, pouring a little into his palm. "You need to get off, baby?" he asks, wrapping his slick hand around Tony's cock and beginning to stroke him.
"God, yes," Tony whispers. "Please--David--"
"Yeah," David says, his grip tight and fast, just the way Tony needs it. "C'mon, Tony. Come for me."
Tony's head tosses against the pillow and he whines. His hips buck up into David's touch and he curls his fingers into the covers. "More," he begs, shameless in the way he writhes under David. "Please--God, David--"
David leans down and bites his throat, hard and sudden, and Tony cries out and comes, shuddering. He's still lying sprawled against the covers when David kisses him gently and pulls away to go get a washcloth, and he doesn't have the energy to do more than sigh as David cleans him up. He turns his head to watch David get undressed, slowly moving under the covers. "Love you," he mumbles, sprawling over David once he's in bed.
"Love you, too," David murmurs, stroking his hair. It's the last thing Tony's aware of until he wakes up two minutes before his alarm and slaps it off before it can wake David.
*****
They catch a double homicide the next day at work and by the time Tony has a chance to think of anything else it's Friday night and he's stumbling into the shower to wash the last three days off him and try to forget Samantha Nicholson's face. It doesn't work, but as he steps out of the shower he thinks he might, possibly, be able to sleep tonight. It's not until he's reaching for a towel that he realizes the towel is green, not his own gray, and he's in David's apartment, not his own.
He just hopes David's there to go with it, because wouldn't that be embarrassing?
"You done using up the hot water?" David asks, knocking gently on the door, and Tony breathes a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, just a sec," he says. He wraps the towel around his waist, not wanting to deal with his clothes, and opens the door. A cloud of steam billows out and David grins, waving it away. "Did I come here on auto-pilot?" he asks.
"We traded text messages this afternoon," David reminds him. "I said I'd be here tonight since you didn't know when you would be free, you said you'd come by if you could. Do you not remember?"
Now that he thinks about it, he does vaguely remember this, in between paperwork and interrogating Nathan Robb and everything else that's kind of blurring together. "It's been a long three days," he says with a groan.
"You look like it." David brushes his knuckles down Tony's cheek. "Come on, put on some clothes--or don't, I don't care--and have dinner with me. Are you on call or anything this weekend?"
"Um." Tony has to think about that as he hangs up his towel and ducks into the bedroom to find sweatpants and a t-shirt. "No."
"Are you sure?" David asks, sounding amused.
"Um." Tony gives him a grin. "No."
"Right," David says, laughing. "So when we go house shopping with Travis and you get called away, I get to decide for us?"
Tony makes a sound that is most definitely not a whimper and runs into the dining room, where David's laying out dinner. "That is completely not fair," he says. "I can't help it if I get called away, you know that."
"Sit, eat," David says, taking a chair. "Are you saying you don't trust my taste? Or Travis's?"
"I don't want a ten thousand square--well." Actually, that doesn't sound too bad. Tony takes a seat and picks up his fork. "I don't want a house that requires--"
"You already have a cleaning service," David points out. "I don't want a house that requires yardwork, though. That was on the list."
"Right. No yardwork. I remember. You still don't get to pick out the house without me." Tony gives David what he hopes is a stern look.
David laughs so hard he has to put down his fork for fear of dropping it. "Relax, Tony," he says finally, a little breathless. "I promise I won't decide on a house without you--but if you could clear this weekend, it'd be helpful. Travis has a few possibles he wants us to look at tomorrow."
"Tomorrow should be okay," Tony says. He's fairly certain their team's not on call for the weekend, anyway. "How many is a few?"
"He said four," David says. "One is an open house, one is for sale by owner and he's made an appointment for us, and the other two are being shown by the same realtor. He said he'll come by here around ten and we'll go from there."
"Will Kyle be joining us?" Tony asks.
"He didn't say, but I doubt it," David says. "Friday and Saturday are his busiest days at work. Really, I should ask Stephen if he wants to come. What good is having an architect for a friend if you can't use him?"
"Good point," Tony says with a grin. "Call him?"
"I will," David says. "I'm not sure he's home tonight--he and Joshua usually like to go to Steel Rose on Fridays. But I'll give him a try."
"I'm surprised you didn't want to go," Tony says.
David shrugs. "I wasn't sure when you'd be getting out of work, or if you would, and going clubbing alone doesn't have the appeal it once did." He smiles, and Tony has to grin back, a little sheepishly.
