The Puppy Pile, Rated R, by house_of_lantis
Title: The Puppy Pile
Author: house_of_lantis
Pairing: Kradam
Rating: R
Warning: Crack, humor, schmoop, language, a lot of consensual touching, sexuality.
Author’s Note 1: Written for RAK winner deannawol based on her prompt: Puppy.
Anthor’s Note 2: Cuddle Parties or Puppy Pile Parties or Cuddle Workshops actually do exist and come with very strict rules for how to comport oneself at one of these events (the welcome circle and rules are an amalgamation of several different FAQ websites).
Summary: Kris is not getting his usual amount of physical affection and it’s starting to show in his unusual crankiness. Cale sends him to a puppy pile workshop in the hopes that consensual and affectionate touching will help Kris through his dry spell.
*****
Kris liked meeting new people. He just didn’t expect that after five minutes of meeting them that he’d be cuddling with them.
It was Cale’s idea to send Kris to the puppy pile workshop at the posh Santa Monica Yoga Center in downtown West Hollywood.
“You need to get hugged.”
Kris raised his eyebrow. “I’m not desperate enough to get hugged by strangers, dude.”
“Don’t be judgmental. And yes, you are. You need hugs and you’re getting kind of out of control,” Cale said, looking at him intently.
“I am not,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, it sounds kind of sleazy to me. Like you’re paying for someone to feel you up or something.”
“There’s nothing sleazy about it and there’s no feeling people up, you moron. It’s pretty great. Katie and I go every few months. It’s helping us with our communication and-“
“Uh, thanks for sharing, dude,” he said, sourly.
Cale stared at him for a long moment, his lips pressed tight. “See, that right there, that’s you being cranky.”
“Or maybe I just don’t want to hear about what weird kinky thing you and your girlfriend do together.”
Cale glared at him and Kris winced, running his hand over his head.
“Sorry. That was out of line and…uh, yeah, I see what you mean.” Kris said, sighing deeply.
Cale printed out fifteen pages of FAQs about the puppy pile workshop and made sure that Kris read all the rules. He helped Kris pick out his pajamas and Kris made sure to shower and shave before packing up his small bag and driving to the yoga center.
The room had clean and soft looking mats and pillows of different sizes scattered everywhere. A few people were sitting around, talking softly with each other. A few were anxious and keeping to themselves, listening to their iPods.
“Hi, welcome to the workshop. I’m Adele Jones.”
He smiled at the peppy brunette. She wore khaki pants and a green tee-shirt with the words “Cuddle Lifeguard” on it. Her hair was in two braids and she looked like she was just a teenager, but Cale had reassured him that it wasn’t illegal, it wasn’t about sex or getting off, but consensual touching and shared affection. The workshop facilitators were all licensed professionals and Kris bit his tongue before he asked just how many years did it take someone to become a cuddle expert. He hated it whenever Cale gave him that ‘I’m disappointed in you, Kristopher’ look.
“Kris Allen. Nice to meet you.” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, maybe this wasn’t a good idea and-“
“If you’re nervous about people knowing who you are, we’ve never had any instances of people being indiscreet. We have a celebrity clientele but we prefer not to make any of our workshops exclusive to just one group,” she said, her face and tone serious. “I know this is your first visit to one of our workshops, but I promise you that you won’t regret it if you give it a chance.” She lowered her voice and gave him a small smile. “And honestly, just because you’re a celebrity doesn’t mean that anyone will ask to cuddle with you. Sometimes, people get intimidated if they’re in a session with someone famous. So, just relax and try to be open to the experience.”
He had to admit that she was good. He gave her a nervous smile, taking a deep breath and nodding slowly. He hated to admit it, but Cale was right. Kris really did need…something like this.
She took his hand and squeezed it reassuring, her smile warm but professional. “Would you like to get changed first? We’ll be starting in a few more minutes.”
“Yeah, thanks,” he said as she led him to the men’s room.
He took off his clothes, packing them into his bag, and wondered if he should drop his boxers and decided that it would be a better idea to keep them on. He slipped into his blue and green plaid pajama bottoms and pulled on his favorite Beatles tee-shirt, washed so threadbare it was velvety soft. He breathed into his hand to smell his breath and decided that he should brush his teeth.
More people had come into the room by the time Kris was finished. He propped his bag and shoes against the wall with the other bags and rubbed his hands nervously on his legs, looking around.
“Hey. I’m Jason. Is this your first workshop?”
Kris looked at the shorter man and smiled, shaking his hand. “Hey. I’m, uh, Kris. My friend told me that I should come to one of these, uh, workshops so, uh…here I am.” He gave a nervous chuckle as Jason just gave him a wide smile.
“It’s not as weird as you think,” Jason said, nodding. “There are rules and everything. We’re going to have a welcome circle in a minute and you’ll find out what you need to know. Just relax. This is a safe place. Everything is with your consent. All right?”
Kris had no idea what he was talking about but he grinned and nodded. “All right. Thanks, man.”
“Sure thing.”
Adele looked around the room and clapped her hands. “Okay, everyone, let’s get this workshop started. If you’d like to sit on the mat and form a circle, we can do our introductions and talk about the rules and go over the workshop format.”
Kris bit his lip as he watched the others sitting down. He slipped in between a young woman with long blonde hair and a very tall guy with spiky black hair. They smiled and made room for him right away and Kris breathed a little easier, swallowing down his nerves.
“Great. Well, I’m Adele and I’m one of three Cuddle Lifeguards on duty tonight. Over there we have Sam Goodman-“ Kris turned to see a man with dark red hair and dark freckles waving at them. Kris grinned, he liked the freckles. “-and we have my sister, Karla Jones over there.” Karla looked like Adele’s twin except she was shorter. “Sam, Karla and I are here to just help you make this experience as gentle and as rewarding as possible. Affectionate touch is necessary in our lives. It reduces stress and promotes healing. Touch is a means of communication. Touch is one of our five senses and it’s one of the ways that we learn about and understand the world. Touch feeds us and nurtures us. And when it’s missing from our lives, we find ourselves starved for it, and to be honest, we find substitutions for touch in sometimes self-destructive ways.”
Kris watched as people nodded their heads; and okay, Kris kind of was getting it. The spiky, black-haired guy next to him let out a forlorn sigh and Kris felt an overwhelming urge to hug him. He curled his hands into a fist and tucked them under his legs.
Adele smiled at them. “The next three hours will be for free-form connecting and cuddling. You don’t have to feel under pressure to cuddle. This space is a safe place. You can start with just talking with each other, finding things in common, whatever you are comfortable with. You don’t even have to join in. No one can force you into talking. We ask each other for permission. You don’t have to give your consent and we will respect your choice. If you feel comfortable, you can move to the next stage, trying out some shorter, clearly defined affection, such as neck rubs or back rubs or foot rubs. It’s up to you to offer and it’s up you to consent.”
Kris watched as a couple of people curled their feet under their pajama pants. He smiled, looking at his socked feet. He curled his toes within the socks. He didn’t like people touching his feet either.
“We hold these workshops at night because this is the time when you can relax and unwind from a long day - a long week, a long year - and napping together and cuddling is an intensely joyful state to be in,” she continued, kind of bouncing on her feet. “This is a time of resting. And if you feel comfortable, you can move closer together and cuddle with each other. Think of it as newborn puppies piling up on each other. Just remember to ask for permission and to wait for consent. If consent isn’t given, it’s not rejection; it’s a choice by that person and we respect everyone’s boundaries and choices. Before I go on, does anyone have any questions?”
One of the men raised his hand, his face a little red. “Um, well, what happens if we, you know, get aroused?”
