Starfishing [9/?]
Title: Starfishing
Pairing: Adam Lambert/Tommy Joe Ratliff
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 4,188
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the human and angel characters and this is a work of fiction.
Summary: Adam has always been a little bit possessive when it came to pretty boys that belonged to him. If it got a bit more intense and happened a bit more often around Tommy, it was because Tommy was the prettiest. He really didn’t think that he could be blamed.
“Oh, crap.”
Tommy didn’t want to start his day by losing points, but sometimes swear words were absolutely necessary. He couldn’t handle the intense emotion bubbling out of his mind; his house had become shinier because of all that rain yesterday. He pulled at his hair, unable to believe how clean his roof was even though he hadn’t scrubbed it. Maybe he could burn something and scatter the ashes all over it not to attract any more Mollys.
“Good morning, Tommy.”
“Hey, Jenny. How’s it going?” Tommy turned around with a smile. Jenny had the prettiest voice in the neighborhood.
“I’m good, thank you, but probably not as good as you.” Jenny grinned and pointed at the shiny roof. “I don’t mean to pry, but who’s the lucky soul? Is it anyone I know?”
“Why do you think it’s a soul? Maybe I just love music even more.”
“Oh, Tommy… You’ve always loved music. It has to be something new if it makes you this happy.”
“Well, for reasons of privacy, I’m not confirming or denying anything.”
Jenny giggled. “Suit yourself. I’m just happy for you.”
Tommy let her kiss him on the cheek and looked down at the rainbow CD in his hand. “What’s this?”
“I took a cup of your love and wanted to give something back.”
“Oh, how sweet. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I recorded something new for you. I think the last ones didn’t work because the stories were fun. I hope it works this time.”
“What did you read this time?”
“My daughter’s chemistry book.”
Tommy laughed. She was so proud of herself. It was really nice of her though to use her gift to help out an insomniac neighbor.
“Well, I don’t want to be late for work. Have a nice day, Tommy.”
“You too! And, thanks again!”
Tommy watched her fly away before picking up the empty jar. It was already empty even though yesterday had been a rainy day. He hoped that this would help his neighbors look the other way even if they got suspicious of his guest. He had just put the paper and the CD on top of the jar when he heard a familiar laughter.
“Tommy!” Adam ran to his angel and caught his breath. Jogging in Heaven was harder because of the clouds and the altitude.
“What? I don’t get a hug?” Tommy put his things down and opened his arms.
“But I’m all sweaty.”
“That hasn’t stopped you before.” Tommy gave him a wink.
“Eww, Tommy. There are other ears around here.” Mike gently kicked Tommy’s leg with his front leg.
Tommy was ready to retaliate when Adam pulled him into his arms. “Forgive my running partner. We don’t want him to limp and slow me down tomorrow.”
Mike snorted. “I know love makes you blind, but as if Tommy has that much strength in his wobbly legs.”
“Well, I don’t mean to share any juicy details, but if you’d seen him riding me…”
Adam and Tommy laughed as Mike galloped into his house with a cry. Adam gave Tommy a kiss on the cheek and was moving onto the other one when he let out a cry of his own. “What’s this filthy red on your face?”
Tommy needed a second to figure out what Adam was talking about. “Ah, someone was happy for me.”
“Does this happen often? Someone rubbing their happiness all over you? How can I go down if you get kisses from strangers this early in the morning?” Adam licked his thumb and rubbed the lipstick off Tommy’s cheek.
“She’s not a stranger. Her name is Jenny.”
“Is she the one that lives across the street? Brown hair? Huge breasts?”
“No, that’s Kelly.”
“Urgh, so many potential threats… Is there a potion that can make you small? Maybe I can smuggle you downstairs in my pocket.”
“Then how would you admire the strength in my legs while I ride you?”
“I grow you back again?”
Tommy chuckled and untangled Adam’s arms. He needed to pick up his things and take the conversation inside; no good could come from being exposed. He also needed to soothe the green monster in town. “Can I join you in the shower?”
Adam beamed. “Of course, baby. It wouldn’t be the same in there without you.”
“Lead the way then.” Tommy followed his boyfriend with a smile. Perhaps he could get down on his knees and show his appreciation of the glambulge.
