Tightly Knit - Kradam - NC17
Master Post | Part One | Part Two | Part Three
Adam is in a terrible mood when he gets back to the dorm and not even the gigantic sub Matt brings him from his part-time job at Subway makes him feel better. It's delicious, of course, but even as he eats he feels unsettled (and he's probably getting fat, too). Something happened at the store, he's just not sure what. Maybe he was pushing too hard, or maybe Kris thinks he told Jenna he was Kris's boyfriend after all. He thought they were making progress but now it feels as if Kris is slipping away.
"I think The Plan works better in a club setting," Adam says morosely.
"Trouble with the knitting guy?" Matt asks.
Adam shrugs. "I don't even know what I did wrong."
Matt nods wisely. "Well, I say stick with The Plan. It's foolproof. So you experienced a set back? The Plan says, show you're still interested."
Adam looks up from his diet Coke. "But how? He practically threw me out of the store."
"You have his number, don't you?"
Adam remembers the business card Kris gave him the other day and grabs his bag off the floor, leafing around the bottom of it, until he finds the card, slightly dented and worse for wear. He shows it to Matt with a grin.
"You, my friend," he says. "Are a very intelligent man."
Matt nods. "Would you tell my Calculus professor? I think the bastard's failing me."
"Email, phone, or in person? In person is always classier, maybe I could borrow a pair of glasses to look smart."
"Glasses don't make you look smarter, Adam."
"Yeah? Then how do you explain Sienna Winston passing Economy last year?"
Matt blinks. "Boobs, Adam. They're called boobs, and hers are big enough to have their own zip code."
"Oh."
Adam never really understood straight men's obsession with boobs. It's not like he obsesses over any male body parts, he regards the whole package. Like, one guy might have really nice hands, another really nice eyes and a third a really nice ass. Kris actually has all three of those and amazing pouty lips, and he blushes so adorably.
"I want to know where his blushes end," he says morosely. "Is that too much to ask?"
"Awwww," Matt says. "You're totally falling for this guy."
"No, I'm not… You think so?"
"Totally. You talk about him all the time. I bet you think everything he does is adorable, and you want to know where his blushes end? You're so falling for him."
Adam worries the inside of his cheek with his teeth for a moment. Matt has a point, but Adam's not the type to go around falling for people. He doesn't think he's ever been in love, even if he was quite fond of Drake with whom he had some sort of open relationship for almost a year before starting college. He wasn't heartbroken when Drake took off for New York though and the few times they've met since then, usually over school breaks, have been nice in a sexual way, but not in a life altering oh my God I want to spend the rest of forever with you way.
"Wanting to know where his blushes end is totally sexual," Adam says petulantly.
"It was all in the delivery," Matt informs him. "You didn't sound like you wanted to lick his blush until he goes insane, but more along the lines of pressing feathered kisses to every inch of reddened skin."
"I hate you."
"Uh huh. So you gonna call him or what?"
"I don't know."
Adam gropes around the bed until he finds his phone, just holding it in his hand. Kris said he wanted to be alone, so calling might be pushing too hard, but there's nothing wrong with a text message. If he doesn't want to talk, he can just ignore it.
He pulls the phone to his face and pulls up the message interface, writing and rewriting until he's happy with the results.
Just wanted to check that you're okay. If I said or did anything today that made you feel uneasy, I'm really sorry. It wasn't my intent.
He hits send before he has time to change his mind, or to decide that proper punctuation and capitals are for losers. It takes forever for Kris to answer, long enough that Adam tries out several different things to distract himself. He plays with his makeup for a moment, but his new royal blue eye shadow doesn't look as awesome as he wanted it to, and he kind of thinks that the end result makes him look like he's been punched repeatedly in the face.
Then he researches different kind of tassels until he settles for simple yarn ones, but it looks like he'll need a tapestry needle to attempt those, so it means another trip to Kris's store. Just because, he also researches how to cast off, and it doesn't look too hard; he totally could have done that himself if Kris had just showed him.
He has just gotten into researching gay erotica publishers when his phone beeps to announce that he has a new message and he grabs it eagerly.
Don't apologize. I behaved like an ass. Sorry. (It is Adam, right?)
Adam laughs and realizes he didn't sign his message. He quickly writes an answer, before letting himself be drawn back into the world of gay erotica.
Yes, it's Adam. Lucky for you I like your ass. ;)
He regrets it as soon as he's sent it, he was supposed to act like a nice guy, but he finds an erotic novel that manages to distract him until the next message arrives.
of course you like it. it's prime ass. we should talk.
Adam considers it for a moment before sending his reply.
that sounds ominous.
His phone beeps almost immediately.
From: Kris
To: Adam
it isn't.
From: Adam
To: Kris
so you're not going to tell me that just because you go for guys it doesn't mean you go for me?
From: Kris
To: Adam
no.
From: Adam
To: Kris
does that mean the talk will be about how much you like me?
From: Kris
To: Adam
no.
From: Kris
To: Adam
yes.
From: Kris
To: Adam
shoot me now.
From: Adam
To: Kris
i like it when you talk dirty. that was shoot on me now, right?
From: Kris
To: Adam
i hate you.
From: Adam
To: Kris
no you don't.
From: Kris
To: Adam
i never had sex. there, i said it. you can laugh all you want.
