the violets explode inside me (when I meet your eyes) part 2
--
“It’s fucking traditional, alright?” Dustin called as Mark was dragged out of his room. God knows where Wardo was hiding. Things had been weird since that day Mark coded a whole new mp3 extension for his media player (Microsoft were interested, Mark wasn’t) but it had been a month as Wardo had confidently asked Christy to the ball and smiled softly - in that way had Mark thought was meant for him - at her, during a prep session.
So Mark guessed he was dating Christy or whatever. Mark was over it anyway. Or at least, he kept telling himself that. If he still spent most showers jerking off to the short memories of Eduardo dripping from his shower or that one time he had opened the door for Mark and he had fell against Wardo’s hard chest, then he was the only person who needed to know about that.
Still, Mark really fucking didn’t want to go to this ball thing. Most of the students at this school had known each other for years, and even Wardo’s posse had found dates. Mark supposed he could have asked Erica, the girl from his math class who could run circles around his algebraic homework, but he wasn’t going to go with the pretence of being straight just to try and play Eduardo’s game. It wasn’t fair to Erica.
Plus she’d probably see straight through him and never let him live it down.
Dustin was insisting that Mark attended the ball however, even if it meant pulling Mark’s arm out of its socket if his current attempt was any judge.
“Shit, Mark, you’re coming, okay? I don’t know why you and Wardo are being weird at the moment but you don’t even have to talk to him; there are like a billion people in the hall.” He grunted and Chris came out of his room and peered down the corridor.
“Mark still being a douche?” he called to Dustin who was now visibly sweating.
“Jesus, if I sweat out the hair gel Chris put in for me, I will kill you, Mark.” Dustin growled.
“Then stop trying to pull my arm off, dickhead!” Mark shouted and Dustin abruptly let go and Mark fell backwards into his room, Dustin rested against the corridor wall and breathed heavily. Dustin noticed Eduardo approaching the door as if it was a crime scene.
“Oh hey, Wardo, Mark’s being an idiot and is refusing to come tonight and I have to sort out my hair. I pass the baton onto you.” With that Dustin bowed to Eduardo and stomped back to his room to take comfort in Chris’ hair gel.
Eduardo peered into the door frame with a smirk on his face. Mark could tell he was already dressed for the ball in a dark navy shirt, two buttons open to reveal a collarbone that Mark had had daydreams about biting. He was wearing black slacks and had obviously spent a little longer on making his hair look ridiculous and gravity-defying than its normal, already impressive, levels.
“Hey.” He said looking down at where Mark was sprawled on their carpet. Mark had, by this time, decided all ports of embarrassment had been departed weeks ago so flopped back on the floor and brought an arm up to cover his eyes.
“You look comfortable,” Eduardo commented, his voice sounding a little closer than before and Mark could hear the grin on his face.
“I’m sure you’re enjoying this.” Mark said tonelessly, and pulled his arm away from his face. Eduardo was standing about three feet away from him and looking down at his tracksuit bottoms, Mark’s knees up and slightly parted. Eduardo blushed and looked away before sitting down on his desk chair, just behind the door.
“You’ve got to come, Mark. It’ll be fun. There are games and…” Mark looked at him seriously and Wardo coughed out a laugh, “Alright. But promise me you’ll come to the after party. It’s in Sean’s room - you know he’s the kid with asthma so for some reason his room is fucking huge?” Mark nodded slowly, “He’s getting alcohol and girls and it’s going to be awesome, Mark.” Wardo grinned helplessly at him and put out his hand as if to help him up.
“Fine, I’ll come to the after-party, you persuasive bastard.” Mark said and the corners of his mouth lifted up involuntarily as he took Eduardo’s hand and let him pull him to his feet. Wardo left his hand in Mark’s grip and looked down at Mark.
“You’re going to be sore tomorrow.” Eduardo murmured and his pupils dilated slightly; Mark swayed closer.