There were soft, embarrassed chuckles around the circle and Sam stepped towards them, hands on his hips. “I mean, we’re all human and being in a close and intimate setting like this can sometimes get us aroused. But this isn’t about sex. This is about affectionate touching. If you get aroused, it’s okay, but just make sure you communicate that if you are cuddling with someone. It doesn’t have to be a big deal unless it is. Adele, Karla and I are here to diffuse any uncomfortable situations during the workshop. Just raise your hand if you feel uncomfortable and we’ll be there to help you.”
“Okay, so that’s the workshop,” Adele said, nodding her thanks at Sam. “Any other things that you feel concerned about?”
Kris watched as people shook their heads. He thought that some of them were ready to start cuddling.
“Karla will go over the rules. I know some of you have been to the workshop before, but we’d like to make sure that everyone knows the rules before we start.”
“Thanks, Adele! Hey everyone, I’m Karla, and these are the rules of our workshop:
1. Pajamas and clothes stay on.
2. No sex.
3. Kissing, hugging, cuddling, and nuzzling are acceptable but you must ask for permission and receive a verbal yes before you touch anyone.
4. You don’t have to cuddle anyone. Period.
5. If you mean yes, say yes. If you mean no, say no.
6. You can change your mind at any time.
7. We respect that someone changed their mind.
8. No dry humping.
9. Touching can bring out intense emotions. Feel free to laugh or giggle or cry. This is a safe place.
10. Please keep what happens in our workshops private. We ask that you do not gossip about other people.
11. Please say thank you and have good cuddle manners.”
Karla grinned at her sister and took a couple of steps back from the circle.
Kris sighed, biting his lip and wondering if he could just run out of there. What in the world were ‘good cuddle manners’ anyhow?
“Okay, everyone, let’s do our introductions and when you feel comfortable, you can start.”
Kris listened carefully as each person spoke. Many of the women were shy and didn’t give a lot of information about themselves. Some of the guys were trying to hide behind their bravado. Kris listened to everyone, trying to remember names. He was going to be cuddling with some of them, maybe, so he thought he should at least try to know their names.
“Hi! I’m Adam. I’m here because my boyfriend dumped me four months ago and I really just miss cuddling with someone and I’m not a one night stand kind of guy,” the spiky, black-haired guy said, his voice light and musical. He smiled and then turned to look at Kris and Kris swallowed, seeing a pair of bright blue eyes.
“Hi, uh, I’m Kris. I’m here because my best friend said that I was touch starved and cranky. It’s, uh, kind of hard to connect with people. I’ve been here for six months, um, working on some stuff, and people are kind of, well, there’s not a lot of hugging in LA, I guess?”
There was soft laughter of agreement from the other people in the circle and Kris smiled, blushing slightly.
He listened to the rest of the people and bit his lip nervously as Adele waved her hand, giving them permission to start. Kris didn’t know where to start. He saw a few people sitting on the mat, talking to the person next to them. He watched as the pretty blonde to his right consented to the guy who asked if he could touch her hair.
“So where are you from, Kris?”
Kris looked up to see Adam smiling at him. “I’m from Arkansas.”
“I thought I heard an accent.” He said, curling one leg under him and swiveling so that he was facing Kris. He held out his hand. “I’m Adam.”
Kris shook his hand, feeling a warm buzz from the way that Adam’s hand just seemed to swallow Kris’s hand - not that Kris had small hands or anything. He saw that Adam’s fingernails were painted a sparkly dark blue. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You look pretty nervous.”
“I guess I am,” he said, nodding. “I’ve never been to one of these things before.”
“It’s kind of like a slumber party, you know, except we don’t assume that people want to be touched,” Adam said, looking at him. “Look, I’m going to lie down. Is that okay?”
“Sure,” he said, blinking quickly. No one had ever asked him for permission to lie down before, it was kind of strange. He watched as Adam snagged one of the pillows, curling it under his chin and snuggling down on his stomach. He turned his head so that he could still look at Kris.
“So what do you do? Do you want to talk about stuff like that?”
Kris bit his lip. “I work in the music industry,” he said, keeping his voice low.
Adam grinned. “Anything I might have heard?”
He was wary about people knowing that he was at a puppy pile workshop, but he didn’t think Adam was the kind of person who would gossip. “I worked on a couple of songs for ‘Sirk and the Dirty Minds’.”
Adam leaned up on his elbow. “That’s awesome! I saw you - I mean, I saw them at the Viper Room a couple of months ago.” He made a face. “Do you want me to keep pretending that I don’t recognize you? Because that’s totally cool and I can, I don’t mind.”
Kris looked at the mat and grinned, then looked over at Adam. “Nah, it would’ve been too hard to keep track of anyway. I was never a good liar.” He sighed, looking around to snag a cushion behind him. “You mind if I crash out, too?”
“Go ahead,” Adam said, waving his hand at the mat between them. “Get comfy.”
He took a deep breath and moved on his side, propping his head up with his hand, the cushion tucked against his chest to prop him up. He looked at Adam for a long moment. “Have you been to these things before?”
“Sure, a few times,” he said, nodding. “I used to come here with my boyfriend before he dumped me. I thought we were making progress with our communication and stuff but it obviously didn’t work out that way. I mean, he dumped me so that he could start dating one of the guys that he cuddled with here.”
Kris blinked. “That’s really...low.”
“I know, right!” Adam said, rolling his eyes. “But like I said during introductions, I really do miss the cuddling more than anything else. I mean, if I wanted to get laid, I’d just go into a WeHo club and find a cute twink and go for it, you know. But I’m not that kind of guy. I miss having a boyfriend and cuddling.”
He really didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t met anyone who was so open with him in the first few minutes of meeting him. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
“So you know my story, what’s your story?” He said and then widened his blue eyes. “Hey, I mean, you just met me but I hope you know that you can trust me. I’m not going to go blab to some tabloid or whatever. We have real strict rules about stuff like that here and everything.”
Kris was usually good at reading people. He had good instincts and his gut was telling him that Adam was one of those ‘you get what you see’ kind of guy. All of Kris’s close friendships were based on him listening to his gut telling him ‘this person is good’. He grinned and took a deep breath. “I like hugging. It’s kind of embarrassing how much I like hugging. Back home, I hug everyone and…it’s different here. I just hug people because I’m happy; but when I hug people here, they think I want something or they think they’re going to get something from me.”
“And it was just a hug, right?”
“Right,” Kris said, nodding solemnly. He was glad Adam understood. “So my friend Cale said that I was cranky because I wasn’t getting hugged enough.” He shrugged his shoulder. “Maybe he’s right.”
“Do you need a hug, Kris?”
Kris blinked, staring at him.
“If you want a hug, stand up for a sec,” Adam said, rolling to his feet gracefully. Kris stared up at him as Adam smiled, holding out a hand for him.
Oh, what the heck.
Kris reached up and Adam helped him to his feet. He felt kind of silly standing there with Adam while other people were on the mat. Adam smiled and held out his arms slightly.
“I’m ready when you are,” he said, earnestly.
Something about that was so completely dorky that it made Kris laugh. He didn’t even know it but he had taken a step closer to Adam and wrapped his arms around Adam, laughing into his chest. He heard Adam chuckling, felt the vibrations against his cheek through Adam’s chest and arms. Kris sighed, closing his eyes when he felt Adam curl his arms around his back, his large hands rubbing his shoulder gently.
“Ohmygod, this is great,” Kris whispered, snuggling in closer against Adam. It was so strange, but Kris found that he fit perfectly against Adam. “You-this is-“
“I’ve been told that I give the best hugs,” Adam said, softly, his lips against Kris’s temple. Kris made a happy sound, completely content with being hugged. “Go ahead, take your time.”