"You think we'll find a house we like out of these four?" he asks, reaching across the table for David's hand.
"Don't know," David says. "Depends on if Travis actually listened to us or if he went with what he thinks we should have." He threads his fingers through Tony's. "My best guess is that we'll like at least one or two of the houses he's picked out, but whether they'll be the house, I don't know."
"Yeah," Tony says with a sigh. "We'll see, I guess."
"Would you rather we were doing all this on our own?" David asks.
"No," Tony says quickly. "No, it's not that. Just--I don't know." He runs a hand through his hair. "It's just been a long few days and I'm not exactly feeling enthused about anything right now."
"I can understand that," David says. "How about we clean up and think about bed?"
"What time is it?" Tony asks. "Is it even late enough for bed?"
David grins as he gets up. "I didn't say anything about sleep."
*****
"I need a drink," Tony says weakly, falling into a chair.
Travis laughs. "Champagne to celebrate? Or do you need something more suitably masculine, like beer or Scotch?"
"Beer? Beer would be good," Tony says. "I like beer."
"I have beer," Travis says. "David?"
"I wouldn't mind a beer," David says, rubbing Tony's shoulders and his neck. "I think Tony's still in shock."
"We found a house," Tony says, feeling shellshocked.
"Yes, darling, and by next week you will have purchased a house," Travis says. He pulls two bottles out of the fridge and pops the caps, handing one to Tony and one to David. "We'll make an offer on Monday, they'll counter, we'll either accept or counter-offer, and by Friday we'll be working out details of closings and arranging for the house inspection."
Tony takes a long drink of beer. "Are you sure we shouldn't have looked at more houses?" he asks, tipping his head back to look at David. "That was the third house we saw."
"Tony, you walked into the house and said you were in love," David reminds him gently. "There's a place to put a hot tub on the roof. There's a giant media room with a built-in bar and fridge for you to store beer and snacks and things."
"There's a guest suite that will make a perfect practice room for you," Travis points out. "We'll put a door there and it'll be your own little area, far away from the noise of the TV or whatever game system Tony's playing."
"I don't play video games," Tony says absently.
Travis waves a hand. "Whatever. The point is, he'll be on the first floor and you'll be on the third, so he won't bother you when he's practicing and you won't bother him when you're watching movies on your giant TV. And the location's perfect, you must admit."
"It's two blocks from you and two and a half from Christian," David says. "Of course you're going to say that."
"Yes, darling, but am I wrong? You're also very near the Metro, grocery shopping, coffee, and anything else you could want," Travis points out.
"There's no guarantee they'll take our offer," Tony says, feeling obliged to point out the obvious. "Or that they don't have another buyer, or there could be something hideously wrong that we'll find on inspection, or..."
Travis gives Tony an amused look. "Drink your beer, honey, and let me explain a few things. One, they don't have another offer. The house has been on the market for a month with no offers yet. It's priced a little high, given the market, so any offer we make will be better than what they have right now, which is to say, nothing. Two, you're not worrying about a mortgage approval. Cash always wins out."
"We--" Tony takes a gulp of his beer. "Right."
"We're not taking the whole house, Travis," David says warningly.
"We'll negotiate the details, darling," Travis says. "The way my boss does it is he buys the property, you take the money you would have spent on rent or mortgage payment and donate it to a charity of your choice. Everyone wins."
"Does your boss just go around giving away real estate?" Tony asks. "Who is your boss?"
"He does when he feels like it," Travis says. "Perks of being him."
"And him is?" Tony presses.
"Gil Sampson," Travis says after a moment. "CEO and chairman of Maverick Corp."
"I know who he is," Tony says, blinking. He supposes it makes sense--the third richest man in the world can, in fact, go around giving away anything he damn well wants, whether it belongs to him or not. "How long have you worked for him?"
"Just about four years now," Travis says, getting up to make himself a cup of coffee. "When I reach five years I told him I want a medal for putting up with him."
"What'd he say to that?" David asks.
"He threw a screaming monkey at me," Travis says cheerfully. "So I responded by shooting him with a Nerf gun, and then Adam sent the fire truck in and Bossman got distracted between the truck and the helicopter battle until he had to conference with Tokyo. It can sometimes be a little chaotic in the office."
"Ah--yeah," Tony says. He's really got nothing to say to that one.