“Yeah,” he whispered before tilting his head up slightly. Eduardo was slowly stroking his ring finger over the jut of Mark’s hand. It suddenly felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room and Mark was fighting the swirling sensation. It felt like those blissful moments before realising you are too drunk, a moment of true freedom and dizzying truth.
There was a light knock on the door and Eduardo pulled away, leaving Mark feeling cold in the absence of heat all along his front.
“Christy!” He could hear Eduardo call, slightly too loudly, but Mark was still in a vacuum and everything sounded like he had soap suds in his ears.
“I’ll see you at the after party, Mark!” Eduardo called over his shoulder as he shut the door behind himself. Mark stumbled to the bed and held his fingers up to his tingling lips. He could still feel Wardo’s warm breath touching his face. Mark scrubbed a hand over his face and pulled off his hoodie, deciding to take a shower.
--
Turns out Erica and all of her friends were invited to the after party as well. Mark pulled on the closest clean tee-shirt and a pair of jeans. His hair was a mess, but he didn’t have time to worry about that. He had spent two hours coding in his towel and the after party started in half an hour. God knows why he was even going to the stupid after party, but he had promised Wardo, so he decided he’d turn up and go home if it was terrible-which it no doubt was. Eduardo was going to be there with Christy, and Mark would be alone, and that would be that.
Mark needed to stop going down that line of thought.
Sean’s room wasn’t in Kirkwood, so Mark spent about twenty minutes wandering around trying to find it. Turns out it was in the most obscure part of the school but Mark managed to follow a group to the room.
Inside he saw what looked like a normal party, just in a more confined space. He spotted Chris leaning against a guy he’d seen him hanging around with before (Mark assumed this was the history boyfriend Dustin had mentioned). He pushed himself through the room to the table where Sean had obviously laid out all of the alcohol. Mark had brought a couple of beers they had left in the mini fridge in their room. He vaguely remembered his mother mentioning that he must never be empty handed when turning up to a party; so hey, two Sam Adams for Sean.
He felt a little awkward standing beside the alcohol table in a room of a people he’d never met without Wardo or any of his other friends. Before he could leave he spotted Erica, who waved at him. He waved in a far more demure fashion and she laughed at him. She grabbed the arm of one of her friends and dragged her over.
“Mark, you’re out of your room. And drinking alcohol! My, my. You’ve grown up, like a real boy!” She grinned at him and Mark looked unimpressed.
“How else would I ingest alcohol, Erica?” Erica then proceeded to tell him about vodka jelly babies and Mark protested eating and drinking were far too similar in order for there to be any argument. Erica’s friend laughed politely and pushed past him to pick up a beer.
Mark was laughing at something Erica said when the crowd parted behind her head so he could see a couch (who the hell has a couch in their room - this guy must really have influence over the school) where a pretty Asian girl was perched on Wardo’s knee and leaning into his space. Mark looked down at his beer for a second, able to drag his eyes away. Erica frowned and turned around to see where he was looking. By this time Christy and Eduardo were properly making out, her knees bracketing his thighs.
Eduardo looked directly at Mark for at least thirty seconds mid-kiss, and Mark couldn’t look away even though it felt like someone had just punched him in the chest.
“Oh, Mark.” Erica said gently before he shrugged and downed his beer, “How long have you, you know, liked him?”
“I don’t like him. I just don’t like PDA.” Mark said gruffly. He mumbled an excuse and made it out to the corridor before the stinging sensation in his eyes and tightening feeling in his throat could cause a seriously embarrassing situation.
He didn’t know what he expected from the party, but he knew he’d been stupid for expecting anything from Eduardo. He obviously never felt anything for Mark. Hearing about club girls who were all over him was bad enough, but seeing it in all it’s stark reality just really fucking hurt, okay?
“Hey, Mark, wait up!” He heard a voice call out for him as he walked down the corridor and for a second all he could think of was Eduardo putting his hand on Mark’s shoulder. He whipped around, preparing himself to be calm and collected while still feeling tempestuous and angry at Eduardo, even though he couldn’t quite articulate why he felt so betrayed.
