Ficlet: Your Breathing On and On (Tom/Sean, FRT, 750 words)
Summary: Sean stops thinking about it. Touching Tom becomes his default.
Disclaimer: Fiction.
Notes: Written for a specific unnamed person. There's a lot of touching, but no sex. Consider yourself forewarned if that's not your sort of thing. Title from Melissa Etheridge's "Sleep."
Sean doesn't notice it happening at first. They live together and he's so used to having Tom's camera in his face that having Tom's hand sliding across his back or Tom's shoulder resting against his doesn't really register as anything different. He might never have noticed it, if it weren't for Nick.
Nick asks, "What the fuck is up with you two?" in the middle of an otherwise normal evening with too many people crowded into a booth.
"What?" Sean looks down at himself when Nick raises his eyebrows at him. Somehow, without noticing it, he's ended up leaning back against Tom's chest with Tom's arm draped down over him.
Tom shifts, and Sean squeezes his arm to let him know he can stay where he is, scrutiny be damned.
*
Once he knows, Sean starts touching back. In the mornings when they're pouring coffee into a pair of cups, Sean leans on Tom's back and hooks his chin over Tom's shoulder. When they're writing, Sean sits close enough to press his knee into Tom's thigh. At night, Sean runs his hand down Tom's arm and squeezes his hand before he goes to bed.
Sean stops thinking about it. Touching Tom becomes his default.
*
Sean's sitting on the floor, back against the couch, notebook open in front of him and guitar on his lap. Tom takes the guitar from him, pushes the notebook out of the way, pulls Sean's legs apart. He sits in the space he's made Sean make for him. His fingers play over the guitar, stringing chords together.
Sean's so in the habit of touching Tom that he doesn't even think before putting his arms around him. His fingers find the hem of Tom's shirt and slip under it until his hand rests on the bare skin of Tom's stomach. Tom's stomach tenses for a moment, then he relaxes, leans back, and tips his head onto Sean's shoulder.
Sean doesn't think anything of nuzzling into Tom's neck either.
*
Sean falls asleep on the couch and wakes up with Tom sitting on the floor next to him and Tom's head on his stomach.
"Hey." Sean rubs his fingers through Tom's hair.
Tom rubs his head into Sean's stomach. His hair is soft on the skin where there's a gap between Sean's shirt and his jeans.
"Don't stop," Tom mumbles.
Sean keeps rubbing the curve of Tom's skull with one hand and cups the other over the back of Tom's neck.
Tom makes a pleased noise and turns his face into Sean's stomach.
*
Sean's only wearing a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair dripping on his shoulders, when he collides with Tom just outside the bathroom. Tom catches him with hands on either side of his rib cage. As soon as Sean's steady on his feet, Tom lets go, but only to run his hands down Sean's chest, leaving goosebumps in his wake.
"Are you cold?" Tom's gotten close enough that Sean can feel his breath against his skin. It makes him shiver.
"No." Sean puts his hands on Tom, squeezing his shoulders, running them down his back. Tom steps in that much closer so Sean can reach. Sean pulls him all the way in, arms tight around Tom and Tom's hands still on his chest.
They stand there long enough that Sean's hair starts to dry. They only separate when Sean says, "I have to go to work."
*
Sean wakes up in the middle of the night. It's so simple he doesn't know why he didn't figure it out before.
He gets up, goes across the hall, and climbs into bed with Tom.
Tom wakes up enough to make a questioning noise.
"Shhh," Sean murmurs. "Just me." His legs twine with Tom's, his arms gathering him close. They're skin to skin almost everywhere they touch. Sean rubs his hand up and down Tom's shoulder, over his chest, feeling it.
Tom reaches back, his hand skimming along Sean's side until it comes to rest on his thigh. It's warm, the two of them together.
Sean kisses the back of Tom's neck. "Go back to sleep."
Tom makes a sleepy noise of assent and fumbles around with his free hand until it closes over Sean's. He tugs on Sean's hand, and when there's no way for them to be closer, he tucks their joined hands under his chin.