"Anyway, not the point of this conversation." Travis takes a sip of coffee.
"What is the point? I think I've lost it," Tony says, taking refuge in his beer.
"The point, darling, is that you and David have found the house of your dreams, and very shortly you will have purchased the house. I'm thinking we can close quickly, so by...mm, the beginning of April you'll be ready to move in." Travis falls gracefully into a chair, crossing one long leg over the other. "You might even be able to have the hot tub at the housewarming party."
"I--you know, I think maybe it's better if we don't do that," David says. "Feds and queers don't mix well in hot water."
Tony won't admit it, but he's kind of grateful to David for saying that. From the amused glance David gives him, though, he knows what Tony's thinking.
"All right, so no hot tub," Travis says with a tiny pout. "But you're not getting out of having a housewarming party. Consider it my fee for finding the place for you."
"I think we can live with that," David says. "Tony?"
"Absolutely," Tony says, wondering if he can bribe dispatch to give them a case.
The door opens and all three of them glance up. "Kitchen, whoever you are," Travis calls.
"Look who I found," Kyle says, walking into the kitchen with Christian. "How did the shopping go?"
"We found a house," David says. "Hey, Goldilocks. How're you doing?"
Christian leans down to hug David, hanging on for a little longer than normal. "I'm okay," he says, going to hug Travis. "I hit a wall in the new song I'm working on so I decided to run down to the store and get some ice cream and I ran into Kyle on his way home from the Metro, so he invited me over for dinner."
"I didn't think you three would have eaten yet," Kyle says. "Was I wrong?"
"You were not," Travis says. "I was thinking I'd order Japanese, if that suits?"
There's a general round of agreement and Travis gets up to go call it in. Christian drops into his vacated seat at the table and Kyle goes to get himself some water. "Shouldn't you be off spanking the good little boys and girls?" David teases.
Kyle laughs. "Not tonight," he says. "I took the night off. I'm allowed to do that once in a while." He takes a drink of water. "So you found a house?"
"We did," David says. "It's two blocks from here, two and a half from Christian. Probably way bigger than we need but we fell in love with it."
Tony kinda tunes out, listening to Kyle and David discuss the house. At some point he realizes he's got a new beer, and then there's a ton of food on the table--and thankfully, some forks--but for the most part he's content to sit and eat and watch the others. Christian looks better than he did the last time Tony saw him, but there are still shadows under his eyes and Tony thinks he's lost some weight.
"All right, darlings," David says, once all the cartons are cleared away. "I think it's time for us to head out and start freaking over the fact that we're about to buy a house. Travis, we'll need to settle the financial details."
"Of course," Travis says. "Once they accept the offer, we'll sort it out."
They say goodbye to everyone and head out. "I can't believe we found a house," Tony says on the way back to David's place.
"I'm not sure I can either," David admits. "This is crazy."
"Still think you want to go through with it?" Tony asks, a little hesitantly.
"Yeah," David says, squeezing Tony's hand. "You?"
"Yeah," Tony says, grinning at him. "Yeah, I do."
*****
There's no need for a counter-offer. Travis submits the offer on Monday and by Tuesday afternoon they're working out details of closings and arranging for house inspections. Tony slumps down in his desk chair, rubbing his hands over his face. "This is insane," he mumbles.
"What is insane?" Ziva asks, looking up from her computer.
"Real estate," Tony says. "I, um, we, really, are buying a house." He feels sheepish for admitting it and guilty for feeling sheepish and sighs.
"You and David?" Ziva asks.
"Yeah. We--our offer got accepted, so...now we have to sort out all the other stuff."
"Where is the house?" Ziva asks.
"Dupont Circle, that area," Tony says. "It's near friends, and the Metro, and a bunch of other stuff. It's really a fantastic house. You should see the media room."
"You will be having a househeating, yes?" Ziva asks.
"Housewarming," Tony says. "And of course." He gives Ziva a brilliant smile and she rolls her eyes.
"Buying a house seems rather...grown up of you," Ziva comments. "Are you sure you're ready for this step? Ready to commit to plumbing repairs and property taxes and yardwork?"
"Ha!" Tony points a finger at her. "No yardwork. City house."
Ziva sighs long-sufferingly. "The point remains," she says. "Are you sure you're...mature enough?"
"Tony? Mature enough? Never," McGee says, returning from the coffee run. "What'd he do now?"
