muse_shuffle | September Disc Two
Track 1. You're something beautiful // A contradiction // I wanna play the game // I want the friction (Muse - ‘Time is Running Out’)
Co-written with strips4u
Remy sat down on the sand beside Flynn and pressed a small bottle of sunscreen into his hand. “Unless you want to end up with a nose like mine, amour,” he said with a small smile, pointing to his nose. It was bright red and starting to peel across the top of it. He set his packet of cigarettes in the sand and placed his lighter on top of it. “I owe you an apology, chere. A big one.”
Flynn shook his head slowly. “No, you don’t, Remy. It’s okay,” he assured him. He looked away from the water to meet those now familiar red eyes. “I should be the one apologising. It was a slip of the tongue and the last thing I wanted to do was upset you or make you feel uncomfortable. Quite the opposite actually.”
“You’re still upset, non?” Remy guessed. He put his hand on Flynn’s back and gave it a small rub.
Flynn tried to smile but it didn’t quite come to fruition. “Not with you. I’ve kind of gotten used to having you in the picture. I get that you’re not the average sort of person. I don’t want average… Maddy doesn’t want average. We just want you.” He met Remy’s eyes. “We’re falling in love with you; mystery, intrigue, frustration and all. Exactly how you are is exactly what we want, even if you keep us on our toes more often than not. We’re just not sure if that’s what you’re wanting beyond what we already have.”
Remy pulled his lower lip between his teeth momentarily. “I’m not sure it’s what I want, amour,” he admitted softly. “But only because I’ve never had it before. Because I don’t know how to soundly do any of this. Because I’m worried if I get too close and can’t handle it, I will hurt you both.”
“How will you know unless you don’t try?” Flynn murmured, searching Remy’s eyes.
Remy nodded. “Oui. That is why I am trying.”
Flynn was quiet for a minute as he watched the water lapping on the shore. “Do you want more with us? Now, next week, next year… and beyond that?” he asked. “Can you get as much from us as we want and need from you?”
This time Remy didn’t run. His hand moved up to Flynn’s back to softly brush his fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Oui, chere. I do. I just hope I have the capacity to be what you need. Sometimes I don’t feel like I belong.”
“You belong,” Flynn assured him. “More than you realise. I know Maddy and I are close, but it’s not that we don’t have room for anyone else… for you. We do, love. You kind of tipped our little bubble upside down when you took us both as one. We never thought anyone would be tolerant enough.”
Remy went to open his cigarette packet. He took one out and tapped it lightly on the side of the packet as he looked at Flynn. “Why aren’t you married? Living together? You love each other. Why not the whole package? I do not understand how you have room for anyone else. Perhaps that is why it’s been so hard for me to accept the situation. Sex I could do. Anything else felt… well, it felt like I was intruding.”
Flynn frowned and took Remy’s hand, not disrupting the cigarette between his fingers. “I’m sorry you’ve been feeling like that, love. We never… if we knew, we would’ve done everything we could to assure you that wasn’t the case. And it’s not. I promise you that. We want you with us as much as we want to be with each other.” He paused, thinking on his answer to Remy’s questions for a moment. “I think we just… loved each other too much for that. I know that probably doesn’t make sense. We didn’t need the wedding ring to know we loved each other. We didn’t need it to know we’d always be there. We could have our own very busy lives and still know the other was there whenever it was needed. At least, that was how it was until you came along. We didn’t account for something like you shaking our world up, but you have. Now we suddenly find ourselves wanting more, but not just together… together with you. Without you, we’d be the same as we always were.”
Remy frowned softly as he listened. “I don’t want to hurt either of you.”
“Remy, when you love someone, you hurt them. And sometimes that is intentional. Most of the time it isn’t. But it’s love because you pick each other up after that and just keep going. That’s how it works. It’s getting through the hurt that makes the love worth all the trouble,” Flynn told him and smiled faintly.
Remy watched Flynn’s eyes closely and after a few moments, went to say something but he was cut off by his cell phone ringing. He snapped his mouth closed and bit his lip as he caught Flynn’s eye. The cell phone was fumbled from his pocket and he checked the caller ID. “Merde,” he cursed softly and flipped it open. “Gambit.”
Flynn knew Remy had been about to say something heavy or vital right before the phone rang. The look in his eyes had said it all. But it was the look that came after Remy saw who was calling that caused his stomach to flip, and for the first time, he heard Remy use his codename. He was able to guess inevitably what it meant without the need to eavesdrop on the conversation. He looked down at the sand, surprised how sad he felt that Remy was about to be called away on a mission.
“Oui, Oahu,” Remy confirmed and then nodded. “I’ll be ready.” He closed the phone over and turned to Flynn with regret written all over his face. “I’m sorry, mon amour. I must go. They’ll be collecting me from the other side of the island. I’ll be doing my best to make sure I’m not away long,” he promised.
Flynn forced a small smile. “See, this is why a three-way works. One goes and the other still has someone to keep the bed warm,” he joked but there was no real humour behind it.
“Only temporarily, chere,” Remy promised. He put his hand on Flynn’s cheek and then leaned in to kiss him slowly. He eased out of the kiss with a squeeze to Flynn’s hair and then stood to go to the bungalow to get ready to leave. He paused halfway back and turned to call back to Flynn, who had been watching him leave. “Je t'aime, chere.” The smile following was unreadable but he nodded and then turned to stride purposefully away. Flynn swallowed, watching him disappear into the bungalow and then looked back out at the ocean. Now what?, he wondered to himself, for some reason feeling close to tears.