Laughing is the furthest thing from Adam's mind when he reads the message. The instant hot flash kind of kills any urge he might have had in that direction. Sure, he suspected as much, but knowing it's actually so, knowing that no one has ever touched Kris in his naughty places, makes his heart trip with excitement.
From: Kris
To: Adam
i never even kissed anyone.
Adam can't imagine how much writing those two messages must have cost Kris. Kris, who doesn't like talking about himself and who spent most of his life hiding in a fricking knitting store. Kris, who writes gay erotica in his spare time dreaming about all the things he’s never done. The mere thought makes Adam's heart clench, while his pants tent considerably.
From: Adam
To: Kris
are you trying to make me come in my pants? hottest thing ever.
From: Kris
To: Adam
want to come over?
From: Adam
To: Kris
hell yeah.
Kris replies while Adam's in the shower, making sure he smells good all over and ignoring his blatant erection. So he doesn't read it until he's already on his way downtown.
From: Kris
To: Adam
food first?
From: Adam
To: Kris
meet me outside in ten minutes.
Kris is standing outside the shop when Adam arrives, dressed in a brown parka, a knit hat, a knit scarf and really cool knit mittens. It's a nice outfit, but it's pretty mild outside, so maybe a little overdressed.
"Before you say anything," Kris says. "I'm cold, okay."
Adam laughs. "Mind-reader."
Kris bites down on his lips and shuffles his feet a couple of times. "So… Uh… Where do you wanna eat?"
"Doesn't matter," Adam answers with a shrug. It's not that long since he ate after all, and he doesn't mind letting Kris pick the restaurant.
"There's an Indian place a couple of streets over… Maybe we could go there."
Adam wisely refrains from saying anything untoward about curry and kissing. Partly because he totally thought they were going to spend half the evening debating where to eat in the classic 'where do you wanna go?' 'No, where do you wanna go?' way, but mostly because Tandoori House does an awesome mixed grill with saffron rice.
"Sounds great," he says. "I've been there a couple of times; they do an awesome mixed grill thing."
"I know," Kris says, his eyes lightening up. "With the yogurt sauce…"
"And the red thing…"
"And the saffron rice."
They share a quick look and a grin as they start walking. Maybe taking it slow and connecting on a personal level is what Kris needs to make him relax when it comes to the sexual thing. Adam doesn't mind taking it slow, he's all about delayed gratification and he's sure Kris is a prize well worth winning.
In his head he's already making up a strategy for how to seduce Kris, ease him into the whole thing until he's so desperate for it that he forgets all about being nervous. Adam's first time wasn't all that great, in fact it goes down in the books as the worst sex he's ever had, even worse than that one time that he was so drunk he threw up during the act, and making sure Kris's first time is the best ever makes him feel as if he can compensate for how horrible his own was.
Adam's kind of impressed when they get to the restaurant and it turns out Kris booked them a table. He didn't think him able of that kind of forwardness and when he raises an eyebrow in Kris’s direction as they're guided to the table he blushes beet red. (Matt is right- Adam totally wants to follow that blush down his chest with feather-light kisses.) They don't talk much as they sit down and look at the menus. Adam has already made up his mind (the mixed grill) but he can't resist the lure of naan, and a bottle of Indian beer.
Kris orders the same and once the waiter is gone, the silence starts feeling uncomfortable. It's not that Adam can't think of anything to talk about, but all the subjects that present themselves are either indecent or intrusive. He wants to know more about Kris, a lot more, possibly everything, but how to ask him about his undoubtedly troubled relationship with his grandma, what happened to his parents, or how he copes with having what must be the dullest life ever?
"So…" Kris fiddles with the napkin, for a moment. "Tell me about your family."
"Oh… Well I have a mom and a dad. They're divorced. And I have a younger brother named Neil who still lives in San Diego with my mom. Then I have like… a million cousins and aunts and uncles and stuff."
"Big family," Kris says tonelessly, slowly tearing his napkin to shreds. "That's cool."
Adam shrugs. "They're family, you know?" He winces as soon as he's said it because all evidence suggests that Kris doesn't know. Kris looks up for a moment and smiles.
"It's not really a sore subject," he says. "I've had most of my life to get used to it. My parents… died when I was a kid. Got into an accident that killed them both instantly. I was an only child and they were only children, so the closest relative I had was my grandma."
"What was it like, growing up with her?"
"Strict, loving, comfortable." Kris shrugs. "She was very religious but she respected that I didn't share all her beliefs once I got older. I kind of regret that I never had the courage to tell her I'm gay, but at the same time, I wouldn't want to put that on her shoulders. She was old, she was old already when I became her responsibility and she did the best she could. I think she made sure to stick around for long enough to be sure I could stand on my own two feet and then she just gave up. One day she had a cold and the next day she was… gone."
"That sucks," Adam says and he really means it.
"Yeah." Kris makes a neat pile of his shredded napkin, pushing it to the side. "I really miss her. She might have been difficult sometimes, but I could always rely on her. She said a couple of times, in the last years, that she regretted homeschooling me, but that she did it to make sure she could control me." Kris smiles suddenly. "It's not like she locked me in the basement or anything."
After that it's like the floodgates have been opened and Kris just talks and talks and talks and Adam wonders how long he's been keeping all this inside, without having anyone to really talk to. He has friends, of sorts, but no one his own age, no one he can open up to.