“So can I ask what’s on that CD?” Adam pointed at the CD on Tommy’s desk. He hoped that he wasn’t intruding. Just because he was dating Tommy didn’t mean that he had the right to know everything that was going on with him.
“Jenny read a boring chemistry book so I could fall asleep.” Tommy sat back in his chair and opened his mouth when Adam held up another grape. He was taking a break from work since his bossy maid had insisted that he needed a fruit break.
“Fall asleep? You have sleeping problems? I’m sorry I didn’t notice.” Adam fidgeted from his spot on the desk. He feared that Tommy had only pretended to sleep last night while he had cried his eyes out.
“No need to be sorry. You couldn’t have known. I’ve been sleeping well since I fished you. I guess a really good catch can do that.” Tommy grinned.
“Aww, Tommy Joe. You make me blush.” Adam put a grape in his own mouth and leaned down for a kiss.
“Yum.” Tommy bit on the grape that Adam had passed with his tongue. “I think I greatly enjoy having a maid.”
“Haha, I’m doing my job well then. I’m glad.” Adam gave him another grape through a kiss. “What do you want for lunch? Let me order something before you get hungry. Gosh, I’ll never get tired of seeing things get beamed over. And, I’m not even a Trekkie!”
Tommy laughed and looked at Adam’s gorgeous legs. It was painful to look at his face when his eyes were puffy. “What do you want? You’re the guest here.”
“Hmm, I don’t know. I can’t think of anything at the moment. But I have a feeling I’ll get an idea if you let me look at those photo albums.” Adam hadn’t forgotten about them. He saw that Tommy had put them back on his bookshelf.
“Are you sure you can handle it? I don’t know what I’d do if you burst into tears again.” Tommy bent down and pressed his lips against Adam’s knee.
“Please, I want to see them. I don’t want to miss the chance to see different sides of you, just because they might bring me to tears. There’s so much I want to know about you, Tommy.”
Tommy had to look up. How could he say no to that? “There’s some pretty ridiculous stuff in there, so you might want to cry for entirely different reasons.”
Adam chuckled as he got off the desk. “So can I?” He pointed at the bookshelf.
“Knock yourself out.”
Tommy got out of his chair and joined Adam on the floor. He let Adam pull him between his legs and thought about how bad it was that his wings didn’t bend the other way. Adam always enjoyed his wing hugs.
“Which one do we begin with?” Adam kissed Tommy on the head and looked down at the two albums.
“This one.” Tommy pointed at the one on the left. “It’s from earlier.”
“Okay. Let’s take a look, shall we?” Adam braced himself and opened the album.
“Whoa…” He stared at the first picture where Tommy was smiling in front of his housing star. It was different from watching the rainbow plasma TV where the colors were more vivid. The rainbow photograph had colors that were easier on the eyes, giving it a dreamy feel.
“Terrance took this for me. Now watch.” Tommy moved the page up and down to show Adam that the photograph contained more than one image.
“Oh my god! It’s like those cards I had as a child!” Adam tried moving the page himself and found out that there were three images. It seemed like the camera could also capture what happened before and after the main shot. In the pre-shot, Tommy looked lost with his wings wrapped around himself. But in the post-shot, he looked like a menacing kitty with his hands on his waist and his wings spread wide.
“Hahaha, it looks like you’re about to rip Terrance’s head off.”
“I would’ve if I hadn’t needed him so much,” Tommy grunted. “He said I looked cute. Back then, I was angry about everything. I didn’t want to be cute.”
“Aww, but you were! Look at those chubby cheeks!” Adam rubbed Tommy’s cheeks in the picture. The photograph was soft and smooth to the touch.
They looked through the album, sharing laughs and kisses. Adam listened closely while Tommy explained where the pictures had been taken from and by whom. Most of them were from trips around the Seventh Heaven, but he recognized the ice cream trees and the fishing place. There were souls that he had already met-Terrance, Isaac, Mike, Corny, and Satan-but also new faces that he was eager to learn about.
“Oh, that’s my ex.” Tommy pointed at the pretty girl who was cuddled up against him with her hand on his chest. He laughed when Adam put a possessive hand on the same spot on his chest.
“Did you love her?” Adam hated that he had to ask. What difference did it make whether Tommy had loved her or not?