Kris totally indulged in being hugged by Adam for a long time. He sighed and took a step back, smiling shakily up at Adam. He felt Adam’s hands squeeze his shoulders, looking at Kris.
“You all right?”
Kris nodded, biting his lip. “Yeah. Yeah, thanks, Adam.”
“Do you want to lie down and…cuddle for a little while?” Adam said, hopefully.
“Yeah,” he said, moving down to the mat. Adam grabbed a bigger cushion and tucked it under his head, moving to his right side. “Um…is this side okay?”
Kris chuckled and looked at him. “I guess I’m going to be the little spoon.”
“Of course you’re going to be the little spoon,” he said, jovially. “But if you prefer to do the spooning, I’m all right with that, too.”
He considered it. He looked at Adam - his body warm and long and firm. It was like having his very own…he didn’t know what to call him without making it sound like some stupid cliché.
“Kris?”
“Sorry, I was just…in my head,” he said, meeting Adam’s eyes and seeing genuine concern on his face. He smiled and moved to his side, tucking against Adam and letting out a soft sigh. “This is really kind of nice.”
“Yeah?” Adam murmured against his ear. Kris nodded and closed his eyes, sinking in against Adam’s warmth. He felt Adam’s hand on his chest. “Can I? Is it okay if my hand is here?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, just to make sure. “Thank you, Adam.”
Adam chuckled softly. “You don’t have to thank me. I need this, too.”
Kris smiled, feeling the tension in his body slip away, one section at a time. He could feel Adam’s steady breath against his neck, feel the thump of his heartbeat against his back where he was tucked in close to Adam’s chest. He let out a soft sound when Adam’s hand stroked his chest. It wasn’t sexual, just…comforting.
He drifted off to the sounds of people’s soft voices around them, feeling safe with this stranger named Adam.
***
Kris opened his eyes and found his face tucked into Adam’s neck. At some point during his nap, he must’ve turned around to face Adam, snuggling in tight against him. He was feeling kind of hot and a little sweaty, being pressed so close to Adam, who was like a heater or running a high fever because he was hot.
He bit his lip hard when he realized that he was hard and pressing against Adam’s thigh.
“Ohhh…sorry,” he whispered, trying to pull away. One of his legs was tucked in between Adam’s knees. “God, this is so-“
“Quit squirming around,” Adam said, chuckling softly. “You’re not the only one.”
And Kris blinked, realizing that Adam was hard against his hip. “I’m…I’m not worried if you aren’t?”
“It’s all right,” he said, opening his eyes and looking at Kris. “It’s a natural reaction. I love this; and my body really likes how you feel. It’s okay, just relax. I’m not going to do anything to make you uncomfortable.”
Kris nodded, tucking his head back against Adam’s shoulder, breathing him in deeply. He was sleep warm and smelled like chocolate and fabric softener and very male. “How long do we have?”
“Probably another hour or so. Do you want to nap some more?”
“Yeah,” he said, rubbing his nose against Adam’s throat. “Sorry if I drooled on you.”
Adam chuckled softly, a large hand stroking the back of Kris’s head and down to his neck.
***
Kris was propped up on two cushions while Adam’s head was propped up on his stomach. He reached down and ran his fingers through Adam’s thick black hair, listening to Adam talk about musical theatre and being a club kid and his ex-turned-best friend Brad and someone named Lee who had a baby and Adam was a Godfather and how he used to be a redhead and how much he hated his freckles and that he wanted to get another tattoo.
He grinned, listening to the rhythm of Adam’s voice, wondering what he sounded like as a singer. “Do you go to any open mics or anything like that?”
“Well, I sometimes sing in a band and we play gigs locally,” he said, looking at Kris.
“Do you think you could, you know, maybe invite me?”
Adam laughed softly. “You want to hear me sing?”
“Or I could come to one of your theater shows?”
He looked down when Adam lifted his head, turning on his side to gaze up at Kris. “You know that I didn’t tell you all that so you could, you know, use your music industry connections to help me out, right? I mean, I have a plan. I know I can make it and-“
“I just want to hear you sing,” he said, simply. “You could totally suck anyway.”
“Bite your tongue, Kristopher, I do not suck!” Adam said, dramatically. He snickered and pressed his cheek on Kris’s stomach. “Well, I do suck in other ways.” He waggled his eyebrows and Kris laughed, running his fingers through Adam’s hair again and scratching at his scalp.
“God, that feels so good,” Adam said, closing his eyes and literally purring. “Mmmmm…can you keep doing that until it’s time to go home?”
Kris sighed, leaning back against the cushions and closing his eyes. He kept stroking and petting and scratching at Adam’s head, keeping his touch firm and gentle. He grinned when he felt Adam’s hand stroking up and down Kris’s other arm, blunt nails tracing down his skin and making him shiver slightly. He opened his eyes to see Adam watching him, his blue eyes nearly hidden from lowered eyelids, looking sexy and pleased.
“Okay everyone, our time is coming to an end,” Adele said, her voice seemed so loud in the quiet room.
Kris and Adam sighed, moving to sit up. Kris rubbed the back of his neck and grinned shyly at Adam, missing the weight of his head on his stomach, the feel of his hand on his skin. Slowly, the people around them started to sit up, stretching their arms and backs, cheerful chattering filling the room.
“If you’d form a circle, we can do a quick goodbye circle,” Karla said, moving to stand with Adele and Sam.
Kris found himself sitting close enough to Adam that their arms brushed. Adam turned and gave him a small, happy smile. Kris smiled back and he felt his cheeks heat up. Adele chuckled and Kris looked up at the young woman, feeling lighter and happier than when he first came into the center.
The goodbye circle was just everyone talking about their experience in the workshop, something that they learned or something that they got that they needed. Kris bit his lip when Adam spoke:
“I’m really glad to have come tonight because I think I made a new friend and I think I found someone who needs cuddling and hugging as much as I do.”
He gave Kris a quick glance and Kris smiled at him, ducking his head and feeling his face get even hotter. He cleared his throat when it was his turn. He looked at Adam and then at the other people in the circle. He was pleased to see that everyone had that same warm, pleased expression.
“This was my first time here and I think I found what I needed,” he said, softly.
Adele finished the session with cheerful and hopeful parting words. Kris stood up and stretched, rising to his toes and letting out a heartfelt groan. He opened his eyes to see Adam staring at him, mouth parted slightly, eyes dark and intense. He blinked and smiled.
“It’s…kind of late,” he said, stupidly. “But I don’t think I can sleep when I get home.”
Adam’s smile grew and he raised his eyebrow. “You know, there are some surefire ways to help you get to sleep.”
“Really?” He said, picking up his backpack and slipping into his sneakers. “Like what?”
“Warm milk usually is the number one choice,” Adam murmured, picking up his bag and his leather jacket. He followed Kris out into the parking lot.
“What if I’m lactose intolerant? What should I do then?”
Adam considered it for a long moment, looking at Kris’s mouth. “Well, there’s always sex.”
Kris opened his mouth and stared at him. “You-you don’t pull punches.”
Adam laughed, throwing back his head. “Sex is usually the best option for when you can’t sleep. Everyone knows that.”
“Oh.”
Kris stopped beside his car, jangling his keys in his hand.
“Is this your car?”
“Yeah.” He looked around the nearly abandoned parking lot. Everyone else had left. “Is your car around here?”
“I walked actually. I just live a couple of blocks over,” Adam said, smiling at him.
Kris smiled back. “Do you want a ride, Adam?”
He watched as Adam licked his lips. “That would be a great idea.”
Kris unlocked the car doors and watched as Adam got in the passenger side. He slipped behind the wheel and watched as Adam adjusted the seat, pushing it back to accommodate his long legs. He snickered, shutting the door and starting the engine. “You know-“
Adam grabbed him and kissed him, long tongue sliding into his mouth, licking him slowly. Kris moaned, breathless and surprised and pleased. He licked at Adam’s tongue, sucking it and using his teeth to nip, turning and trying to get closer to him.
