Fic: Let's Be More Than This (15/19) [The Covenant, OT4, FRAO/NC-17]
Title: Let's Be More Than This - Chapter 15
Author: mickey_sixx
Fandom: The Covenant
Pairing: Caleb Danvers/Pogue Parry/Reid Garwin/Tyler Simms (eventual), Reid Garwin/Tyler Simms (established)
Rating: FRAO/NC-17/M
Word Count: ~67K (yeah, it's an epic)
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. I do not own them!
Beta: Sam | hawk_dancing (Thank you so much! *smishes*) & barefoot_starz ♥
WARNING! This fic contains scenes of a graphic sexual nature between two (three... eventually four) men. If this offends you, please do not read.
Summary: The last of the old Covenant has died, leaving the new Generation to carry on the legacy, but Caleb soon discovers there is more to the Power than he'd previously thought. Friendships will be tested and secrets revealed as the Sons of Ipswich find out what it really means to be one of the Covenant.
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Reid didn't know what time it was when he first felt the bed move, but even though he didn't open his eyes he was pretty damn sure that it was too fucking early. Sluggishly his brain started working, throwing up images of last night’s activities. He smiled. Damn. That was intense. He drew in a breath, chest arching out as he rolled onto his back and stretched, and let it out in one long, satisfying sigh. The bed moved again, this time on the other side, but the movements stopped soon after they started.
When he finally gathered enough energy to open his eyes, he saw that there was one less person than there should be. The covers were wrinkled and pushed back to his right, the door left ajar. The red numbers on the alarm clock by the bed read 7:23am. Reid snorted. Figures. Rolling his head to his left, he saw Tyler stretched out on his stomach, one arm up by his head and the other thrown carelessly out to the side. He was out cold. Reid smiled softly and leaned across him, kissing his bare shoulder gently before following Caleb's example and sliding out of bed. He didn't wake up.
Grabbing a discarded pair of boxers from the floor and pulling them on, he padded down the hall and towards the stairs, squinting in the light of the hallway. The smell of coffee hit him just as he hit the last stair and Reid followed it all the way into the kitchen. Caleb was reaching into the overhead cupboard for a mug and Reid stopped for a second to just look at him. His light blue jeans were low on his hips, low enough for him to see that he wasn't wearing anything else underneath. Reid grinned. The muscles in his back flexed, his shoulder blades sharp relief under the lightly tanned skin, moving with him as he turned to the coffee maker and poured the black liquid into the cup.
"Do you have to get up so fuckin' early?" he said, voice husky with disuse, "It's called vacation for a reason."
Caleb turned to lean back against the counter, lifting the cup to his lips with one hand while the other braced around the granite surface. Reid didn't hide the fact that he was leering at him, blue eyes travelling a slow path down from the bruised bites at his throat, along his chest and down to his abs, where a thin trail of dark hair disappeared beneath the half-open fly. He made an appreciative noise in the back of his throat and moved further into the kitchen. The cold tiles against his bare feet didn't bother him as much as they usually did, distracted from the sensation by the sight of the other man.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," he said after he swallowed, watching Reid's every move, giving him a once over of his own. Reid claimed his coffee when he reached him. Caleb cocked an eyebrow, not bothering to resist, and then snorted when the blond wrinkled his nose and handed the cup back to him. "Ugh. How do you drink that?"
He shrugged and took another draft of the hot, bitter liquid, letting the caffeine injection kick-start his body. "Where's Ty?"
"Sleepin'," Reid replied with a mutinous glare, "Which is exactly what I'd be doing if you hadn't decided to play early bird."
Caleb laughed and set the coffee down on the counter behind him, "I forgot how bitchy you are in the morning. You know, after what we did last night, I'm surprised you aren't more agreeable."
"Dude, getting laid last night doesn't make me perky, no matter how fucking amazing it was." The blond smirked at him and moved closer, reaching out to run his hands over the bare chest in front of him, "Getting laid this morning, however..."
The eldest grinned and shook his head, but wrapped his arms around the other boy anyway. Leaning down, he met Reid half way, teeth nipping at his lips before teasing them open with his tongue. Morning breath wasn't quite masked by the coffee they shared, but Caleb found he didn't really care. It was more than made up for by the hands that travelled up his chest to his shoulders, one stopping while the other carried on until it reached his neck, palm curving around his jaw. He made a soft sound into Reid's mouth, arms tightening a fraction as he fell into the kiss. It still surprised him that he could do this, that they were so willing. That he wanted it.
Last night had been the first time he'd ever fucked a guy. Since finding out about how the Power was affecting him, Reid and Tyler had taken it upon themselves to keep him grounded, to keep him sane. He knew he wouldn't have been able to survive classes last week if it hadn't have been for the youngest two dragging him off every so often to ease the itch and the ache with their hands and their mouths. He didn't dare to take it any further, wasn't planning to for a while. But last night... Last night he felt Pogue's Power reaching out to him, pulsing with his pleasure, and he couldn't find the words to protest when Tyler begged and pleaded with them in that low, aching voice.