All through their meal Adam only gets a few words in edgeways, usually questions to start the flow of words again, because he likes listening to Kris talk. He likes the way Kris seems to sit up taller with every sentence, as if these things, his grandmother's death, growing up without parents or peers, living his entire life in the same building, have been weighing on his shoulders and all he really needed was to open up.
Because the one thing that Adam gets from between the lines of Kris's words is that he isn't unhappy. Sure, he's lonely and his life gets dull from time to time, but he isn't miserable. He has his Thursday meetings, various friends and acquaintances pass through his store every day, and once he turns the lights off in the store, he has hobbies and a pretty wide social network over the internet. Adam almost laughs when he learns that Kris has a knitting blog with attached store, but he bites his tongue, because apparently he does really good business.
Adam's kind of surprised at how good a time he's having, because usually he's the one to talk endlessly. Just listening is fun for once, but then maybe it helps that he finds everything about Kris fascinating. They have coffee for dessert and once it's time to pay, Kris insists that it's on him. Adam puts up a slight fight, but in the end he lets Kris have his way.
Kris doesn't shut up until they’re outside, at which point his word flow cuts off so abruptly, Adam thinks he walked into the door. He looks behind him to see if Kris is still there, and he is, but he's got his mouth clamped shut and a pained expression on his face.
"Something wrong?" Adam asks, waiting for Kris to walk down the steps and join him on the sidewalk.
"Did I really just talk the entire time we were in there?"
"Yup."
"Oh God."
Kris starts walking, so fast that Adam has to lengthen his step to keep up despite his longer legs.
"What's wrong?" he asks, putting a hand on Kris's shoulder to slow him down.
"I never talk that much. I just went on and on and on and you let me."
"I was interested."
Kris gives him a skeptical look.
"You don't talk a lot about yourself, and I like the sound of your voice, so yeah, I was interested."
Kris flushes, which was to be expected, and slows down slightly.
"Can I ask you something?" Adam asks.
"Yeah," Kris mutters for an answer.
"Haven't you ever… gone out, intent on finding someone if only for a night?"
"Of course I have," Kris says. "I'm not socially retarded. I've been out, been to gay clubs even, and yeah, the guys were all over me, it just felt wrong. Sordid somehow. I mean… I waited this long, I didn't want to just do it with the first guy to want me."
Adam nods. He feels honored that Kris seems to have chosen him, that he made the cut when others didn't. Kris doesn't say anything more, and Adam lets him be silent. He supposes Kris needs some quiet time to freak out, and he still has his game plan to consider. Eventually they end up outside the store and Kris stops, giving him an unsure look.
"Do you want to… come in?"
"Yeah," Adam answers with what he hopes is a reassuring smile.
Kris fiddles with the keys, appearing to have problems getting the door open, but Adam's pretty sure it's just nerves making him want to put it off. Eventually the door does open though, and Adam enters behind Kris, waiting while the door slides shut behind them. Kris doesn't seem to know what to do with himself, looking everywhere but Adam.
"Come here," Adam says, letting his voice drop low and Kris obeys even if he seems to be trembling from head to foot.
He takes his time to look at Kris, raising his hands to cup his face. Kris shivers at the touch, and his mouth drops open, but he doesn't say anything, staring up at Adam like a deer caught in the headlights. Adam steps minutely closer, until their chests are touching, cushioned by the thickness of their coats.
"You can say no at any time," he says seriously. "If anything I do makes you uncomfortable just say so."
"Elephant," Kris blurts out, flushing deep red. "I… always imagined that to be my… uh… safe word."
"Elephant," Adam repeats slowly. "I will remember."
Kris blinks, his eyelashes fluttering nervously, and he's so beautiful it kind of takes Adam's breath away. The only light comes from the window display, muffled by the drapes shielding the store from direct view, and it gives Kris's skin a silvery, unearthly tone.
Adam bends down slowly, giving Kris time to get used to the idea, and presses their lips together briefly. It's not much, just a brief touch of lips against lips, but a full bodied shudder goes through Kris, a slight gasp puffing against Adam's mouth. Adam hardly remembers his own first kiss, but he's pretty sure he thought it was equal parts slimy and exciting.
He does the same thing over and over again, pressing their lips together in a short kiss and pulling back until Kris goes with him, straining for more contact. Only then does he deepen the kiss, licking his way into the warmth of Kris's mouth. Kris is unsure at first, his tongue skittering away every time it touches Adam's, but after a few tries he gets braver, meeting Adam's tongue half way.
Adam pulls away to look at Kris, delighting in the flush across his cheekbones and the panted breaths coming from his slick open mouth.
"Don't stop," Kris whispers, his voice thick. "Please."
His eyes open and lock with Adam's, shimmery and dark in the dim light. Adam can't resist a plea like that so he bends down again, sealing their mouths together. Kris shivers against him, winding his hands around Adam's neck and Adam finally lets his hands explore, sliding down over Kris's neck to his shoulders, made wider by the coat he's still wearing.
He has no idea for how long they stay like that, sharing warm slick kisses in the dark, hands sliding over thick wool and fabric, straining for more contact. Kris is trembling all over, panting against Adam's skin whenever they pull apart, turning into every touch and feathered kiss. He moans softly when Adam finally finds the zipper to his jacket, pulling it down inch by inch until it's finally hanging open.
"Please," he whispers brokenly, but Adam's not sure what he's asking for. So he lets his hands slide in under the coat, spanning over Kris's chest before sliding around to his back, embracing him properly.