“Not as much as I love you.” Tommy put his hand over Adam’s and locked their fingers together.
Adam couldn’t help but beam at the perfect answer. “I love you so much, baby.” He turned Tommy’s face with his other hand and kissed him thoroughly.
Tommy let out a long moan while he closed the album and pushed it away. He didn’t think that Adam would want to see other pictures of him and his ex-girlfriend. It would be easier on both of them if they just moved onto the next album. He added a whimper to distract the green kissing monster for good measure. Thank god he knew what Adam liked.
“God, Tommy… If you make sounds like that, I can’t focus on the pictures.”
‘That’s the whole point,’ Tommy thought as he made one of those pathetic kitty sounds.
Adam buried his face in Tommy’s neck and kissed him anywhere he could. He loved doing many different things to Tommy, but kissing him was the best.
Tommy closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being loved. He rested his hand on the back of Adam’s neck, stroking the warm skin. He sighed in relief when Adam slid his hand inside his pants and reached for his dick. It seemed like his plan was working.
Tweet-tweet.
“Oh, shit. Who the hell has such bad timing?” Tommy wanted to curse whoever had rung the doorbell. Adam would’ve totally forgotten about the pictures once he had started to get hard in his hand.
Adam giggled. “No worries, baby. I promise I’ll finish what I started.”
He gave Tommy’s dick a good squeeze and sent him on his way. He could check what Tommy didn’t want him to see while he entertained the visitor at the door. Taking a deep breath, he opened the album to look for a picture that would disgust him to the core. He didn’t get far though since he heard a name that was on top of his blacklist.
“Hey, Kelly! Nice to see you. What can I do for you?”
Adam sprang up to his feet and marched out of the study. He knew exactly how straight and bi guys felt about big breasts.
Tommy was talking to his neighbor when a pair of arms wrapped itself around his waist. He sighed and caressed the strong arms. They seriously sucked at keeping a low profile. Next time, he would have to tie Adam to the bed before answering the door.
Kelly smiled and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Kelly. You must be Mr. Freckles. Molly’s been singing about you. I like your feather, by the way.”
Tommy looked up at his boyfriend while he shook Kelly’s hand. Adam was sporting the token of his love in his hair.
“Look what Kelly made us! This will do for lunch.” He held up the containers before Adam could say anything stupid.
“Thanks. That’s very nice of you.” Adam smiled at his rival. He could tell when someone was after something of his. Her pupils were dilated and she kept brushing her hair over her ear. It was a small relief that he had marked Tommy’s neck with a few strong kisses.
“Hmm, do I smell apple pie?” He caught a delicious smell in the middle of this mess.
“Oh, you have an excellent sense of smell! Yes, I put in some apple pies for dessert.”
Adam was quick to cup his hands over Tommy’s nipples. The woman’s eyes had lingered on Tommy’s chest. What did Tommy’s nipples have anything to do with apple pies? And, what was with all the body paint and jewelry around her breasts? As if people needed directions and encouragement to look at them!
“I’m sorry, Kelly. I think someone needs to hold something in his hands-like a fork and a knife.” Tommy pushed Adam’s hands down and glared up, but Adam was busy glaring at his neighbor.
“Well then, happy lunch, guys! It’s nice to finally put a face to the mystery man. And, what a good looking face!”
Adam tried not to flinch when she flew up to kiss his cheek. His right arm was crushed between her bare breasts. He had no idea what he had done to deserve such agony.
“Don’t tell me boobs scare you.” Tommy snickered as he shut the door. The poor thing looked shell-shocked.
“I think I need a moment.” Adam sat down at the kitchen island and rubbed his right arm. The experience had been intense.
“Aww, you want me to kiss it better?” Tommy put down their lunch and stood in front of him.
Adam nodded and held still so Tommy could kiss every inch of his abused arm. Love was known to cure all sorts of things.
“How do you feel about nipple tassels?” He asked when his brain started working again.
“What?” Tommy laughed. “You want me to wear nipple tassels when I answer the door?”
“Why not? I think they’ll look amazing on you!”
Tommy ignored the ridiculous suggestion and focused on kissing.
“Then how about wearing a wife beater? You don’t want to end up with a sea of freckles like me!”