"He and David are buying a house," Ziva announces brightly. Tony glares at her and gets up to grab his coffee.
"Really?" McGee looks surprised. "Wow, Tony, never would have figured you for the domestic type. Next you'll be putting up a fence and having kids."
"Biologically impossible," Tony snaps, and wow, isn't he glad for that one. "I was going to be nice and invite you to the housewarming, but..."
"You realize we'll just get Abby to take us if you don't," McGee says smugly.
Tony sighs. "Yes, McGruesome, I'm aware that you and Ziva would think nothing of barging in, which is why you will undoubtedly be reluctantly invited once we have a date. Right now we don't even know when we're closing, so just ease up, all right?"
"Somebody's touchy today," Ziva says, trading amused looks with McGee.
Gibbs comes in just then, and Tony's hoping he'll tell them to grab their gear, but all he does is take his coffee and head toward MTAC. Tony sighs and goes back to his desk, stabbing at his keyboard a little more viciously than he needs to. He tries not to think about the housewarming party, and why on earth he'd told Ziva and McGee he was having one. He could have lied, or put it off, and now the only way out of it will be to be working a major case. Otherwise, he'll have Ziva and McGee and Ducky, God help him, meeting Travis. And Christian. And Kyle. And they already know Stephen and Joshua, although under unfortunate circumstances, and won't that make for a fun evening?
Wait. Gibbs, Kyle, David, and Joshua in the same room? Tony nearly whimpers. He's screwed.
Maybe Gibbs won't come. He can always hope.
He's still mulling over it when he gets out of work, enough so that David takes one look at him and demands to know what's wrong. Tony groans, falling down on the couch and pulling one of the throw pillows over his face. "Gibbs," he says. "And Kyle, and you, and Joshua, all in the same room. I don't think the house can take that much alpha-ness. Throw in Ziva and McGee, who'll be bitchy just because it's their job in life to drive me up a wall, and...can we not have a housewarming? Or just not invite them?"
David pries the pillow away from Tony's face and swats him with it. He pushes Tony's legs out of the way, sitting down on the other end of the couch. "You know better," he says. "If Ziva and McGee get truly horrible, we'll sic Kyle on them. In terms of alpha-ness, he wins."
"Against Gibbs?" Tony asks skeptically.
"That one might be a draw," David concedes. "We're meeting with Travis and some lawyer he knows Thursday night to go over the legal stuff and work out the financial details of how we're actually buying the house."
"Sure," Tony says weakly. "Okay. Anything you want." He steals the pillow back and stuffs it under his head. "Just tell me where to sign."
"Wimp," David says, poking him. "You are such a drama queen."
"Hey!" Tony thwaps David with the pillow. "That's not nice." He sighs, sitting up and smoothing down his hair. "Is Christian okay?" he asks, changing the subject. "He looked--better, but not great, when we saw him on Saturday."
"That's about accurate," David says. "He's doing better. Getting to Boston helped, as did moving into the new place. He's really, really happy there. He's still having occasional nightmares, but I think between me, Travis, and Stephen, we've convinced him to find a new therapist and support group. Travis found a couple that were men only so he said he'd try. It helps that he's keeping busy--Belfry's about to do a bunch of gigs up and down the East Coast in conjunction with their first CD becoming available. Depending on how it goes...well, we may one day be able to say we knew him when."
Tony's skeptical about that one, but David seems to believe it, so he nods and says nothing. "Pizza for dinner?" he suggests.
"Sure," David says. "You call it in."
Between the two of them, they put away most of the pizza, a couple of beers, and some chocolate chunk cookies from Stephen. Tony sighs with contentment, sprawling out against the couch, and David laughs at him. "What?" Tony demands.
"Nothing," David says, shaking his head. "Absolutely nothing."
Tony would glare at him, but he's got a full belly and half a beer left and life is looking pretty damn good right now. Even the thought of the housewarming isn't enough to terrify him. Cold shivers down his spine, maybe, but he works with Abby. He's used to that, and usually for less reason.
David drapes his legs across Tony's lap, picking up his book. "Relax," he says. "It'll all be fine."
"You're still laughing at me," Tony says, eyeing him.
"Mm-hmm." David grins and looks up at him. "I'm trying to figure out how you can be simultaneously a bigger drama queen than Travis and an overgrown frat boy."
There's really no response to that except to hit David with the pillow. So he does.