Kris presses up close with a full-bodied shudder, arching his neck. Adam takes it for an invitation and kisses his way down the ivory column, tasting the salt of Kris's skin.
"Oh God," Kris groans. "Adam… I'm…"
He clenches his fingers in Adam's coat, groaning deep in his throat. Adam shivers with excitement, dick so hard he's afraid it's going to burst out of his jeans. He finds Kris's lips again, pulling him into a deep kiss at the same time as he lets his hands slide down to cup Kris's ass.
"Fuck," Kris swears, holding on tight to Adam's coat. "I'm gonna… God."
Adam grins against Kris's lips, dipping his head to kiss his way to Kris's ear, teasing the sensitive skin there with his tongue. Kris's hips jerk against his and Adam wishes he could feel how hard Kris is, map the silky skin of his cock with his fingers, but that will have to wait. He's determined to make Kris come like this, make his first kiss something truly memorable.
He squeezes Kris's ass, pulling him in closer and just like that Kris is a goner.
"Adam," he groans, throwing his head back as his hips jerk helplessly. "Oh fuck yeah…"
Adam keeps clenching Kris's ass, pressing kisses all over his face as Kris shudders through his climax. Slowly easing up as Kris starts relaxing, turning loose and limbless against him. Adam's pulse is thundering in his ears, a heady whoosh of excitement going through him. If Kris as much as touched him right now he'd come. So it's a good thing Kris is out of it, head resting against Adam's shoulder, rapid breaths dampening Adam's coat, because Adam likes to wait for it, denying himself release, because it makes the release, when he finally lets go, just that much sweeter.
It takes a few minutes of rapid breathing before Kris starts to stir against him, raising his head to look up at Adam with shiny eyes and swollen lips.
"That was…" he says, voice still raspy. "Like something out of a book."
Adam laughs. "One of yours?"
Kris shakes his head slowly. "I don't have that much of an imagination."
Adam moves his hands to touch Kris's face, giving him a short kiss. "I better get going," he says.
"Oh… But you haven't… and I thought…"
"I like waiting for it," he whispers into Kris's ear. "Besides," he adds, straightening up. "There's always tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Kris looks confused. "What are we doing tomorrow?"
"Tassels."
Kris blinks. "Tassels."
"Yup. I think I want pretty plain yarn ones, but I can't make up my mind if I want them to be purple, deep wine, or maybe black."
Kris nods, even though he still looks confused.
"So I'll come by around ten-ish, I think."
"Okay…"
Adam bends down and gives Kris another kiss. "Don't forget to lock the door."
The air outside hits Adam's flaming cheeks like ice, cooling him down considerably. It's a good thing too, since his insistent erection was threatening to make his walk home a truly uncomfortable affair. Step one worked out just as he planned, and tomorrow it's time for step two. He grins to himself as he turns the corner and hurries back towards the dorm. February's looking to be an exceptional month.
On Sunday morning Adam wakes up way too early with a huge stupid grin on his face. As far as he can remember it's the first time he's ever woken up with a smile actually on his face and that thought makes him smile even harder. He slips out of bed, doing his best to be quiet as not to wake Matt who's still sleeping with his head buried in the pillows. Not that it's usually a problem, Matt could sleep through a hurricane.
He pulls on a pair of black sweats and a worn t-shirt, and stuffs his phone into his pocket. He studies himself in the mirror on the door, making sure his hair is okay and that the remembrance of make up around his eyes is smeared in a hot way rather than a sad panda way, before heading downstairs to the cafeteria.
There aren’t a lot of people around, there never are on Sunday mornings, and he fills his tray with his usual breakfast food and picks a nice table by the window. Sometimes he's joined by a few of his theatre friends, but none of them seems to be showing up today and as social as he usually is, he's quite happy with the space.
He fishes his phone out of his pocket and puts it on the table, debating with himself whether or not it's too early to send Kris a message. Eventually he sends off a quick 'are you awake?' before digging into his food; since there's no immediate answer he takes that to mean no and heads down to the dorm gym once he's cleared his plate.
The gym barely lives up to the name. It's just a tiny room that smells like old socks and has a couple of bikes, a bench, weights and a rowing machine, but since the weather is a bit cold for his usual morning run, Adam's been making do with what there is. The equipment works and that's really all that matters. Adam has this thing about getting fat again, like he was in high school, and even though he hates exercise he puts in the effort.
An hour later he heads back up to the room for a shower, dripping with sweat and slightly winded, without his phone having beeped even once. Matt's still asleep as he walks in so he takes clean clothes with him into the bathroom and hits the shower. He and Matt are really lucky, they have one of the only two rooms on this floor that actually has a shower in the room. It's tiny, squished in behind the toilet and with barely enough room to soap up, but at least he doesn't have to go down the hall.
When he comes out of the bathroom, blow-dried and clothed in skinny jeans and a black t-shirt, Matt's sitting up in bed, his hair sticking out on one side and flat on the other, making him look like there's a stiff breeze from the side.
"Your phone beeped," he says, scrubbing a hand over his eyes.
"Oh," Adam says, trying to sound casual but ruining it with the way he dives over the bed to get to it.
Matt laughs. "I take it you had a good date last night."
"Uh huh," Adam answers, grinning at Kris's response to his message, a simple, 'I am now'.
He writes 'I'm on my way over', and presses send even though it's not entirely true just yet.
