So, since NaNoWriMo starts in three days (\o/) and I'm battling desperately to get to a decent stopping place in my Regency AU before then, it makes perfect sense that I spent Thursday night writing a little coda to my
Apartment AU, doesn't it?
Title: Several Storeys High
Pairing: Jesse Eisenberg/Andrew Garfield
Rating: NC-17
Length: ~2800 words
A/N: Set approx fifteen months after the end of
Nowhere Else on Earth That I Would Rather Be. Thanks to
harriet_vane for audiencing and assuring me that it wasn't too sappy to be allowed to exist.
Several Storeys High
As soon as Andrew lets himself into Jesse’s flat, there’s a soft warm body pressed against his chest and a wet, inquisitive tongue dipping into his ear.
Sadly, neither of them belong to Jesse. In fact, Andrew doesn’t recognise the tiny black and white cat currently clinging to his chest with its claws in his jumper at all.
“Jesse?” he calls. “Have I been replaced by someone cuter and fluffier?”
There’s a crash, the cat scrambles up his chest and onto his shoulder and then Jesse appears in the doorway.
“Oh,” he says, pushing tangled curls out of his eyes and blinking at Andrew like he doesn’t understand why he’s there. “You’re coming home on Thursday.”
Andrew spreads his hands and drops his bag on the floor. “Tada,” he says, “Thursday!”
The cat on his shoulder squeaks in what Andrew decides to take as agreement.
“Oh,” Jesse says slowly. He looks dishevelled and his clothes are rumpled and Andrew drinks in the sight of him, letting his smile spread until it actually hurts his cheeks. He doesn’t care.
“Hi, Jesse,” he says, holding out his hands.
“I was sure it was Wednesday,” Jesse tells him, giving Andrew one of his hands and reaching up with the other to detach the new cat’s claws from Andrew’s hair. “I was going to clean the apartment and, I don’t know, shower or something.”
Andrew slides Jesse’s glasses from the end of his nose back into place. “You smell lovely how you are,” he promises. The cat pats a paw at his eye and he laughs. “Who’s this?”
“Ariadne,” Jesse says. “I was going to tell you about her but then I… didn’t. Um. Did I mention I have a publish date for my new book?”
“No,” Andrew says, confused by the connection but prepared to go along with it. “Congratulations!”
Jesse makes a face. “Thanks. So, obviously, I was feeling really guilty because, ack, published books. So many people don’t get anything published and now I’m going to have two. And then the animal rescue people phoned with a cat-related emergency and, well… Hey, look, we have a new foster cat!”
Andrew stares at him helplessly. “I love you,” he says because, well, what else do you say to that?
“Oh,” Jesse says and ducks his head. “Um. I’m going to rescue you from Ariadne and then I’m going to kiss you until you can’t breathe. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine,” Andrew agrees seriously, biting his lip because he’s been away five weeks and it’s just so nice to be back home. “Bye, Ari,” he adds when Jesse lifts her down and deposits her on the floor with a careful little bump.
“Ariadne,” Jesse corrects. “Don’t rename her; we’ll end up keeping her.”
“That’s okay,” Andrew says and pulls him in close.
“Hi,” Jesse says, folding against Andrew’s chest and dropping his head onto Andrew’s shoulder. “Ugh,” he mumbles, “cat hair in my mouth,” but he doesn’t lift his head.
Andrew wraps his arms around Jesse’s back, watching Ariadne swish off toward the kitchen where he can just see Wednesday’s tail peeking around from behind the door. Jesse is warm and a little musty-smelling and fits perfectly in Andrew’s arms.
“I missed you so much I nearly walked out on filming,” Andrew tells him.
Jesse pokes him in the side then smooths his hands down to Andrew’s hips. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he scolds. “You did not.”
“I did,” Andrew promises. He really had. Well, okay, not seriously, but he missed Jesse a lot and he spent a lot of long evenings in his cheap Hollywood motel room fantasising about packing up and hoping on a plane back to New York. The idea of being in a TV series had been exciting when he got the part, but in reality, filming the pilot had been hard and tiring and lonely.