“I’ve wanted to do that all night.”
“Seriously, do you live nearby?” Kris said, in between kisses.
Adam chuckled, his hands stroking Kris’s head. “My car is right next to yours.”
“Oh,” Kris said, pulling away and looking up at him. “Uhhh…”
“I really don’t do one night stands,” he said, tracing Kris’s ear with his fingers. “And you are fucking adorable.”
Kris trembled and turned his face, pressing a kiss into Adam’s palm. “Do you-would you go out with me tomorrow night? Dinner? Bowling? I don’t know. Uh. Movie?”
Adam chuckled and looked at him. “Chinese takeout and cuddling on the couch watching a movie?”
“Yes, that sounds better,” he said, nodding slowly. “That sounds perfect.”
“I almost didn’t come to this session tonight,” Adam said, grinning widely. “I was going to go out with Brad and Cassidy, drink my sorrows away, so to speak, but I’m glad I didn’t go out with them.”
Kris smiled. “I almost walked out twice.” He reached up and ran his fingers down Adam’s cheek, lingering on his lips, tracing down his chin to his neck. “I’m glad I didn’t.”
“So you’re not cranky anymore?” Adam teased, leaning forward to kiss him softly, just a brush of his lips against Kris’s mouth.
“I don’t think I’m going to be cranky for a long, long time.”
The End.
******
A Timestamp Epilogue
Adam wasn’t usually jealous of anyone that Kris loved. For the most part, he accepted all of Kris’s family and friends and he was pleased that they liked and accepted Adam as well.
But the latest love in Kris’s life was proving to be…difficult. He took all of Kris’s attention - attention away from Adam; and Adam was learning that he didn’t want to share Kris.
Zorro was a cute, adorable little thing with big brown eyes, huge ears, and cute little ass. Kris loved him unconditionally. The French bulldog puppy was, for a lack of a better word, loveable.
But Adam hated the little monster.
He had these wild fantasies:
Zorro would get lost and Kris, of course, would be inconsolable. Adam would try his best to distract Kris with blowjobs and handjobs and non-stop sex. He’d tie Kris to their bed and fuck him and fuck him and fuck him for hours and hours, making Kris moan and scream until he was hoarse, until he forgot all about Zorro and only had Adam on his mind.
Or Zorro would just walk out the door one day and disappear. Adam would hold Kris’s hand as they ran through the neighborhood, calling his name, but Zorro would never reappear and Adam would cuddle Kris in their huge bed, kissing the back of his neck, and telling him how much Adam loved him, over and over again.
Adam grinned. He loved these fantasies where he’d have Kris all to himself again.
Woof! Woof!
He sighed, looking at the little dog as he lifted his front paws, hooking them over the edge of the couch, looking up at Adam.
“Adam! Could you take Zorro for a walk? I think he wants you to take him out,” Kris called from the kitchen.
Adam frowned, staring at the dog.
Woo-oof?
“Stop mocking me,” he whispered at Zorro.
“Adam?”
“All right, baby, we’ll be right back!” Adam called, standing up and snapping his fingers at Zorro. “All right, let’s get this over with.”
He found Zorro’s red leash and hooked it on his red collar. “Kris, we’ll be back!”
“Okay, have fun!”
Adam opened the door and led Zorro out to the front of the house, walking the two blocks to the small park in the heart of the neighborhood.
“Look, Zorro, don’t take this personally but we’re going to have to talk about this,” Adam said, looking at the dog. “You see, Kris is mine. I was here first and you’re…you’re getting in my way.”
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Adam sighed, rolling his eyes. “Yes, I know you’re adorable and that Kris loves you, but I need my special time with him, too. You take up way too much of his attention and this has to stop.” He gave Zorro a long look. “Or else.”
Zorro completely ignored him, moving ahead on his short, pudgy legs as he started sniffing the grass, searching out every delicious smell he could find.
“Ignore me all you want but I’m telling you that this is going to end,” Adam murmured, sitting down on a nearby park bench. He leaned down and unhooked the leash from Zorro’s collar and gave his bottom a little pat. “Don’t go far.”
He reached into his pocket for his iPhone, scrolling down his messages to read his latest texts. He grinned, typing out a message for Cassidy to meet him later to look at his new line of suits.
He glanced up and then looked up, scanning the park for Zorro. He frowned, sitting up straight on the park bench. “Zorro!”
Huh. Where did that little monster go now? Jesus, it’s not like Adam has time to be running around looking for him.
“Zorro! Get over here now!”
He stood up, walking into the park, looking around. Where did he go, the little shit?
“Zorro!”
He shoved his phone into his pocket and started whistling.
“Come on, Zorro! Let’s go home! Come on, boy!” He stood still, looking around the park, listening. “Zorro!” He whistled again. “ZORRO?”
He let out a loud breath.
“Goddamn it. Zorro! ZORRO! Come here, boy! Zorro!”
He started walking towards the small wooded area. Zorro was a curious and fearless puppy and it wouldn’t surprise him if that annoying little pest chased after a squirrel and got lost.
“ZORRO!” He shouted, his voice echoing in the park. “Damn it! Zorro! Come here now!”
Oh fuck. Kris was going to kill him if he lost that stupid dog.
“Zorro! Come on, Zorro! Come here!”
Adam shoved his hand through his hair, looking around. Should he call Kris? What if something happened to that little mutt? What if someone stole him? What the hell was he going to tell Kris? Kris was going to be heartbroken!
“ZORRO!” He shouted, whistling loudly again. “Please, Zorro! Where are you?”
And then he heard it.
Woooo-oof.
“Zorro!” He called, clapping his hand and whistling. “Come here, boy!”
Woof! Woof!
Adam walked towards the playground, his heart hammering in his chest when he saw Zorro barking and playing near the monkey bars.
“Zorro!”
He watched as the puppy perked up his ears, turning his head to look at Adam. He sank on his little butt, tongue lolling out as he panted. Adam ran towards him and reached down, picking him up and hugging him.
“Don’t you ever do that to me again, do you hear me? Don’t ever run away like that. You scared me to death!” Adam kissed his little face, laughing when Zorro licked him and licked him, squirming in Adam’s tight hold. “Jesus Christ.”
He gently set Zorro on the ground and hooked the red leash on his collar, looking down at the smiling dog.
“Okay, look, let’s make a deal,” he said, sitting down on the grass and looking at him. “We both love Kris so we have to call a truce. You can spend time with him, but you have to let me have him for our private time. You can’t be coming into the bedroom whenever you want and jumping on the bed when I’m trying to make nice-nice with your daddy. And you can’t scratch at the door and cry when the door’s closed. It’s distracting and it makes your daddy feel guilty and then there’s no more nice-nice with Adam. Okay? So let’s call a truce right now.”
He held out his hand and Zorro looked up at him, licking his chops, and then held up one of his paws, waving it at Adam.
“Okay, truce?”
Woof?
“All right then, we’ll share him. Fifty-fifty,” he said, stroking his hand down Zorro’s head, scratching behind his ear. “Eight-twenty?”
Grrrrrr.
“Fine. Sixty-forty.”
Woof!
Adam laughed and picked Zorro up, cradling him against his chest and nuzzling behind one of the big ears. He stood up and decided that he’d carry Zorro home. He was adorable and soft and warm - kind of like Kris - and Adam felt his heart grow warm at the thought of Kris at home, waiting for them, nothing but happy smiles and laughter and love.
“Good boy, Zorro,” he whispered, placing a kiss on top of Zorro’s head. “Good boy.”