“I’m Sean, Sean Parker.” The man with curly hair held out his hand and Mark gripped it back.
--
Sean walked him back to him room, seeming to not really care about leaving a room of rowdy teenagers without him.
“I was really impressed with your media player, Mark. You got any more ideas in that curly head of yours?” He ruffled Mark’s head and Mark moved a little more out the way. “Look, give me a call if you ever need any help.” Sean handed over a card with his number on it - what kind of person has a business card in high school? - and Mark took it.
“Nice meeting you, Mark.” Sean smiled, showing far too many of his teeth. Mark pressed the key card against the door jamb and listened for the beep.
He settled down on his bed and shrugged off the t shirt, which reeked of smoke and beer. He threw it on the ground and held his head in his hands.
Suddenly the door opened with a crack and Wardo stood in the frame.
“You fucking asshole.” Eduardo snarled before slamming the door shut. His eyes were wide and he’d obviously been drinking.
“What?” Mark returned looking at him in a mixture of confusion and anger.
“You know what. You just ruin everything with your stupid hair and lips and - fuck.” Eduardo paced the small space between their beds, pressing his hands against the temples of his forehead.
Mark stood up and blocked his path on the return, “You don’t get to shout at me after the way you’ve been acting recently!” Mark shouted back.
“What the fuck, Mark? You’re always there are I can’t even concentrate on Christy even when she’s in my lap! And you’re staring at me across the room like, I don’t know, you want me or something even though I know you don’t-and I know I’m not supposed to feel this way but I do and I can’t stop, even though I’ve tried so hard to not think of you that way! You just make it so difficult, Mark.” Eduardo’s voice cracked in the middle, and Mark grabbed his neck and crashed his mouth against Eduardo’s pulling him into a crushing kiss.
Eduardo gave back as good as he got, arching back slightly from the force of Mark’s embrace even as he reached up to bury his hands in Mark’s hair. As their lips separated, Mark let out a shaky breath, half surprise and half desire. The sound seemed to nearly drive Eduardo mad. He closed his lips over Mark’s, snaking his tongue inside Mark’s mouth.
Mark pushed Eduardo’s suit jacket halfway off his shoulders, pinning Wardo’s arms to his sides. Eduardo moaned, letting his hands drop to Mark’s jeans and hooked his fingers in the loops, tugging until they were pressed against each other. Eduardo sighed, rotating his hips and Mark immediately responded to him. Mark let his hands drop from Eduardo’s jacket and pulled it off until it fell on the floor behind him.
They moved towards Eduardo’s bed as Mark pushed Wardo down flat. He straddled Eduardo’s thighs and pulled at his shirt until they managed to get it off, Wardo meeting him immediately after, sitting up, in a harsh kiss. Eduardo moved to suck open-mouthed kisses along Mark’s jaw as Mark panted in his ear.
“You fuck her?” He asked, wanting to know at the same time as desperately not wanting Eduardo to tell him.
“No,” Eduardo said breathlessly before moving back up to Mark’s mouth, planting sloppy kisses over Mark’s bottom lip. Mark let himself grind down on Eduardo and lightly bit his lip, causing Wardo’s hips to jerk upwards.
“Mark, take these pants off now,” Wardo whined as he tugged at the jeans before swiftly undoing the button with one hand, the other scratching at the base of Mark’s neck. Mark keened up against Eduardo and pushed himself closer as Wardo bit hard on his collar bone. “Now,” he gasped in Mark’s mouth as Mark tugged at his hair, drawing his neck back.
Mark took a moment to observe the red marks and scratches Wardo had made on his body. He sucked a bruise on the centre of Wardo’s Adam’s apple.
“She suck you? Get you wet for me?” Mark whispered, low. Eduardo groaned in response and nodded his head. Mark twisted, trying to ignore the fierce, possessive jealousy in his gut as he pushed Eduardo back on the bed and crawled up his body.