Muscles jumped as fingers flirted with the edge of his jeans, tips dipping under the denim and teasing the bare skin underneath, edging inwards slowly. Caleb growled softly and backed Reid up into the island, ignoring the stool that scraped along the floor as he fell into it. Reid moaned and let himself be hauled up onto the counter, his legs parting automatically to let the eldest settle between them, their mouths fused together and unwilling to let the other go until the need for air became urgent. The blond let his head fall back as Caleb's mouth licked and bit and sucked along his throat, his hands groping and pulling at his shorts, and Reid encouraged him with the hand in his hair and the nails that bit into his strong shoulder.
"I hope you were planning to clean that after you'd finished."
They sprang apart with respective hissed curses ("Jesusfuckingshitfuck"), Caleb stumbling back a few steps and staring wide eyed at a point behind Reid. The blond tried to calm his breathing; head now bend forward instead of back, tangled hair falling into his eyes.
"Hey, mom," he said, making his tone awkwardly light and conversational while he craned his neck around to look at his mother. "How are you? Nice trip?"
Meredith Garwin stood in the archway that separated the main room from the kitchen, one shaped eyebrow arched over her grey-blue eyes, looking, as always, like she'd just stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine. Not a blond hair was out of place in the French twist at the back of her head, nor was there a crease in her grey slacks and pale pink blouse that was tucked into the waistband. The corner of her mouth was curled up, soft amusement in the curve of her oval face.
"Hello, son," she replied, laughter colouring her even voice, "The trip was fine, thank you. I'd ask how you are, but I'm not sure if I want the answer just now." She turned to Caleb, "Good morning, Caleb."
A scarlet flush crept along his skin as her attention turned to him, and he muttered out a 'Hey Mrs Garwin' as he dropped his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. Wow. This was... beyond awkward. If she had walked in any later... Caleb shuddered; he didn't even want to think about that. He supposed it was lucky that she'd appeared before they could get into anything heavier and besides, on the bright side, it couldn't get any worse, right?
Half-asleep, Tyler chose that exact moment to stumble into the kitchen through the door that came off the hallway, dressed only in yesterdays boxer shorts. A yawn stretched his mouth, blindly reaching out towards Caleb and wrapping himself around the older boy from behind, cheek pressed into the warm planes of his back. "Mmm, will trade sexual favours if someone gives me coffee."
The stunned silence was broken only by the soft, knowing "Ah" from Reid's mom. Caleb blinked and flailed for something to say, trying his best to ignore his body's reaction to Tyler's warmth pressed up against him, and Reid just snickered and hid a smile, finding the situation as hilarious as it was embarrassing.
"Um, Tyler? We have company."
"Hmm?" Confused, the youngest frowned and cracked his eyes open but didn't move from his place behind Caleb. It took him a few seconds to realise that there was another person present, and that other person was Reid's mom. He tensed immediately, his sleepy haze lost in his mortification and he quickly turned to hide his flaming face in Caleb's back, his muttered "Oh god!" muffled by his skin.
Meredith chuckled quietly, watching her son slide off the counter top and turn on the spot, casually hiding behind the solid mass. She didn't need to ask why.
"We should, ah... we'll just... go now," Caleb said, not sure if he was telling them or whether he was just saying something to fill the awkward moment between the four of them. Without waiting for an answer, he turned and tugged Tyler back out of the room, both of them heading for the stairs as fast as their feet would carry them.
"You're not surprised?" Reid questioned once they were alone, suddenly feeling serious. His mother sighed and moved towards him, making sure to keep the island between them until her son was comfortable with her presence.
"Yes and no. I'm not surprised about the situation. I am surprised at how much you seem to be involved already. I didn't expect anything to happen until around Christmas."
"So, you knew..." He asked slowly, eyeing her carefully as if she was going to explode any minute, "You knew about... about dad?"
She sighed again, this time sadly, and walked around the counter until she was close by. Reaching out, she cupped her hand lovingly around her son's cheek, staring into the face that was so much like her late husband's. Instead of answering directly, however, she simply said, "Get dressed. We'll talk over breakfast."
Reid started to protest, "But-"
"Dressed first," She cut in with an arched eyebrow, "Then we'll talk."
"Okay, okay!" He huffed, sounding annoyed, but the small smile curving his mouth gave away his true feelings at having his mom back. He'd missed her while she'd been away, although he'd never actually tell her that. He pulled back from her and started towards the stairs. He was half way up when her voice reached his ears again.