Tommy kissed Adam’s arm one last time and sat down in his lap. “You know, I had to work hard to blend in. I only wore shirts with sleeves when I was human, so it took me a while to get comfortable wearing so less. It felt like everyone looked awesome while I was busy covering myself with wings. I even thought about moving to Late Falls where they wear much more, but early summer’s always been my favorite time of the year.”
Adam dropped his head on Tommy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I was selfish and insensitive.”
“It’s okay. You just love me so much,” Tommy teased as he patted Adam on the head.
“I do! I really do, Tommy. I don’t know what to do with myself. I thought I had it all figured out when I met Sauli. I was sure I’d never need to love anyone else ever again. It was the kind of relationship I had been waiting for. So when I broke up with him, I thought I wouldn’t get to love someone so fiercely again.”
Tommy listened in silence, giving Adam a chance to let it all out.
“Then you came around and I couldn’t remember what anyone else had felt like in my arms. I know ‘perfect’ is such a big word, but nobody has felt like you. Nobody has made me go batshit crazy like this. I’ve never been so terrified to lose someone. You are absolutely perfect for me and it kills me that I can’t tell everyone about us. I want both worlds to know that you love me. I want my fans to think of you when they think of me.”
Tommy nodded. Adam was out and proud. He was also outgoing and didn’t seem to be a natural when it came to keeping secrets. As a fan, he knew that Adam usually had a hard time trying not to spill any details about his upcoming albums.
Adam gave Tommy a soft smile and kissed him on the forehead. “You know what Hippocrates told me that day? He said I was in love. He said the love was rooted so deep in my heart that he couldn’t take it out. I didn’t believe him, but boy is he a great doctor…”
Tommy pulled Adam’s face closer and looked into his eyes. He wasn’t as good with words as Adam, but he could kiss. He wanted Adam to know that he felt the same, that Adam wasn’t the only one who had found someone perfect for him and suddenly had so much to lose.
Adam closed his eyes and kissed him back. He knew how lucky he was that Tommy had returned his feelings. He would’ve left with Freddie if he had been alone in this. It would’ve been too much to stay close to Tommy without being able to touch him.
“What do you say to a romantic dinner outside?” Tommy kissed Adam on the nose.
“Outside? You mean on the roof?”
“Haha, no, I meant at The Milky Way. It’s a nice restaurant not too far away. The main chef is French, of course.”
“Of course. There’s that saying, ‘Heaven is where the police are British, the cooks are French, the mechanics are German, the bedmates are Italian, and it’s all organized by the Swiss.’”
“Oh, really? Hahaha…”
“Yeah. And, ‘Hell is where the chefs are British, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, the police are German, and it’s all organized by the Italians.’”
“Ahahaha…”
“You didn’t have any Italian bedmates, did you?” Adam asked, just in case.
“I did actually. Once. He was good.”
Adam looked down at his arms. His skin hadn’t turned green yet. “Good? How good are we talking about? Better than me?”
“Haha, of course not. You’re the best.” Tommy played with Adam’s nipples.
“You know, I’ve been holding back a bit.” Adam moaned at the feel of Tommy’s fingers. “I didn’t want you to think I’m better at fucking than at singing. But I won’t hold back tonight! Tonight is the night!”
Tommy chuckled as Adam kept poking the air with his finger. “You have nothing to prove, babyboy. I meant it when I said you’re the best.”
“That’s very kind of you. But even if it’s true, I need to put more distance between me and the others. So when we come home from dinner, you’re going to tell me exactly what he did.”
“Oh, that’s going to take a while,” Tommy couldn’t help but tease. He couldn’t wait to see Adam up his game tonight.
When the sun was setting in its golden glory, Tommy was on the rainbow trail with Adam’s hand in his. While he was keeping an eye on their surroundings, Adam was drooling over the sunset. They were riding in the indigo lane today, wearing black angel pants and black bow ties. He had even bought Adam a black fedora to complete his outfit and pay his respects to his inner queen.
Adam had wanted to paint an ‘A’ on his chest, but it had reminded them of ‘The Scarlet Letter’. Then Adam had wanted the ‘A’ on his stomach, but he had felt like it was too risky. Someone could recognize the stylish letter from Adam’s hat in ‘Down the rabbit hole’. So Adam’s mark had found its place on his ass. He knew that Adam had deliberately made the top of the letter show above his pants. He didn’t mind it though; Adam was cute, being all territorial.