Woof.
THE END.
Author: house_of_lantis
Pairing: Kradam
Rating: R
Warning: Crack, humor, schmoop, language, a lot of consensual touching, sexuality.
Author’s Note 1: Written for RAK winner deannawol based on her prompt: Puppy.
Anthor’s Note 2: Cuddle Parties or Puppy Pile Parties or Cuddle Workshops actually do exist and come with very strict rules for how to comport oneself at one of these events (the welcome circle and rules are an amalgamation of several different FAQ websites).
Summary: Kris is not getting his usual amount of physical affection and it’s starting to show in his unusual crankiness. Cale sends him to a puppy pile workshop in the hopes that consensual and affectionate touching will help Kris through his dry spell.
*****
Kris liked meeting new people. He just didn’t expect that after five minutes of meeting them that he’d be cuddling with them.
It was Cale’s idea to send Kris to the puppy pile workshop at the posh Santa Monica Yoga Center in downtown West Hollywood.
“You need to get hugged.”
Kris raised his eyebrow. “I’m not desperate enough to get hugged by strangers, dude.”
“Don’t be judgmental. And yes, you are. You need hugs and you’re getting kind of out of control,” Cale said, looking at him intently.
“I am not,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, it sounds kind of sleazy to me. Like you’re paying for someone to feel you up or something.”
“There’s nothing sleazy about it and there’s no feeling people up, you moron. It’s pretty great. Katie and I go every few months. It’s helping us with our communication and-“
“Uh, thanks for sharing, dude,” he said, sourly.
Cale stared at him for a long moment, his lips pressed tight. “See, that right there, that’s you being cranky.”
“Or maybe I just don’t want to hear about what weird kinky thing you and your girlfriend do together.”
Cale glared at him and Kris winced, running his hand over his head.
“Sorry. That was out of line and…uh, yeah, I see what you mean.” Kris said, sighing deeply.
Cale printed out fifteen pages of FAQs about the puppy pile workshop and made sure that Kris read all the rules. He helped Kris pick out his pajamas and Kris made sure to shower and shave before packing up his small bag and driving to the yoga center.
The room had clean and soft looking mats and pillows of different sizes scattered everywhere. A few people were sitting around, talking softly with each other. A few were anxious and keeping to themselves, listening to their iPods.
“Hi, welcome to the workshop. I’m Adele Jones.”
He smiled at the peppy brunette. She wore khaki pants and a green tee-shirt with the words “Cuddle Lifeguard” on it. Her hair was in two braids and she looked like she was just a teenager, but Cale had reassured him that it wasn’t illegal, it wasn’t about sex or getting off, but consensual touching and shared affection. The workshop facilitators were all licensed professionals and Kris bit his tongue before he asked just how many years did it take someone to become a cuddle expert. He hated it whenever Cale gave him that ‘I’m disappointed in you, Kristopher’ look.
“Kris Allen. Nice to meet you.” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, maybe this wasn’t a good idea and-“
“If you’re nervous about people knowing who you are, we’ve never had any instances of people being indiscreet. We have a celebrity clientele but we prefer not to make any of our workshops exclusive to just one group,” she said, her face and tone serious. “I know this is your first visit to one of our workshops, but I promise you that you won’t regret it if you give it a chance.” She lowered her voice and gave him a small smile. “And honestly, just because you’re a celebrity doesn’t mean that anyone will ask to cuddle with you. Sometimes, people get intimidated if they’re in a session with someone famous. So, just relax and try to be open to the experience.”
He had to admit that she was good. He gave her a nervous smile, taking a deep breath and nodding slowly. He hated to admit it, but Cale was right. Kris really did need…something like this.
She took his hand and squeezed it reassuring, her smile warm but professional. “Would you like to get changed first? We’ll be starting in a few more minutes.”
“Yeah, thanks,” he said as she led him to the men’s room.
He took off his clothes, packing them into his bag, and wondered if he should drop his boxers and decided that it would be a better idea to keep them on. He slipped into his blue and green plaid pajama bottoms and pulled on his favorite Beatles tee-shirt, washed so threadbare it was velvety soft. He breathed into his hand to smell his breath and decided that he should brush his teeth.
More people had come into the room by the time Kris was finished. He propped his bag and shoes against the wall with the other bags and rubbed his hands nervously on his legs, looking around.
“Hey. I’m Jason. Is this your first workshop?”
Kris looked at the shorter man and smiled, shaking his hand. “Hey. I’m, uh, Kris. My friend told me that I should come to one of these, uh, workshops so, uh…here I am.” He gave a nervous chuckle as Jason just gave him a wide smile.
“It’s not as weird as you think,” Jason said, nodding. “There are rules and everything. We’re going to have a welcome circle in a minute and you’ll find out what you need to know. Just relax. This is a safe place. Everything is with your consent. All right?”
Kris had no idea what he was talking about but he grinned and nodded. “All right. Thanks, man.”
“Sure thing.”
Adele looked around the room and clapped her hands. “Okay, everyone, let’s get this workshop started. If you’d like to sit on the mat and form a circle, we can do our introductions and talk about the rules and go over the workshop format.”
Kris bit his lip as he watched the others sitting down. He slipped in between a young woman with long blonde hair and a very tall guy with spiky black hair. They smiled and made room for him right away and Kris breathed a little easier, swallowing down his nerves.
“Great. Well, I’m Adele and I’m one of three Cuddle Lifeguards on duty tonight. Over there we have Sam Goodman-“ Kris turned to see a man with dark red hair and dark freckles waving at them. Kris grinned, he liked the freckles. “-and we have my sister, Karla Jones over there.” Karla looked like Adele’s twin except she was shorter. “Sam, Karla and I are here to just help you make this experience as gentle and as rewarding as possible. Affectionate touch is necessary in our lives. It reduces stress and promotes healing. Touch is a means of communication. Touch is one of our five senses and it’s one of the ways that we learn about and understand the world. Touch feeds us and nurtures us. And when it’s missing from our lives, we find ourselves starved for it, and to be honest, we find substitutions for touch in sometimes self-destructive ways.”
Kris watched as people nodded their heads; and okay, Kris kind of was getting it. The spiky, black-haired guy next to him let out a forlorn sigh and Kris felt an overwhelming urge to hug him. He curled his hands into a fist and tucked them under his legs.
Adele smiled at them. “The next three hours will be for free-form connecting and cuddling. You don’t have to feel under pressure to cuddle. This space is a safe place. You can start with just talking with each other, finding things in common, whatever you are comfortable with. You don’t even have to join in. No one can force you into talking. We ask each other for permission. You don’t have to give your consent and we will respect your choice. If you feel comfortable, you can move to the next stage, trying out some shorter, clearly defined affection, such as neck rubs or back rubs or foot rubs. It’s up to you to offer and it’s up you to consent.”
Kris watched as a couple of people curled their feet under their pajama pants. He smiled, looking at his socked feet. He curled his toes within the socks. He didn’t like people touching his feet either.
“We hold these workshops at night because this is the time when you can relax and unwind from a long day - a long week, a long year - and napping together and cuddling is an intensely joyful state to be in,” she continued, kind of bouncing on her feet. “This is a time of resting. And if you feel comfortable, you can move closer together and cuddle with each other. Think of it as newborn puppies piling up on each other. Just remember to ask for permission and to wait for consent. If consent isn’t given, it’s not rejection; it’s a choice by that person and we respect everyone’s boundaries and choices. Before I go on, does anyone have any questions?”
One of the men raised his hand, his face a little red. “Um, well, what happens if we, you know, get aroused?”