"So I guess you're not gonna hang today?" Matt says as he gets out of bed and heads for the bathroom.
"Yeah, I am," Adam protests. "Just not with you."
Matt laughs and shakes his head. "Whatever dude. It's not like I was gonna wait up, or anything."
"What can I say?" Adam makes a gesture. "You don't put out, man."
"Oooh." Matt pauses with his hand on the bathroom door. "He put out?"
"Well… Kinda." Adam grins as he gets off the bed and pulls his coat on. "Way more than you do."
"It's hard to beat my kind of putting out, so you better gimme details."
Adam rolls his eyes. "There was kissing and grinding and coming in pants… are you sure you really want the details? I thought gay sex grossed you out."
Matt makes a face. "Yeah, it still totally does. I was being supportive towards your lifestyle."
"Did you talk to my mom again?"
"Yeah."
Matt disappears into the bathroom, pulling the door closed and Adam's laughter rings out in the empty room. He loves his mom, he really does, but she started going to PFLAG meetings before Adam even came out to her. Sometimes he thinks she knows more about being gay than he does, but he knows he's very lucky having his family's full support.
Adam picks up his bag from the floor and checks to see that the scarf is still inside before throwing it over his shoulder, pulling a cap down over his unruly hair and walking out the door. His phone beeps as he walks out of the dorm; it's Kris's answer to his message.
From: Kris
To: Adam
'the door is open.
Adam grins and stuffs the phone back into his pocket. It's good to know Kris is expecting him.
There's no lantern on the stairs this time and the sign on the door says closed, but as Kris's message promised it opens easily when Adam pushes it. Kris is standing at the table towards the back, looking down at whatever it is he has there and he doesn't turn when the doorbell chimes.
"Hey," Adam says.
Kris still doesn't look at him, but he shifts his feet. "I laid out a few yarns here, they would all work with the purple but I really do think black would work best if you're going for a different color."
Adam smiles to himself and moves closer to look over Kris's shoulder. Kris slithers out of the way and gestures towards the table. "As you can see there's a wide range of colors to choose from that all go with your yarn. See this magenta here it's… very… magenta."
Adam laughs. "So I can see. Very magenta indeed. And how are you today?"
Kris doesn't answer and when Adam looks at him, he can see the blush staining Kris's cheek even though he has his face turned away.
"I don't know how to do this, okay?" Kris says, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Yesterday you made me come in my pants and now you're being all Adam and… beautiful and I can't even look at you I'm so mortified."
He takes refuge in the comfy chair in the corner, putting his head in his hands. "I'm not cut out for this shit," he says, his voice muffled against his palms.
Adam laughs and puts his bag down on the floor while he unbuttons his coat. "You don't have to be ashamed," he says.
"In my pants," Kris says as if Adam somehow managed to miss that part. "I'm pathetic."
Adam laughs again, shaking his head. "Kris, come on. Look at me."
Kris looks at Adam through his fingers.
"I had a really good time last night. The dinner, the kissing, all of it."
"But you didn't…"
"Come?" Adam asks and Kris promptly hides his face in his hands again. "I told you I like waiting for it."
"But what do we do now? Just hang out, pretend it never happened? Do we kiss again? I don't know how to do this," Kris says from behind his hands.
Adam laughs. "Come here," he says, letting his voice drop into a murmur.
Kris is out of the chair before Adam even stopped speaking, then he stops dead in his tracks and looks up at Adam as if he just realized he's moving. "I hate it when you do that voice thing," he says.
"No, you don't," Adam responds, beckoning Kris closer with a finger. "It gets you hot all over."
"I hate you," Kris says, but there's only lust in his eyes as he looks up at Adam.
"I can work with that," Adam murmurs, the hint of a grin at the corners of his mouth.
He bends down and gives Kris a quick kiss before straightening up again. Kris blinks, leaning into him and tilting his head up. Adam gives him another kiss, staying close enough to feel Kris's breath against his face. Another quick kiss and Kris's arms come up around his neck, pulling him down and locking their lips together.
"You're such a tease," Kris says when they break apart, his eyes narrowed.
"Mhmm," Adam agrees, because it's all part of his plan.
It's really nice to have Kris pressed up close without the thickness of their winter coats between them. The angles of their bodies align nicely and Adam's skin tingles wherever it's in contact with Kris's hard body.
"Do you work out?" he asks, because Kris doesn't really seem to have the body you'd expect from a guy who spends his free time knitting.
Kris blushes, no surprise there, but he nods too. "There's a gym down the street," he mutters. "I go there sometimes, but there's this… guy… I don't do it very often anymore."
"Awww, is he bothering you?"
Kris shrugs awkwardly. "He's creepy and he comes in here sometimes just to talk… I don't really like him."
"Give me a call if he ever shows up again and I'll come and save you," Adam says with a grin, thinking himself quite the knight in shining armor.
Kris snorts. "To think I managed on my own for ages before I met you."
"I didn't mean it like that," Adam protests. "I just wanted to be the hero."
Kris laughs, saying something Adam can't quite hear, but he's pretty sure it's you're already my hero and it's funny how that makes his heart constrict.
"So… tassels?" Kris asks, taking a minute step away.
Adam grins. "Yup," he says.
"Okay." Kris starts walking towards the table but stops and looks at Adam over his shoulder. "Is this… real?"
Adam doesn't hesitate. "Yes."