Jesse kisses the side of Andrew’s throat which makes Andrew moan a little. It’s been a really long time.
“Is that just to shut me up?” Andrew asks.
“No.” Jesse presses against him, the sleepy warm lines of his body hard and pointy and familiar. “It’s partly to shut you up and partly because I’ve been told that welcome home from filming your first Hollywood TV role sex is the best kind of sex.”
“Really?” Andrew asks. “Also, I should point out that you haven’t kissed me yet.”
Jesse smiles at him from under his eyelashes. Andrew doesn’t think he has any idea how amazing he looks when he does things like that. “You haven’t kissed me either,” he says but tightens his grip on Andrew’s hips and pulls him forward, pressing their mouths together carefully.
It takes Andrew a moment to do anything but let Jesse kiss him, parting his lips for Jesse’s tongue and just breathing him in. Then Jesse’s tongue touches his and it feels like a little spark of life that’s been missing for weeks flickers back to life inside Andrew’s chest.
“Jesse,” he groans and makes fists in the front of Jesse’s shirt, tugging him forward and stumbling backwards until they hit the nearest wall.
“Careful,” Jesse mumbles against Andrew’s mouth, cupping the back of Andrew’s head with one hand like he thinks Andrew is going to fling himself against something else any second. He hisses, arching back and then forward when Andrew reaches down to fumble with his fly.
“Too quick?” Andrew asks then bites Jesse’s bottom lip just because.
“Nooo,” Jesse breathes, “Well, yeah. But don’t stop.”
Andrew’s fingers feel shaky which is stupid considering how many times he’s undressed Jesse over the last eighteen months. He tucks his fingers into the open V of Jesse’s jeans and sighs, pleased.
“This is definitely better than what I had planned for today,” Jesse says, laughing shakily. He presses his hand to the wall beside Andrew’s head and kisses him hard.
“Mm?” Andrew asks, because he always wants to know about Jesse’s day even when they’re heavy petting against a wall.
“Oh.” Jesse’s cock is hardening against Andrew’s palm, which makes Andrew feel really, really cool. “Just, um. Just. Shit, that feels great. I was just gonna hang out with the cats, start another book because apparently I’m a masochist and then pretend to be annoyed if Justin stopped by.”
“Don’t talk about Justin when I’m feeling you up,” Andrew says, even though secretly he’s a little bit jealous Jesse wasn’t planning on sitting around pining for him all day. Not that he wants Jesse to be sad, obviously, he would just feel a little bit less ridiculous about how homesick he was if he was sure it had been reciprocated.
“What’s wrong?” Jesse asks. “You just went all - ” He touches the corner of Andrew’s mouth. “Frowning.”
Andrew bites gently at the tips of Jesse’s fingers, then sucks them into his mouth when Jesse makes no move to pull them away.
“Mm,” Jesse hums. “That feels much better than when the cats chew on my hands.”
“Good,” Andrew laughs, pulling back to flutter his tongue between Jesse’s fingers. “That’s a relief. I think I’d cry if you were cheating on me with our cats.” They’re not really their cats, obviously, but Jesse never objects when Andrew pretends.
“Okay,” Jesse says, “Stopping this conversation here.” He pushes his hands under Andrew’s jumper, sliding them up his chest and thumbing at Andrew’s nipples.
“Oh, yes,” Andrew sighs, dropping his head back against the wall. His skin feels tingly and he wants Jesse’s hands everywhere, he wants to be naked and for Jesse to be on top of him, but he doesn’t want to move from here.
He tugs Jesse closer, sliding down the wall a bit and parting his legs so they slot flush together, Andrew’s groin pressed against the place where his hand is still tucked up around Jesse’s cock.
They both groan.
“I -,” Jesse stutters, “I have no idea how people have wall sex but this isn’t going too badly, is it?”