There were soft, embarrassed chuckles around the circle and Sam stepped towards them, hands on his hips. “I mean, we’re all human and being in a close and intimate setting like this can sometimes get us aroused. But this isn’t about sex. This is about affectionate touching. If you get aroused, it’s okay, but just make sure you communicate that if you are cuddling with someone. It doesn’t have to be a big deal unless it is. Adele, Karla and I are here to diffuse any uncomfortable situations during the workshop. Just raise your hand if you feel uncomfortable and we’ll be there to help you.”
“Okay, so that’s the workshop,” Adele said, nodding her thanks at Sam. “Any other things that you feel concerned about?”
Kris watched as people shook their heads. He thought that some of them were ready to start cuddling.
“Karla will go over the rules. I know some of you have been to the workshop before, but we’d like to make sure that everyone knows the rules before we start.”
“Thanks, Adele! Hey everyone, I’m Karla, and these are the rules of our workshop:
1. Pajamas and clothes stay on.
2. No sex.
3. Kissing, hugging, cuddling, and nuzzling are acceptable but you must ask for permission and receive a verbal yes before you touch anyone.
4. You don’t have to cuddle anyone. Period.
5. If you mean yes, say yes. If you mean no, say no.
6. You can change your mind at any time.
7. We respect that someone changed their mind.
8. No dry humping.
9. Touching can bring out intense emotions. Feel free to laugh or giggle or cry. This is a safe place.
10. Please keep what happens in our workshops private. We ask that you do not gossip about other people.
11. Please say thank you and have good cuddle manners.”
Karla grinned at her sister and took a couple of steps back from the circle.
Kris sighed, biting his lip and wondering if he could just run out of there. What in the world were ‘good cuddle manners’ anyhow?
“Okay, everyone, let’s do our introductions and when you feel comfortable, you can start.”
Kris listened carefully as each person spoke. Many of the women were shy and didn’t give a lot of information about themselves. Some of the guys were trying to hide behind their bravado. Kris listened to everyone, trying to remember names. He was going to be cuddling with some of them, maybe, so he thought he should at least try to know their names.
“Hi! I’m Adam. I’m here because my boyfriend dumped me four months ago and I really just miss cuddling with someone and I’m not a one night stand kind of guy,” the spiky, black-haired guy said, his voice light and musical. He smiled and then turned to look at Kris and Kris swallowed, seeing a pair of bright blue eyes.
“Hi, uh, I’m Kris. I’m here because my best friend said that I was touch starved and cranky. It’s, uh, kind of hard to connect with people. I’ve been here for six months, um, working on some stuff, and people are kind of, well, there’s not a lot of hugging in LA, I guess?”
There was soft laughter of agreement from the other people in the circle and Kris smiled, blushing slightly.
He listened to the rest of the people and bit his lip nervously as Adele waved her hand, giving them permission to start. Kris didn’t know where to start. He saw a few people sitting on the mat, talking to the person next to them. He watched as the pretty blonde to his right consented to the guy who asked if he could touch her hair.
“So where are you from, Kris?”
Kris looked up to see Adam smiling at him. “I’m from Arkansas.”
“I thought I heard an accent.” He said, curling one leg under him and swiveling so that he was facing Kris. He held out his hand. “I’m Adam.”
Kris shook his hand, feeling a warm buzz from the way that Adam’s hand just seemed to swallow Kris’s hand - not that Kris had small hands or anything. He saw that Adam’s fingernails were painted a sparkly dark blue. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You look pretty nervous.”
“I guess I am,” he said, nodding. “I’ve never been to one of these things before.”
“It’s kind of like a slumber party, you know, except we don’t assume that people want to be touched,” Adam said, looking at him. “Look, I’m going to lie down. Is that okay?”
“Sure,” he said, blinking quickly. No one had ever asked him for permission to lie down before, it was kind of strange. He watched as Adam snagged one of the pillows, curling it under his chin and snuggling down on his stomach. He turned his head so that he could still look at Kris.
“So what do you do? Do you want to talk about stuff like that?”
Kris bit his lip. “I work in the music industry,” he said, keeping his voice low.
Adam grinned. “Anything I might have heard?”
He was wary about people knowing that he was at a puppy pile workshop, but he didn’t think Adam was the kind of person who would gossip. “I worked on a couple of songs for ‘Sirk and the Dirty Minds’.”
Adam leaned up on his elbow. “That’s awesome! I saw you - I mean, I saw them at the Viper Room a couple of months ago.” He made a face. “Do you want me to keep pretending that I don’t recognize you? Because that’s totally cool and I can, I don’t mind.”
Kris looked at the mat and grinned, then looked over at Adam. “Nah, it would’ve been too hard to keep track of anyway. I was never a good liar.” He sighed, looking around to snag a cushion behind him. “You mind if I crash out, too?”
“Go ahead,” Adam said, waving his hand at the mat between them. “Get comfy.”
He took a deep breath and moved on his side, propping his head up with his hand, the cushion tucked against his chest to prop him up. He looked at Adam for a long moment. “Have you been to these things before?”
“Sure, a few times,” he said, nodding. “I used to come here with my boyfriend before he dumped me. I thought we were making progress with our communication and stuff but it obviously didn’t work out that way. I mean, he dumped me so that he could start dating one of the guys that he cuddled with here.”
Kris blinked. “That’s really...low.”
“I know, right!” Adam said, rolling his eyes. “But like I said during introductions, I really do miss the cuddling more than anything else. I mean, if I wanted to get laid, I’d just go into a WeHo club and find a cute twink and go for it, you know. But I’m not that kind of guy. I miss having a boyfriend and cuddling.”
He really didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t met anyone who was so open with him in the first few minutes of meeting him. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
“So you know my story, what’s your story?” He said and then widened his blue eyes. “Hey, I mean, you just met me but I hope you know that you can trust me. I’m not going to go blab to some tabloid or whatever. We have real strict rules about stuff like that here and everything.”
Kris was usually good at reading people. He had good instincts and his gut was telling him that Adam was one of those ‘you get what you see’ kind of guy. All of Kris’s close friendships were based on him listening to his gut telling him ‘this person is good’. He grinned and took a deep breath. “I like hugging. It’s kind of embarrassing how much I like hugging. Back home, I hug everyone and…it’s different here. I just hug people because I’m happy; but when I hug people here, they think I want something or they think they’re going to get something from me.”
“And it was just a hug, right?”
“Right,” Kris said, nodding solemnly. He was glad Adam understood. “So my friend Cale said that I was cranky because I wasn’t getting hugged enough.” He shrugged his shoulder. “Maybe he’s right.”
“Do you need a hug, Kris?”
Kris blinked, staring at him.
“If you want a hug, stand up for a sec,” Adam said, rolling to his feet gracefully. Kris stared up at him as Adam smiled, holding out a hand for him.
Oh, what the heck.
Kris reached up and Adam helped him to his feet. He felt kind of silly standing there with Adam while other people were on the mat. Adam smiled and held out his arms slightly.
“I’m ready when you are,” he said, earnestly.
Something about that was so completely dorky that it made Kris laugh. He didn’t even know it but he had taken a step closer to Adam and wrapped his arms around Adam, laughing into his chest. He heard Adam chuckling, felt the vibrations against his cheek through Adam’s chest and arms. Kris sighed, closing his eyes when he felt Adam curl his arms around his back, his large hands rubbing his shoulder gently.
“Ohmygod, this is great,” Kris whispered, snuggling in closer against Adam. It was so strange, but Kris found that he fit perfectly against Adam. “You-this is-“
“I’ve been told that I give the best hugs,” Adam said, softly, his lips against Kris’s temple. Kris made a happy sound, completely content with being hugged. “Go ahead, take your time.”
Kris totally indulged in being hugged by Adam for a long time. He sighed and took a step back, smiling shakily up at Adam. He felt Adam’s hands squeeze his shoulders, looking at Kris.