Kris nods, looking slightly confused, but he moves over to take a seat at the table. The thing is that Adam's not really sure what Kris meant and he really has no clue what his answer meant. It's real as in it's really happening, but he doesn't know if it's real in the relationship way. Adam doesn't really do commitment, he’s never had reason to. Common courtesy dictates that he's not going to go out tomorrow night and get laid with someone that isn't Kris, but he's not sure that means there won't be someone else looming on the horizon a few weeks from now.
Besides, committing to someone who has his whole life here was never part of Adam's plan. Adam's plan has always been more along the lines of make it through college and then move to LA first thing. The only reason he didn't choose a college in LA is that he thought for sure all that glitz and glam would prove too distracting and he'd drop out as soon as he started.
Adam really wants Kris’s first time to be great. He wants to teach Kris everything he knows about sex and make sure that he knows what to ask for in the future. Of course he's not only doing it for Kris, he's obviously doing it for himself too. He thinks sex should be fun and this thing he has with Kris now is certainly fun and awesome in every way, but he's not really sure it's fair. What if Kris falls for him? He's the first guy to really be giving Kris this kind of attention, so it's not that hard to imagine he'll get attached. Adam doesn't want to be mean; he doesn't want to have to break up with Kris if it comes to that, but he's not comfortable with leading him on either.
Matt would tell him he thinks too much, but then Matt's already halfway convinced Adam's falling for Kris and he's not ruling that option out just yet. What if he falls for Kris and Kris decides to move on? Adam's never had his heart broken and he's not that keen to try it. He wants true love and he wants romance, but he's also pretty sure that this is not the time for it.
"Do you have your scarf?"
Kris's voice brings Adam back to the here and now and he nods, pulling it out of his bag. There's no use in thinking about what might come a few weeks from now, because he knows he's not backing down unless Kris asks him to. Kris takes the scarf and unrolls it, smiling at Adam as he does so.
"This is really quite good," he says. "It seems you have a hidden talent for knitting. The first scarf I made looked horrible. "
"And you were how old?"
"Five."
Adam laughs, but he appreciates the praise nonetheless, because he knows Kris wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it. Kris starts sorting the yarn he picked out into two piles, the please don't and the maybe pile, but Adam decides to go with Kris's first suggestion, black. It turns out to be really easy to make tassels, and Kris only has to show him once.
They work in amiable silence, Adam making tassels and Kris knitting on something big and grey that looks really impressive. Every now and then he realizes he's stopped with the tassels, just to watch Kris's hands move. He's a fast knitter and a sure one, every line he produces looks exactly like the one before. It's totally stupid to find Kris knitting hot, but it totally is. He's just so fast and comfortable and skilled, and Adam’s always had a thing for people who know how to do stuff and do it well.
For instance he thinks Hank, his mechanic back home, is oddly hot even though he's an overweight, scruffy looking man in his fifties, just because he has this innate talent for engines. Hank only has to listen to the engine to know what's wrong and when he lifts the hood, his hands just know exactly where to go. In the same vein Adam has a fanboy crush on most of his teachers, they know their subjects and they love their subjects and Adam thinks that's HOT.
"Stop staring at me," Kris says, when Adam's done with the tassels and focuses his attention solely on Kris.
"What are you making?" Adam asks, ignoring the order, because it's not like he hasn’t noticed Kris spending way too much time looking at him.
"A sweater," Kris says, his face coloring slightly.
"Cool. I like the color."
"Yeah?" Kris looks up and Adam grins.
"It's for me, isn't it?"
"No," Kris says, but he sounds like a petulant child.
"Awww, that's so adorable, you're totally knitting me a sweater."
All his doubts come rushing back into his mind, but Adam pushes them away, focusing on the adorable way Kris blushes.
"It might be for you... I haven't made up my mind yet," Kris says.
Adam laughs. "Oh, it's so for me and you know it."
Kris mutters something and looks down at his hands.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Adam laughs and looks at the knitting again. He really does like the darkish grey color and the yarn looks incredibly soft. He wonders if he'll ever be good enough to knit a sweater; it looks really hard, but then Kris is a good teacher and Adam is sure Kris would teach him if he asked.
"You hungry?" Kris asks after a few minutes of Adam staring at him. "I was thinking of making pasta for lunch."
Adam's stomach rumbles on cue and Adam laughs. "I'm always hungry," he says. It's true, of course, since he's always on a diet, but he likes saying it and making it sound as if he's the type of person that can eat whatever.
"Please, tell me you're not still growing," Kris responds with a grin.
"Hey," Adam says, pouting. "I'm not that big."
"Big enough," Kris mutters looking at Adam through his lashes. Adam decides to not be insulted, Kris is obviously not talking about his waistline.
"Just you wait 'til you see the rest of me," Adam says innocently, making Kris blush a deep crimson.
"Are we talking about your cock again? I'm gonna lock the door if we are."
"Maybe," Adam responds, trying to sound even more innocent.
"I hate you," Kris says and puts his knitting down. "There's something seriously wrong with you."
Adam laughs as Kris gets up and heads over to lock the door to the store. "No you don't," he says as Kris comes back towards him. "You're knitting me a sweater."
"Yeah? Worst idea I ever had."
Adam pouts before sticking his tongue out. Kris heads towards the backroom, pausing and looking over his shoulder when he realizes Adam isn’t following.