"And don't you dare start anything with those boys, Reid Garwin, or I will come up and dress you myself."
Feeling his face heat, he choked on his embarrassed exclamation and carried on to his room. God, he really hoped that she'd forget to carry out that promise.
~*~*~*~
Once showered and dressed, Reid wandered back through the house in search of his mother. Caleb and Tyler had left pretty quickly, neither of them wanting to stick around to face his mom after what they'd been caught doing. He'd laughed and called them pussy's, but let them go anyway with the promise he'd catch up with them later. The blond smiled when he remembered how Caleb had looked at him, the dark look searing him from half-way down the drive. Damn him.
"Reid?"
He turned on his heel and headed towards his mom's voice, ending up in the spacious dining room. She sat at the head of the table, a plate of croissants in front of her. A plate holding what Reid assumed to be his breakfast sandwich sat adjacent and he wasted no time in sliding into the seat before it and taking one big bite. His mother snorted softly beside him when he moaned in pleasure. What? He was hungry!
"I take it you worked up a decent appetite last night."
Reid made a face and swallowed his last mouthful, "Mooom." Meredith laughed and turned to her own breakfast, spreading butter on her croissant and taking a much more delicate bite than her son. Reid watched the way her jaw worked as she chewed, the arched eyebrows as she stared down at the newspaper on her other side, knowing damn well she wasn't interested in what it had to say.
"Why are you being so calm about this?"
The quiet question made her glance at him, eyes softening as she looked upon her son. Putting the croissant down, she swallowed and turned her full attention to him. "Did you want me to be angry with you?"
"Hell, I don't know!" He burst out, waving his hands out before letting one fall against the table and the other push through his hair, "It's just... weird that you're ok with this." He paused and lifted his eyes to hers. "You are ok with this... right?"
The older woman nodded slowly, "Yes, Reid, I'm ok with it. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later."
The teenager frowned, the first stirrings of hurt settling in his stomach, "But why didn't anyone tell us?"
She sighed, "How were we supposed to tell you? When? When you were 13? 16?" She shook her head, "You were too young to understand back then, and when your father died I just didn't know how to broach the subject with you."
They were silent for a while. Meredith turned back to her breakfast and her paper, but she had lost the relaxed air she had about her. Reid had slouched back in his seat, picking at the hangnails around his cuticles as he tried to figure out how he felt. He knew that she was right, that there wasn't an easy way of telling him, but a part of him still felt betrayed.
"Bet you weren't happy when you found out," he muttered.
Meredith didn't answer for a few minutes. Then, she said, "You father told me when he proposed to me." Reid quirked an eyebrow in surprise and looked up. "I knew they were close, closer than just friends anyway, but I didn't realise just how close until that night. He came clean about everything - the Power, their bond." Her eyes clouded, a small smile flitting around her mouth telling Reid that she was replaying the moment from memory, "He told me that he'd understand if I wanted to throw the ring back in his face and leave him forever, but he begged me to think about it first."
She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, settling back in her chair, "And you're right, I wasn't happy. I mean, it's not something you expect the man you love to tell you, is it? 'My best friends are really my lovers. Will you marry me?'" She snorted and shook her head, "I was shocked and angry, but after I stormed away that night, after I calmed down, I did as he asked. I thought long and hard about it. Could I deal with it? Could I marry him knowing that he wasn't just mine to have and to hold?"
"Obviously you could," Reid said, glancing down at the wedding band that was still around her ring finger. Meredith followed his gaze, spreading her fingers out to get a good look at the yellow-gold band.
"Obviously." With a soft sigh she gathered the plates up and stood, talking as she went and expecting Reid to follow, "It wasn't easy. When I found out I was pregnant, I think my mind had already been made up. I loved him. It was as simple and as complicated as that." She set the plates down to wash and turned to Reid, leaning back against the counter and crossing her arms, "And that's why I'm so calm about this. I knew what I was getting into when I married your father, I knew that eventually you'd be drawn to each other and I'd have to get over any problems I had with that."
Reid nodded slowly, taking in the information and letting it soak into his brain. But his mom was far from finished.
"But just because I can live with it, doesn't mean I want to see it, ok?" She gave her son a look that made sure he knew what she was talking about, "Please make sure I'm out or at least keep the noise down to a minimum, so I can be blissfully ignorant of what you are doing to each other."
His cheeks heated and he shot her a vaguely sick look, the thought of his mother overhearing them making him feel ill. "Trust me, it's not something I want you to hear either."
"Good." She gave a definite nod and then straightened up, "Now that's sorted, you can go and amuse yourself for the rest of the day. I'm running on energy I don't have and right now the thought of my bed is the only thing keeping me going."
He gave her a mock salute and left, feeling more settled than he had been an hour ago. At least that was one thing he didn't have to worry about.
On to Chapter 16