“You all right?”
Kris nodded, biting his lip. “Yeah. Yeah, thanks, Adam.”
“Do you want to lie down and…cuddle for a little while?” Adam said, hopefully.
“Yeah,” he said, moving down to the mat. Adam grabbed a bigger cushion and tucked it under his head, moving to his right side. “Um…is this side okay?”
Kris chuckled and looked at him. “I guess I’m going to be the little spoon.”
“Of course you’re going to be the little spoon,” he said, jovially. “But if you prefer to do the spooning, I’m all right with that, too.”
He considered it. He looked at Adam - his body warm and long and firm. It was like having his very own…he didn’t know what to call him without making it sound like some stupid cliché.
“Kris?”
“Sorry, I was just…in my head,” he said, meeting Adam’s eyes and seeing genuine concern on his face. He smiled and moved to his side, tucking against Adam and letting out a soft sigh. “This is really kind of nice.”
“Yeah?” Adam murmured against his ear. Kris nodded and closed his eyes, sinking in against Adam’s warmth. He felt Adam’s hand on his chest. “Can I? Is it okay if my hand is here?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, just to make sure. “Thank you, Adam.”
Adam chuckled softly. “You don’t have to thank me. I need this, too.”
Kris smiled, feeling the tension in his body slip away, one section at a time. He could feel Adam’s steady breath against his neck, feel the thump of his heartbeat against his back where he was tucked in close to Adam’s chest. He let out a soft sound when Adam’s hand stroked his chest. It wasn’t sexual, just…comforting.
He drifted off to the sounds of people’s soft voices around them, feeling safe with this stranger named Adam.
***
Kris opened his eyes and found his face tucked into Adam’s neck. At some point during his nap, he must’ve turned around to face Adam, snuggling in tight against him. He was feeling kind of hot and a little sweaty, being pressed so close to Adam, who was like a heater or running a high fever because he was hot.
He bit his lip hard when he realized that he was hard and pressing against Adam’s thigh.
“Ohhh…sorry,” he whispered, trying to pull away. One of his legs was tucked in between Adam’s knees. “God, this is so-“
“Quit squirming around,” Adam said, chuckling softly. “You’re not the only one.”
And Kris blinked, realizing that Adam was hard against his hip. “I’m…I’m not worried if you aren’t?”
“It’s all right,” he said, opening his eyes and looking at Kris. “It’s a natural reaction. I love this; and my body really likes how you feel. It’s okay, just relax. I’m not going to do anything to make you uncomfortable.”
Kris nodded, tucking his head back against Adam’s shoulder, breathing him in deeply. He was sleep warm and smelled like chocolate and fabric softener and very male. “How long do we have?”
“Probably another hour or so. Do you want to nap some more?”
“Yeah,” he said, rubbing his nose against Adam’s throat. “Sorry if I drooled on you.”
Adam chuckled softly, a large hand stroking the back of Kris’s head and down to his neck.
***
Kris was propped up on two cushions while Adam’s head was propped up on his stomach. He reached down and ran his fingers through Adam’s thick black hair, listening to Adam talk about musical theatre and being a club kid and his ex-turned-best friend Brad and someone named Lee who had a baby and Adam was a Godfather and how he used to be a redhead and how much he hated his freckles and that he wanted to get another tattoo.
He grinned, listening to the rhythm of Adam’s voice, wondering what he sounded like as a singer. “Do you go to any open mics or anything like that?”
“Well, I sometimes sing in a band and we play gigs locally,” he said, looking at Kris.
“Do you think you could, you know, maybe invite me?”
Adam laughed softly. “You want to hear me sing?”
“Or I could come to one of your theater shows?”
He looked down when Adam lifted his head, turning on his side to gaze up at Kris. “You know that I didn’t tell you all that so you could, you know, use your music industry connections to help me out, right? I mean, I have a plan. I know I can make it and-“
“I just want to hear you sing,” he said, simply. “You could totally suck anyway.”
“Bite your tongue, Kristopher, I do not suck!” Adam said, dramatically. He snickered and pressed his cheek on Kris’s stomach. “Well, I do suck in other ways.” He waggled his eyebrows and Kris laughed, running his fingers through Adam’s hair again and scratching at his scalp.
“God, that feels so good,” Adam said, closing his eyes and literally purring. “Mmmmm…can you keep doing that until it’s time to go home?”
Kris sighed, leaning back against the cushions and closing his eyes. He kept stroking and petting and scratching at Adam’s head, keeping his touch firm and gentle. He grinned when he felt Adam’s hand stroking up and down Kris’s other arm, blunt nails tracing down his skin and making him shiver slightly. He opened his eyes to see Adam watching him, his blue eyes nearly hidden from lowered eyelids, looking sexy and pleased.
“Okay everyone, our time is coming to an end,” Adele said, her voice seemed so loud in the quiet room.
Kris and Adam sighed, moving to sit up. Kris rubbed the back of his neck and grinned shyly at Adam, missing the weight of his head on his stomach, the feel of his hand on his skin. Slowly, the people around them started to sit up, stretching their arms and backs, cheerful chattering filling the room.
“If you’d form a circle, we can do a quick goodbye circle,” Karla said, moving to stand with Adele and Sam.
Kris found himself sitting close enough to Adam that their arms brushed. Adam turned and gave him a small, happy smile. Kris smiled back and he felt his cheeks heat up. Adele chuckled and Kris looked up at the young woman, feeling lighter and happier than when he first came into the center.
The goodbye circle was just everyone talking about their experience in the workshop, something that they learned or something that they got that they needed. Kris bit his lip when Adam spoke:
“I’m really glad to have come tonight because I think I made a new friend and I think I found someone who needs cuddling and hugging as much as I do.”
He gave Kris a quick glance and Kris smiled at him, ducking his head and feeling his face get even hotter. He cleared his throat when it was his turn. He looked at Adam and then at the other people in the circle. He was pleased to see that everyone had that same warm, pleased expression.
“This was my first time here and I think I found what I needed,” he said, softly.
Adele finished the session with cheerful and hopeful parting words. Kris stood up and stretched, rising to his toes and letting out a heartfelt groan. He opened his eyes to see Adam staring at him, mouth parted slightly, eyes dark and intense. He blinked and smiled.
“It’s…kind of late,” he said, stupidly. “But I don’t think I can sleep when I get home.”
Adam’s smile grew and he raised his eyebrow. “You know, there are some surefire ways to help you get to sleep.”
“Really?” He said, picking up his backpack and slipping into his sneakers. “Like what?”
“Warm milk usually is the number one choice,” Adam murmured, picking up his bag and his leather jacket. He followed Kris out into the parking lot.
“What if I’m lactose intolerant? What should I do then?”
Adam considered it for a long moment, looking at Kris’s mouth. “Well, there’s always sex.”
Kris opened his mouth and stared at him. “You-you don’t pull punches.”
Adam laughed, throwing back his head. “Sex is usually the best option for when you can’t sleep. Everyone knows that.”
“Oh.”
Kris stopped beside his car, jangling his keys in his hand.
“Is this your car?”
“Yeah.” He looked around the nearly abandoned parking lot. Everyone else had left. “Is your car around here?”
“I walked actually. I just live a couple of blocks over,” Adam said, smiling at him.
Kris smiled back. “Do you want a ride, Adam?”
He watched as Adam licked his lips. “That would be a great idea.”
Kris unlocked the car doors and watched as Adam got in the passenger side. He slipped behind the wheel and watched as Adam adjusted the seat, pushing it back to accommodate his long legs. He snickered, shutting the door and starting the engine. “You know-“
Adam grabbed him and kissed him, long tongue sliding into his mouth, licking him slowly. Kris moaned, breathless and surprised and pleased. He licked at Adam’s tongue, sucking it and using his teeth to nip, turning and trying to get closer to him.