"Are you coming? I don't actually live down here, you know."
"Oh... Yeah, of course not."
So maybe Adam kind of thought that Kris did live in his store, just a little bit, with the table and the comfy chair and everything. It wasn't all that hard to imagine he had a cot tucked away somewhere and a microwave for all his frozen dinner needs.
Kris leads him through the backroom and up a set of stairs to an apartment door. The door isn't locked and Kris pushes it open, leading Adam into what turns out to be the kitchen. It's not very large, but nicely colored in different shades of blue, with a small table standing by the window with chairs on either side of it. There are flowers in the window, lots of them, and to Adam's surprise the curtains aren't knitted.
"So this is the kitchen," Kris says, making a gesture. "It's kind of small."
Adam looks around; it is small, but homey.
"It's cool," he says and Kris smiles.
Kris leads him out of the kitchen and into the living room. It's kind of messy with mismatched furniture and lots of colors, but Adam falls in love immediately. The couch is a huge, kind of hideous brown thing, but it looks stupidly comfortable and the coffee table is stacked high with papers and magazines. There's a medium-sized flat screen TV mounted on the wall and a stereo is set up below it, but those are the only modern things as far as he can see. Everything is old and worn out, colorful and homey. It's a room to live in, and Adam never wants to leave.
"I love it," Adam says, looking around. "I want to move in here and never leave. Reminds me a bit of my dad's house."
"Yeah?" Kris asks.
"Totally."
Adam heads straight for the couch, burrowing himself into its plush depths, not caring in the slightest if Kris had plans to extend the tour. He pulls the edge of a blanket over his legs and picks up one of the magazines; it's about knitting surprisingly enough.
"You go cook," he says with a hand gesture. "I'll be right here."
Kris smiles a little. "Okay. You're not allergic to anything?"
"Not a thing." Adam opens the magazine to a random page and looks at the pictures.
Kris disappears into the kitchen and Adam flips through the pages of the magazine. The pictures are bright and glossy and the patterns could be in Greek for all Adam understands, but it's strangely fascinating to read. Knitting a scarf wasn't all that hard, maybe he could learn how to knit something else.
The magazine doesn't hold his attention for long though and he pushes himself up from the couch to explore. Kris's CD collection keeps him entertained for a while - noting music they have in common, music that can be used as future blackmail material, and music he ought to check out - but eventually he drifts into the kitchen to see what Kris is up to.
Kris looks up when he enters, giving him a tiny little smile, and Adam smiles back feeling a giddy sort of nervous. Something about being with Kris makes everything feel brand new, as if Adam is entering uncharted relationship territory. In a way he is, because he's never been in the section marked on the relationship map as having fun with adorable virgins or the one named domestic but as he takes a seat at the table to watch Kris cook, he thinks he appreciates the view even if he's not quite ready to settle down here yet.
Kris sings while he cooks, mostly humming with snatches of the lyrics thrown in here and there, and from what Adam can tell he's pretty good. He finds himself humming along, raising and dipping to create a backdrop to Kris's monotone and after a moment Kris turns around to look at him.
"You sing?" he asks, eyebrows raised in question.
"Yeah," Adam admits.
"Huh." Kris looks thoughtful. "Sing me something."
Adam purses his lips for a moment, thinking, then he starts singing Ring of Fire, because there was a Johnny Cash album in Kris's collection and the song's been nagging at him since he looked at it. By the time he gets to the refrain Kris is staring at him with his mouth hanging open and Adam adds some vocal acrobatics that maybe aren't that pretty but that showcase his voice very nicely, and he loves putting on a show.
"Are you for real?" Kris asks when Adam cuts himself off.
"I'd like to think so, yes," Adam responds with a grin.
"I mean… with a voice like that what the fuck are you doing studying journalism in Bumfuck, Pennsylvania?"
Adam flushes happily. He knows he can sing, but impressing people he likes never grows old. "I think the sauce is burning," he remarks and then he explains his five year plan to Kris. It's a long plan, so Kris has time to finish cooking and set the table before Adam stops talking.
"You're probably the oddest person I ever met," Kris says when he sits down opposite Adam.
Adam thinks that's pretty rich coming from the closeted virgin that knits and writes gay porn in his spare time, but he supposes it's true that not everyone outlines their life five years in advance.
"It feels good to have a plan," he says with a shrug. "I mean... It's not fool proof, I know anything could happen, but I have my eyes on the goal, you know?"
"Yeah," Kris says with a small smile. "That's nice."
He doesn't mention that he was high out of his mind when he formulated the plan, Kris doesn't need to know that.
"So what's your five year plan?" he asks, while he loads his plate.
Kris shrugs, busying himself with the salad. "See where the road takes me?"
When Adam looks up Kris is looking uncomfortable and he decides to drop the subject, turning the conversation onto music instead. It turns out to be a topic that suits them both and he's delighted and a little awed to learn that Kris plays the guitar, the piano and the viola. For someone so tiny and unassuming, he's surely full of surprises.
"You have to play me something," he says, when he's finally done eating, leaning back in his chair.
"Sure," Kris says vaguely, licking the last drops of sauce from his knife.
Adam zeroes in on Kris's pink tongue caressing the length of the blade and just like that he forgets all about music because damn. Kris looks at him curiously, the tip of his tongue still pressed against the very edge of the blade and Adam swallows hard wondering if it would be terribly rude to climb over the table to get to Kris's mouth. Kris pulls his tongue back and swallows, looking uncertain again.