“I love this. Everything about this moment is beautiful.” Adam brought Tommy’s hand up to his lips and kissed it. “The sunset’s even more amazing from here.”
Tommy winced. Adam had been forced to stay inside pretty much all the time. He hated to treat such a curious soul like a prisoner, but they had to be careful, especially given the growing attention around them. Last night, he had dreamed about Adam trapped in a cage in Hell because of his own sins. He could still hear his cries of help.
“Hey, what’s with the guilty look? You know I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me, right?” Adam fit Tommy under his arm and kissed the top of his head.
“I love you.” Tommy hoped that those three words said it all.
“Hmm? What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.” Adam’s eyes were full of mischief.
“I said, ‘I love you.’” Tommy poked Adam’s side with his elbow.
“I don’t know if it’s the hunger, but I didn’t catch it. Can you say that again?”
Tommy snorted and pulled Adam down for a kiss. It had to be short since they got off soon.
“Whoa… Is that The Milky Way?” Adam pointed at the dome ahead that was the size of a small stadium.
“Yep, that’s it.” Tommy led Adam safely off the trail.
“Oh my god… Look at all those colors!” Adam pointed at the glasses that reflected the colors of the setting sun. Glass buildings were his favorite.
“Those are one-way glasses. You can’t look in, but you can look out.” Tommy held Adam’s hand and headed to the restaurant. “Mike’s coach’s wife works here as a manager. We’ll get a table reserved for friends and families.”
“Fine by me.” Adam kissed Tommy’s cheek and put his long legs to good use.
He laughed when they reached the entrance. There was a sign on the door: NO FLYING UNLESS LEG ISSUES OR EMERGENCY.
His laughter was cut short when a pretty redhead flew out to greet them. She was wearing black nipple tassels and the ‘Today’s special’ was written on her body in fluorescent paint. He paid no attention to her words and checked out other waiters and waitresses as soon as they stepped inside. It seemed like only the serving angels were allowed to fly around and they all looked exceptionally delicious-to use a culinary term.
“How do you feel about blindfolds? See no evil.” He whispered into Tommy’s ear as their waitress showed them to their seats.
“But I only have eyes for you.”
Adam clutched at his heart. “Oh, Tommy Joe… Don’t make me blow you under the table.”
Tommy laughed and walked into the tent.
“Ahaha, you guys must be big on these semi-circular couch and round table combinations.” Adam sat next to Tommy as he thought about his living room.
“Yeah, it’s supposed to bring people together. We don’t like hard edges up here.”
“I see. I love it!”
Adam looked around while Tommy studied the menu. Each group of customers was in an Indian tent with a number on it. Based on their own tent, he imagined that people in all the others could also look out without anyone on the outside being able to look in. It was great for privacy and everyone’s head would be safe even if someone dropped their tray. Their tent was in a corner, so they could also look out the dome. He couldn’t have asked for better seats.
Tommy ordered them onion soup, a Niçoise salad, mussels with French fries, and a bottle of fruity wine. They had golden berries covered in chocolate and lots of kisses for dessert. Every time Adam smiled, his cheeks flushed red and he felt like a mess. Maybe the wine was stronger than he had thought.
On their way home, Tommy agreed that Adam was ready to ride the rainbow in the blue lane. Instead of riding it side to side, Adam let Tommy stand in front of him. He wrapped his hands around Tommy’s chest and smiled into the blond hair. It was a cloudy night with no moon in sight, but the rainbow glowed in the dark and the streetlights were filled with moonlight.
“Thanks, baby. I had a wonderful evening. Everything was magical.” Adam kissed Tommy’s hair that smelled like cherries.
“You’re welcome.” Tommy turned his head and kissed Adam’s shoulder. “Speaking of magic…”
Adam giggled as he watched Tommy borrow his fedora and rub it against his own stomach. Tommy was so cute in everything he did. And, when Tommy pulled a red rose out of the hat, he swore that he was the happiest soul in all worlds.
Let yourself feel your heart wide open, knowing now that you hold the magic. -Debbie Ford