Andrew squeezes his hand around Jesse cock then pushes his hips forward against the side of his own wrist. “No,” he agrees, “No, this is good.”
“You should have come back from LA all muscly,” Jesse tells him, obviously doing that thing he does where he just lets his brain carry on without him when he’s distracted by sex. “Then you could have held me up against the wall and fucked me.”
The idea of that is incredibly hot. And very unlikely. “You wouldn’t like me if I was all muscly, would you?” Andrew asks.
Jesse huffs. “Have you met me?” he asks. “I’d like you even you came home covered in scales.”
“Yay,” Andrew says, beaming and pressing his smile to Jesse’s cheek. “I love you too.”
“Well, I would hope so,” Jesse says, but he sounds pleased the way he always does when Andrew says it.
They’re rolling their hips together with intent now, helpless and just a shade too fast, and Andrew squirms his hand from the outside of Jesse’s underwear down to bare skin, carefully touching the head of Jesse’s cock to make him hiss.
“Huh,” Jesse says, looking down between them at the shameless way Andrew can’t stop thrusting against him. He leaves one hand to play with Andrew’s nipples - which is good, because Andrew really likes that - and sticks his other hand into Andrew’s trousers - which is even better.
“Huh, what?” Andrew asks breathlessly. If Jesse’s thinking of things other than kisses and handjobs then Andrew needs to try harder.
“Nothing.” Jesse shakes his head. “Just. You’re really back.”
Oh, Andrew needs to never go away again. “I really am,” he promises. He loops one arm around Jesse’s neck and pulls him in, kissing him as hard and messily as he can because who needs to be neat right now? Definitely not them.
It doesn’t take long after that before familiar, prickly head spreads across Andrew’s belly and up his thighs. It has been five weeks and wanking can’t ever be as good as having Jesse touch him.
“Shit,” Andrew groans and tears his mouth away from Jesse’s, biting Jesse’s shoulder through his t-shirt while he comes all over Jesse’s hand.
“Ohhh,” Jesse breathes shakily. He pulls his hand out of Andrew’s trousers and curls his sticky palm around Andrew’s hip, holding him still to thrust against him.
“Yeah,” Andrew agrees, still sleepy and dazed from his orgasm but definitely, definitely wanting to help to get Jesse off.
“Wow, don’t strain yourself,” Jesse forces out with what sounds like a lot of effort and Andrew has just enough time to reactivate a couple of muscles and squeeze Jesse’s cock a few times before he jerks and shakes and, finally, slumps against the wall and Andrew’s chest.
“Right,” Andrew manages after a few minutes of just trying to get their breath back. “Wall sex works, then.”
“Yeah,” Jesse agrees, no witty or sarcastic rejoinder at all, which means he’s tired. Andrew’s tired too, too tired even to pick up his holdall from the floor or shower all the aeroplane and sex residue away.
“Come on,” he says, taking Jesse’s hand. “Bed.”
“It’s the middle of the afternoon,” Jesse points out, easily allowing himself to be tugged along.
“Jesse, you didn’t even know what day it was,” Andrew points out, kicking out of his clothes and throwing himself down onto the bed. He groans. “God, that feels fantastic.”
It isn’t his bed, not exactly. His bed is in his flat which is still the one next door to this one. Except he can’t remember the last time he slept there and this bed feels like his.
“Did I tell you Matt’s talking about moving to New York when his Doctor Who contract runs out?” he asks, pressing his face into the pillow which most smells of Jesse. Weirdly, it’s the one on what’s usually Andrew’s side of the bed.
“No?” Jesse asks. He finishes folding his clothes and climbs in beside Andrew, poking him in the shoulder until Andrew moves over far enough to let him share the pillow. “What about what we just did made you think of that?”
“Oh, you know, Matt and I used to fuck against walls all the time when we lived together.” Jesse isn’t the only one who can be sarcastic, except Andrew is apparently really bad at it, and he opens his eyes when Jesse doesn’t laugh, falling over himself to explain that that’s really, really not true.