"Do I have something on my face?" he asks, brushing the back of his hands over his lips.
He really has no idea how hot he is. It's a refreshing change from the club boys Adam usually hooks up with.
"Yeah," Adam says, pushing himself up to round the table and crouch beside Kris's chair. "Here let me…"
Kris willingly turns his face into Adam's hands, eyes fluttering shut when Adam rubs his thumb over Kris's slick lower lip.
"Okay… yeah," Adam says, standing up and pulling Kris with him. "Lunch is over."
"Wha…" Kris starts eyes opening wide in surprise but Adam shuts him up with a kiss.
It's not the same type of kiss they've been sharing so far. This is Adam getting his top on, devouring Kris's mouth until his lips feel numb and breathing becomes a serious issue. Kris sways on his feet when Adam lets him go, blinking up at Adam, wide-eyed and breathless. It's too much of a temptation to resist and Adam dives back for more, sucking on Kris's plump lower lip and licking over his teeth until Kris's fingers digs bruises into his shoulders.
When he pulls back again Kris is panting harshly, mouth wide open and red from Adam's kisses. He looks thoroughly debauched and Adam can't remember ever wanting anyone like he wants Kris.
"God," Kris breathes, fingers still tight on Adam's shoulders.
Adam pulls him in for another kiss, sliding his hands in under Kris's shirt, finally touching skin. It makes Kris moan into his mouth, his entire body trembling, and Adam needs to get him naked right this very second. Kris looks dazed when Adam pushes his cardigan down over his arms and pulls his t-shirt up over his head, swaying on his feet when Adam lets him go for a moment. Adam doesn't leave him waiting for long, unbuttoning Kris's jeans and pushing them down over his slim hips, taking his boxers with them. Kris obediently steps out of them when Adam kneels down to help him, letting Adam pull his socks off as well until Kris is standing fully naked before him, cock curving hard and flushed towards his stomach.
"Fuck yeah," Adam groans, turning around to sit on the chair Kris abandoned and pulling Kris down on his lap.
"Your clothes," Kris says vaguely, pulling on Adam's t-shirt with fumbly fingers.
Adam obeys and pulls his t-shirt off, throwing it to the side, before pulling Kris into another luxurious kiss, a little slower and less demanding now that he has Kris exactly where he wants him. He links his fingers behind Kris's back to keep him steady as he starts kissing a trail down his chest not pausing until his lips find one of Kris's nipples.
Kris lets out a shuddered groan when Adam licks over it and of course he can't resist that kind of temptation, teasing the tiny little nub into a hard peak and sucking on it until Kris’s voice goes hoarse and wild, hips rocking back and forth against nothing. Adam's so hard he thinks he might die, but opening his jeans would mean letting go of Kris for a moment and that just isn't going to happen. Instead he kisses his way to Kris's other nipple, licking and sucking it until Kris's moans turn into unintelligible babble, fingers tightening and releasing on Adam's shoulders.
Kris's responsiveness is addictive, as is the thought that he's the first one - the only one - that has even seen Kris come undone like this. His arms are straining to support Kris's weight and his neck is aching with his awkward position, but he just can't stop, not when every swipe of his tongue makes Kris shudder and groan, every sound hotwired to Adam's aching dick.
"Oh… fuck fuck Adam…" Kris babbles, voice broken and raw. "Jesus, I'm gonna… Adam. Adam. Adam."
Adam sucks Kris's nipple into his mouth, grazing it with his teeth, and just like that Kris is coming, body quaking in Adam's arms. Adam shifts back in the chair, pulling Kris with him so that he's able to get a hand in between them, jerking Kris through his orgasm without risking them falling off the chair. Kris moans weakly against his ear, head lolling against Adam's shoulder while Adam makes sure to milk him dry, not stopping until Kris's moans turns pained and his body trembles limply against Adam's.
He doesn't let go completely though, fingers toying idly with Kris's slick softening cock while he tries to catch his own breath. He's so wired he's pretty sure the slightest stimulation will make him go off like a fire cracker, cock throbbing with his erratic pulse.
"I can hear your heart beat," Kris murmurs, pressing his lips against Adam's neck. Adam smiles and turns his head to capture Kris's lips in a slow languid kiss that really does nothing to slow down his pumping heart.
Kris's fingers slide down from Adam's shoulder to his waist, pulling at the waistband of Adam's jeans. "I want to see you," he murmurs and Adam doesn't even have to look at him to know he's blushing.
"Mhmm," Adam agrees. "In the bedroom."
Kris stiffens slightly. "You gonna… uhm… fuck me?" he asks.
Adam laughs softly, pressing his lips against Kris's forehead. "As much as I want to, I don't have any condoms and I don't think you're ready yet."
"Why not?" Kris asks, straightening up with a move that makes him wobble precariously on Adam's lap until Adam steadies him with his hands on Kris's waist.
Adam smirks. "You'll see… in a minute."
Kris eyes narrow. "You're talking about your cock again, aren't you?"
Adam tries to look innocent. "Well, at least it's appropriate this time. Don't you think?"
Kris's eyes flicker down between them and he bites down on his lower lip. Adam laughs again and gives him a kiss.
"Come on," he murmurs. "Show me your bedroom and I'll show you my…" Kris cuts him off with another kiss. Adam can't say he minds.
Part Three