Madison James [canmakeufeel] referenced with permission
Words | 1,173
Co-written with strips4u
Remy sat down on the sand beside Flynn and pressed a small bottle of sunscreen into his hand. “Unless you want to end up with a nose like mine, amour,” he said with a small smile, pointing to his nose. It was bright red and starting to peel across the top of it. He set his packet of cigarettes in the sand and placed his lighter on top of it. “I owe you an apology, chere. A big one.”
Flynn shook his head slowly. “No, you don’t, Remy. It’s okay,” he assured him. He looked away from the water to meet those now familiar red eyes. “I should be the one apologising. It was a slip of the tongue and the last thing I wanted to do was upset you or make you feel uncomfortable. Quite the opposite actually.”
“You’re still upset, non?” Remy guessed. He put his hand on Flynn’s back and gave it a small rub.
Flynn tried to smile but it didn’t quite come to fruition. “Not with you. I’ve kind of gotten used to having you in the picture. I get that you’re not the average sort of person. I don’t want average… Maddy doesn’t want average. We just want you.” He met Remy’s eyes. “We’re falling in love with you; mystery, intrigue, frustration and all. Exactly how you are is exactly what we want, even if you keep us on our toes more often than not. We’re just not sure if that’s what you’re wanting beyond what we already have.”
Remy pulled his lower lip between his teeth momentarily. “I’m not sure it’s what I want, amour,” he admitted softly. “But only because I’ve never had it before. Because I don’t know how to soundly do any of this. Because I’m worried if I get too close and can’t handle it, I will hurt you both.”
“How will you know unless you don’t try?” Flynn murmured, searching Remy’s eyes.
Remy nodded. “Oui. That is why I am trying.”
Flynn was quiet for a minute as he watched the water lapping on the shore. “Do you want more with us? Now, next week, next year… and beyond that?” he asked. “Can you get as much from us as we want and need from you?”
This time Remy didn’t run. His hand moved up to Flynn’s back to softly brush his fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Oui, chere. I do. I just hope I have the capacity to be what you need. Sometimes I don’t feel like I belong.”
“You belong,” Flynn assured him. “More than you realise. I know Maddy and I are close, but it’s not that we don’t have room for anyone else… for you. We do, love. You kind of tipped our little bubble upside down when you took us both as one. We never thought anyone would be tolerant enough.”
Remy went to open his cigarette packet. He took one out and tapped it lightly on the side of the packet as he looked at Flynn. “Why aren’t you married? Living together? You love each other. Why not the whole package? I do not understand how you have room for anyone else. Perhaps that is why it’s been so hard for me to accept the situation. Sex I could do. Anything else felt… well, it felt like I was intruding.”
Flynn frowned and took Remy’s hand, not disrupting the cigarette between his fingers. “I’m sorry you’ve been feeling like that, love. We never… if we knew, we would’ve done everything we could to assure you that wasn’t the case. And it’s not. I promise you that. We want you with us as much as we want to be with each other.” He paused, thinking on his answer to Remy’s questions for a moment. “I think we just… loved each other too much for that. I know that probably doesn’t make sense. We didn’t need the wedding ring to know we loved each other. We didn’t need it to know we’d always be there. We could have our own very busy lives and still know the other was there whenever it was needed. At least, that was how it was until you came along. We didn’t account for something like you shaking our world up, but you have. Now we suddenly find ourselves wanting more, but not just together… together with you. Without you, we’d be the same as we always were.”
Remy frowned softly as he listened. “I don’t want to hurt either of you.”
“Remy, when you love someone, you hurt them. And sometimes that is intentional. Most of the time it isn’t. But it’s love because you pick each other up after that and just keep going. That’s how it works. It’s getting through the hurt that makes the love worth all the trouble,” Flynn told him and smiled faintly.
Remy watched Flynn’s eyes closely and after a few moments, went to say something but he was cut off by his cell phone ringing. He snapped his mouth closed and bit his lip as he caught Flynn’s eye. The cell phone was fumbled from his pocket and he checked the caller ID. “Merde,” he cursed softly and flipped it open. “Gambit.”
Flynn knew Remy had been about to say something heavy or vital right before the phone rang. The look in his eyes had said it all. But it was the look that came after Remy saw who was calling that caused his stomach to flip, and for the first time, he heard Remy use his codename. He was able to guess inevitably what it meant without the need to eavesdrop on the conversation. He looked down at the sand, surprised how sad he felt that Remy was about to be called away on a mission.
“Oui, Oahu,” Remy confirmed and then nodded. “I’ll be ready.” He closed the phone over and turned to Flynn with regret written all over his face. “I’m sorry, mon amour. I must go. They’ll be collecting me from the other side of the island. I’ll be doing my best to make sure I’m not away long,” he promised.
Flynn forced a small smile. “See, this is why a three-way works. One goes and the other still has someone to keep the bed warm,” he joked but there was no real humour behind it.
“Only temporarily, chere,” Remy promised. He put his hand on Flynn’s cheek and then leaned in to kiss him slowly. He eased out of the kiss with a squeeze to Flynn’s hair and then stood to go to the bungalow to get ready to leave. He paused halfway back and turned to call back to Flynn, who had been watching him leave. “Je t'aime, chere.” The smile following was unreadable but he nodded and then turned to stride purposefully away. Flynn swallowed, watching him disappear into the bungalow and then looked back out at the ocean. Now what?, he wondered to himself, for some reason feeling close to tears.
Madison James [canmakeufeel] referenced with permission
Words | 1,173