“No, I know,” Jesse promises, kissing his cheek and looking at him fondly. “I was just trying to work out how much time with you I’ll lose when Matt’s living in the same city.”
“None at all,” Andrew says immediately. “Matt thinks you’re great; we can all hang out together.” Actually, Matt thinks that Jesse is strange and hilarious, which are two of the highest complements that Matt can pay a person. “I was just thinking that maybe… that, well.” He takes a breath. “He’s going to need somewhere to live and I’m not really using my flat.”
“Oh,” Jesse says then falls silent.
“What?” Andrew asks, sitting up on one elbow. “Was that a terrible idea? It was just a suggestion, I don’t want to rush you at all.”
“Rush me?” Jesse repeats. “So officially moving in together is something that you think is going to happen eventually for sure?”
“Isn’t it?” Andrew asks, beginning to panic ever so slightly. “Because I don’t know about you, but I’m in this forever.” He’s never said forever before, not like this, but they have talked about growing old together so he doesn’t think it’s that big a leap.
“Yeah.” Jesse nods slowly. He frowns slightly. “Okay, I’m waiting for the panic attack and nothing’s happening so it sounds like, yep, my brain and I are both on board with this plan.”
“Really?” Andrew makes no attempt to hide how excited he is. “Really, really?”
Jesse groans. “Yes, but don’t sound so energetic about it. Post-sex times are for sleeping, remember?”
“Sorry.” Andrew lies back down and curls up against Jesse’s side. “Really, really?” he whispers.
Jesse smiles without opening his eyes. “Really, really,” he confirms.
Andrew closes his eyes and presses his face to the side of Jesse’s head. “I missed you so much,” he whispers.
Jesse lets his forehead rest against Andrew’s. “I was only seventy percent sure you were coming back,” he whispers back.
“What?” Andrew knows better by now than to try to argue his way through Jesse’s insecurities - it never works and they both end up upset. A much better plan is to squirm around until he can curl one arm around Jesse’s waist and then kiss him hard.
“I’m always coming back,” he promises, kissing the left corner of Jesse’s mouth, the bow of his top lip, the right corner of his mouth. “In fact, I had a horrible time so I might never go again.”
“You’ll go again,” Jesse says certainly, but he’s smiling now, eyes still closed. “You’re going to be a big star.”
“Maybe,” Andrew allows although no, probably not. He met with producers while he was in California and he saw the looks on their faces when he mentioned his boyfriend. He never won’t mention Jesse though and he’ll be happy if that means his whole career stays in New York theatres. “But you’re definitely going to win a Pulitzer before I win an Emmy.”
“Oh my god,” Jesse complains, “Don’t even think things like that.”
“Ooh,” Andrew teases thoughtfully, “Or maybe a Nobel prize.”
Jesse shoves at Andrew’s shoulder, knocking him backwards onto the bed and crawling over him. “Shut up,” he says, lacing their fingers together and holding Andrew’s hands down against the bed.
Andrew bites his lip and forgets to breathe.
“Or, wait, no, don’t shut up,” Jesse amends. He kisses Andrew quickly then pulls back. “I’ve missed hearing your voice, just don’t say things like that.”
Andrew tightens his fingers around Jesse’s, making sure Jesse knows he wants to stay exactly like this for as long as Jesse wants him to. “What can I say if you don’t want me to tell you how marvellous you are? I don’t have any other conversation.”
Jesse rolls his eyes and crawls between Andrew’s legs. Andrew willingly, happily, spreads his knees for him. “Yeah, okay, you’re hopeless,” Jesse tells him thickly. “Let’s just stick to more and harder for now, okay? I really want to fuck you.”
“Okay,” Andrew agrees happily, arching his hips up and tangling their feet together. “I can do that.” It really is fantastic to be home.
/End
This entry was also posted
here on Dreamwidth where there are
comments. Feel free to comment on either entry.