Sean smiles into Tom's hair. "I'm not going anywhere."
Disclaimer: Fiction.
Notes: Written for a specific unnamed person. There's a lot of touching, but no sex. Consider yourself forewarned if that's not your sort of thing. Title from Melissa Etheridge's "Sleep."
Sean doesn't notice it happening at first. They live together and he's so used to having Tom's camera in his face that having Tom's hand sliding across his back or Tom's shoulder resting against his doesn't really register as anything different. He might never have noticed it, if it weren't for Nick.
Nick asks, "What the fuck is up with you two?" in the middle of an otherwise normal evening with too many people crowded into a booth.
"What?" Sean looks down at himself when Nick raises his eyebrows at him. Somehow, without noticing it, he's ended up leaning back against Tom's chest with Tom's arm draped down over him.
Tom shifts, and Sean squeezes his arm to let him know he can stay where he is, scrutiny be damned.
*
Once he knows, Sean starts touching back. In the mornings when they're pouring coffee into a pair of cups, Sean leans on Tom's back and hooks his chin over Tom's shoulder. When they're writing, Sean sits close enough to press his knee into Tom's thigh. At night, Sean runs his hand down Tom's arm and squeezes his hand before he goes to bed.
Sean stops thinking about it. Touching Tom becomes his default.
*
Sean's sitting on the floor, back against the couch, notebook open in front of him and guitar on his lap. Tom takes the guitar from him, pushes the notebook out of the way, pulls Sean's legs apart. He sits in the space he's made Sean make for him. His fingers play over the guitar, stringing chords together.
Sean's so in the habit of touching Tom that he doesn't even think before putting his arms around him. His fingers find the hem of Tom's shirt and slip under it until his hand rests on the bare skin of Tom's stomach. Tom's stomach tenses for a moment, then he relaxes, leans back, and tips his head onto Sean's shoulder.
Sean doesn't think anything of nuzzling into Tom's neck either.
*
Sean falls asleep on the couch and wakes up with Tom sitting on the floor next to him and Tom's head on his stomach.
"Hey." Sean rubs his fingers through Tom's hair.
Tom rubs his head into Sean's stomach. His hair is soft on the skin where there's a gap between Sean's shirt and his jeans.
"Don't stop," Tom mumbles.
Sean keeps rubbing the curve of Tom's skull with one hand and cups the other over the back of Tom's neck.
Tom makes a pleased noise and turns his face into Sean's stomach.
*
Sean's only wearing a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair dripping on his shoulders, when he collides with Tom just outside the bathroom. Tom catches him with hands on either side of his rib cage. As soon as Sean's steady on his feet, Tom lets go, but only to run his hands down Sean's chest, leaving goosebumps in his wake.
"Are you cold?" Tom's gotten close enough that Sean can feel his breath against his skin. It makes him shiver.
"No." Sean puts his hands on Tom, squeezing his shoulders, running them down his back. Tom steps in that much closer so Sean can reach. Sean pulls him all the way in, arms tight around Tom and Tom's hands still on his chest.
They stand there long enough that Sean's hair starts to dry. They only separate when Sean says, "I have to go to work."
*
Sean wakes up in the middle of the night. It's so simple he doesn't know why he didn't figure it out before.
He gets up, goes across the hall, and climbs into bed with Tom.
Tom wakes up enough to make a questioning noise.
"Shhh," Sean murmurs. "Just me." His legs twine with Tom's, his arms gathering him close. They're skin to skin almost everywhere they touch. Sean rubs his hand up and down Tom's shoulder, over his chest, feeling it.
Tom reaches back, his hand skimming along Sean's side until it comes to rest on his thigh. It's warm, the two of them together.
Sean kisses the back of Tom's neck. "Go back to sleep."
Tom makes a sleepy noise of assent and fumbles around with his free hand until it closes over Sean's. He tugs on Sean's hand, and when there's no way for them to be closer, he tucks their joined hands under his chin.
Sean smiles into Tom's hair. "I'm not going anywhere."