Title: How It Is.
Character: Ray K.
Rating: Light R.
Word Count: 1,178
Notes: I suck at titles. Seriously.
There were times, like right now, when Ray wondered how they got this way. Ben had kissed him, just a lingering peck that made him smile but did nothing for his dick, and then gone to bed. He hadn’t tried to convince Ray to go with him, hadn’t given Ray “The Look”.
Come to think of it, Ray hadn’t seen “The Look” for a few weeks now. When they’d first figured out that buddies wasn’t enough for either of them Fraser had given Ray “The Look” at least fifty times a day. He’d just turn his face to Ray and the smile would drop right off it so fast. But the expression that replaced it was… intense.
Ben’s eyes would go all dark. Ray could actually see the pupils dilating if he was close enough. But that wasn’t the whole thing about it. Ben’s face would get really still, almost like no expression at all, only it kind of radiated something. Something that said, “I want you.” So loud that it made Ray feel like he was falling and his dick was the only thing that could still stand up. Just remembering “The Look” gave him a little taste of that feeling. A flutter in his belly that made him think about crawling into bed right now and nibbling on Ben’s neck until he woke up.
Because he knew Ben would be asleep already. That’s just how Ben was. As soon as his head hit the pillow, Ben would be out like a light. He’d stay that way until something woke him up or eight hours had passed, whichever came first.
In the early days, Ray used to lay there and fight hard to stop himself from tossing and turning as he tried to find that perfect position that would let his body relax. Ben would just go on sleeping until eventually, Ray would give up the fight and throw an arm or a leg over Ben and find his spot. Now Ray just threw himself around the bed for about half an hour and didn’t worry about waking Ben anymore, because Ben would only wake up if Ray was feeling horny.
It was weird how he did that. Ray could be doing his normal fidget routine, the same as always, and the minute he decided he was just as horny as he was wired, Ben would roll over, blink a couple times and maybe say something like, “Can I help you with anything, Ray?” Mostly though, he’d just scoot over, lay his lips on the nearest patch of skin and his hand flat on Ray’s belly. From there it was pretty much freestyle. Blow job, hand job, fucking…they never talked about it, just did whatever they did.
It was always slow and relaxed. Afterwards, Ray slept like one of those logs you always hear about. Perfect every single time.
It was never like that when he’d been with Stella. Even after all those years, sex had been an event with her. There was always this rush of anticipation, or a sense of winning something big. like he was being rewarded for being in the right place at the right time or something.
With Stella, you took it when you could get it. You never pressed the point once she’d said no. You never fidgeted in bed until she woke up, because all that would get you was a cranky wife telling you to lie still or sleep on the couch.
It’s not like she was frigid or anything. Ray got laid way more than some of the other married guys he knew. It was just that Stella was either in the mood, or she wasn’t and that was that. You couldn’t make her want it when she didn’t and you didn’t dare turn her down when she did. Not that Ray could have anyway. Horny Stella was a force to be reckoned with and his dick obeyed every command she gave.
Man could she give commands. It was always, “Fuck me, Ray.” Or “I want to sit on your face until I come and then I want to lay back…” She told him the whole story. She knew what she wanted before she went for it and she made sure Ray knew, too.
Maybe that was a part of the anticipation. Tell a guy what he’s going to be getting and he’ll want it now. It just somehow never worked the other way.
If Ray wanted some lovin’, he had to be creative. There were things that turned Stella’s crank, for sure. He just couldn’t use them too often, or she’d get wise to it and stop reacting. Like, if she knew he was trying to get her horny, she’d get pissed because he was trying to manipulate her or something.
Mostly, he got it right. Sometimes it was stretching in front of her so that he showed a strip of belly. Sometimes it was pulling her up against him on the couch and getting her to just lay there while he held her. Whatever it was, it had to be subtle and he had watch closely for her reactions. It was like a game he had to play without her knowing. If he played well enough, he could even make the first move, make it seem like his idea. If he showed his hand too early, she shut him down.
So this thing with Ben was so far from what he’d expected that he thought about it a lot. Should he be doing this? Was he supposed to feel like that?
The fact was, he didn’t know. Sometimes he wished it was like the first six months. Sparks flying everywhere and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They had three states of being back then. Horny, fucking and afterglow. No in between.
They’d get off anyway they could, anywhere they could. God, that had been exciting, but hell on his nerves.
Now it was pretty much either the bed or the couch. Maybe the shower if Ray woke up early enough to catch Ben in there.
It was easy, but best of all it was always just right, just what both of them needed, when they needed it.
Ray sometimes thought about trying to get that old spark back. Thought about pressing Ben up against the wall in an alley somewhere and blowing him just for the hell of it, or maybe giving him a hand job on stake out. He thought about bringing that spontaneity back.
But then he thought he liked this better. Because it wasn’t just the sex that was good now, it was everything else too.
For the first time in his life, Ray knew what he was getting, day in and day out. And since what he was getting was exactly what he wanted, he didn’t want to change a thing. And from the way Ben woke up and smiled as soon as Ray slid into the bed, it was a pretty safe bet that he felt the same way.