“I’ve wanted to do that all night.”
“Seriously, do you live nearby?” Kris said, in between kisses.
Adam chuckled, his hands stroking Kris’s head. “My car is right next to yours.”
“Oh,” Kris said, pulling away and looking up at him. “Uhhh…”
“I really don’t do one night stands,” he said, tracing Kris’s ear with his fingers. “And you are fucking adorable.”
Kris trembled and turned his face, pressing a kiss into Adam’s palm. “Do you-would you go out with me tomorrow night? Dinner? Bowling? I don’t know. Uh. Movie?”
Adam chuckled and looked at him. “Chinese takeout and cuddling on the couch watching a movie?”
“Yes, that sounds better,” he said, nodding slowly. “That sounds perfect.”
“I almost didn’t come to this session tonight,” Adam said, grinning widely. “I was going to go out with Brad and Cassidy, drink my sorrows away, so to speak, but I’m glad I didn’t go out with them.”
Kris smiled. “I almost walked out twice.” He reached up and ran his fingers down Adam’s cheek, lingering on his lips, tracing down his chin to his neck. “I’m glad I didn’t.”
“So you’re not cranky anymore?” Adam teased, leaning forward to kiss him softly, just a brush of his lips against Kris’s mouth.
“I don’t think I’m going to be cranky for a long, long time.”
The End.
******
A Timestamp Epilogue
Adam wasn’t usually jealous of anyone that Kris loved. For the most part, he accepted all of Kris’s family and friends and he was pleased that they liked and accepted Adam as well.
But the latest love in Kris’s life was proving to be…difficult. He took all of Kris’s attention - attention away from Adam; and Adam was learning that he didn’t want to share Kris.
Zorro was a cute, adorable little thing with big brown eyes, huge ears, and cute little ass. Kris loved him unconditionally. The French bulldog puppy was, for a lack of a better word, loveable.
But Adam hated the little monster.
He had these wild fantasies:
Zorro would get lost and Kris, of course, would be inconsolable. Adam would try his best to distract Kris with blowjobs and handjobs and non-stop sex. He’d tie Kris to their bed and fuck him and fuck him and fuck him for hours and hours, making Kris moan and scream until he was hoarse, until he forgot all about Zorro and only had Adam on his mind.
Or Zorro would just walk out the door one day and disappear. Adam would hold Kris’s hand as they ran through the neighborhood, calling his name, but Zorro would never reappear and Adam would cuddle Kris in their huge bed, kissing the back of his neck, and telling him how much Adam loved him, over and over again.
Adam grinned. He loved these fantasies where he’d have Kris all to himself again.
Woof! Woof!
He sighed, looking at the little dog as he lifted his front paws, hooking them over the edge of the couch, looking up at Adam.
“Adam! Could you take Zorro for a walk? I think he wants you to take him out,” Kris called from the kitchen.
Adam frowned, staring at the dog.
Woo-oof?
“Stop mocking me,” he whispered at Zorro.
“Adam?”
“All right, baby, we’ll be right back!” Adam called, standing up and snapping his fingers at Zorro. “All right, let’s get this over with.”
He found Zorro’s red leash and hooked it on his red collar. “Kris, we’ll be back!”
“Okay, have fun!”
Adam opened the door and led Zorro out to the front of the house, walking the two blocks to the small park in the heart of the neighborhood.
“Look, Zorro, don’t take this personally but we’re going to have to talk about this,” Adam said, looking at the dog. “You see, Kris is mine. I was here first and you’re…you’re getting in my way.”
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Adam sighed, rolling his eyes. “Yes, I know you’re adorable and that Kris loves you, but I need my special time with him, too. You take up way too much of his attention and this has to stop.” He gave Zorro a long look. “Or else.”
Zorro completely ignored him, moving ahead on his short, pudgy legs as he started sniffing the grass, searching out every delicious smell he could find.
“Ignore me all you want but I’m telling you that this is going to end,” Adam murmured, sitting down on a nearby park bench. He leaned down and unhooked the leash from Zorro’s collar and gave his bottom a little pat. “Don’t go far.”
He reached into his pocket for his iPhone, scrolling down his messages to read his latest texts. He grinned, typing out a message for Cassidy to meet him later to look at his new line of suits.
He glanced up and then looked up, scanning the park for Zorro. He frowned, sitting up straight on the park bench. “Zorro!”
Huh. Where did that little monster go now? Jesus, it’s not like Adam has time to be running around looking for him.
“Zorro! Get over here now!”
He stood up, walking into the park, looking around. Where did he go, the little shit?
“Zorro!”
He shoved his phone into his pocket and started whistling.
“Come on, Zorro! Let’s go home! Come on, boy!” He stood still, looking around the park, listening. “Zorro!” He whistled again. “ZORRO?”
He let out a loud breath.
“Goddamn it. Zorro! ZORRO! Come here, boy! Zorro!”
He started walking towards the small wooded area. Zorro was a curious and fearless puppy and it wouldn’t surprise him if that annoying little pest chased after a squirrel and got lost.
“ZORRO!” He shouted, his voice echoing in the park. “Damn it! Zorro! Come here now!”
Oh fuck. Kris was going to kill him if he lost that stupid dog.
“Zorro! Come on, Zorro! Come here!”
Adam shoved his hand through his hair, looking around. Should he call Kris? What if something happened to that little mutt? What if someone stole him? What the hell was he going to tell Kris? Kris was going to be heartbroken!
“ZORRO!” He shouted, whistling loudly again. “Please, Zorro! Where are you?”
And then he heard it.
Woooo-oof.
“Zorro!” He called, clapping his hand and whistling. “Come here, boy!”
Woof! Woof!
Adam walked towards the playground, his heart hammering in his chest when he saw Zorro barking and playing near the monkey bars.
“Zorro!”
He watched as the puppy perked up his ears, turning his head to look at Adam. He sank on his little butt, tongue lolling out as he panted. Adam ran towards him and reached down, picking him up and hugging him.
“Don’t you ever do that to me again, do you hear me? Don’t ever run away like that. You scared me to death!” Adam kissed his little face, laughing when Zorro licked him and licked him, squirming in Adam’s tight hold. “Jesus Christ.”
He gently set Zorro on the ground and hooked the red leash on his collar, looking down at the smiling dog.
“Okay, look, let’s make a deal,” he said, sitting down on the grass and looking at him. “We both love Kris so we have to call a truce. You can spend time with him, but you have to let me have him for our private time. You can’t be coming into the bedroom whenever you want and jumping on the bed when I’m trying to make nice-nice with your daddy. And you can’t scratch at the door and cry when the door’s closed. It’s distracting and it makes your daddy feel guilty and then there’s no more nice-nice with Adam. Okay? So let’s call a truce right now.”
He held out his hand and Zorro looked up at him, licking his chops, and then held up one of his paws, waving it at Adam.
“Okay, truce?”
Woof?
“All right then, we’ll share him. Fifty-fifty,” he said, stroking his hand down Zorro’s head, scratching behind his ear. “Eight-twenty?”
Grrrrrr.
“Fine. Sixty-forty.”
Woof!
Adam laughed and picked Zorro up, cradling him against his chest and nuzzling behind one of the big ears. He stood up and decided that he’d carry Zorro home. He was adorable and soft and warm - kind of like Kris - and Adam felt his heart grow warm at the thought of Kris at home, waiting for them, nothing but happy smiles and laughter and love.
“Good boy, Zorro,” he whispered, placing a kiss on top of Zorro’s head. “Good boy.”
Woof.
THE END.