“Mark, jesus, it didn’t mean anything,” Wardo explained, his voice pitching lower as he continued. “I only came when I thought of your lips around me,” he said, voice cracking as Mark undid his shirt and pulled it over Eduardo’s head.
“Still think you can get it up for me?” Mark cupped Eduardo cock through his slacks and whispered against his lips. If Eduardo was half hard before, he was now fully hard against the zipper on his pants.
“Fuck.” Eduardo laughed as Mark kissed his way down his chest, the way he had thought about for the past two months. “Mark, Mark-come up here.” Eduardo pulled him in to a toe curling kiss and smoothly flipped them over in the slim bed that really wasn’t built for activities like this.
“I’ve been thinking about this for weeks,” Eduardo murmured against Mark’s jaw. Mark opened his eyes and stared at the look of pure pleasure on Eduardo’s face. He traced Mark’s left nipple with his index finger and lifted his free hand to stroke along Mark’s cheek, finally resting his thumb on Mark’s lower lip. Mark bent his head and took Eduardo’s thumb between his teeth and bit down lightly. Then he closed his lips around the digit, soothing the slight sting with his tongue and then sucking. Eduardo groaned, and Mark grew warm with pleasure as he felt Eduardo grow impossibly harder against him. He thought of Christy’s blowjob again, and spitefully decided to outdo her.
And then Eduardo rolled quickly on his side to get rid of his shoes, pulling off Mark’s at the same time. He muttered something in rough Portuguese that Mark didn’t understand, but knew didn’t really sound appropriate for wider use as he bent to curl around Eduardo. He kissed along the width of his broad shoulders and stroked the sides of his chest. Mark rested his chin against Eduardo’s shoulder as he undid the last lace on his second shoe.
As soon as the shoe was off, Eduardo decided he’d been patient enough. He twisted around and lifted a hand to Mark’s chest, pushing him back down to the mattress. Mark propped himself up on his elbows and smiled at Eduardo, feeling shy and confident at the same time as Eduardo dragged his hand down Mark’s torso. Eduardo grinned back at him. He eventually stopped at the top of Mark’s jeans; he had already undone the button so he quickly pushed them down Mark’s pale thighs. Then he slipped his hand inside, wrapping his fingers around the length of Mark’s erection.
Mark fell completely flat on the bet, his head hitting the pillow, “Oh… oh God,” Mark moaned, squeezing his eyes shut.
Eduardo smiled at the reaction, tightening his grip as he stroked. He followed Mark’s wordless directions with his hips. Mark reached one arm up behind himself to clench the sheets, his knuckles turning white. Eduardo leant down slowly and placed his lips around Mark. He sucked lightly and tongued the underside of his cock before Mark rested his hand in Eduardo’s hair and groaned in the base of his throat.
“Wardo. W-Wardo.” Mark chanted almost as a warning before he came inside Eduardo’s mouth. He swallowed reflexively and kissed the inside of Mark’s knee, crawling up his body to press a light kiss against Mark’s slack lips. Mark breathed wetly against Eduardo’s lips as he looked into his eyes and fumbled for the top of Eduardo’s slacks. He pushed his hand inside and gripped Eduardo tightly, twisting in the way Eduardo apparently really liked, since seconds later he was groaning into Mark’s neck and coming all over Mark’s hand. He pulled his hand out of Eduardo’s pants and licked curiously at his hand. Eduardo huffed a laugh even as his eyes widened at the sight, and slumped against Mark’s shoulder.
After a moment Mark reached for the tissues on Eduardo’s table and cleaned them both up. They kissed with slick lips and slid against one another sleepily as they settled down to sleep. At least the next day was a Sunday.
--
Mark woke up to a solid body curled against his back and a heavy arm holding him against the bed. Eduardo’s hand was splayed just above the boxers Mark had pulled on the night before, gently scratching at the skin. Mark snuffled into the pillow before turning around in Wardo’s arms.
Eduardo smiled sleepily, his eyes crinkling up. He leant forwards and woke up Mark by pressing small kisses against the corner of his mouth waiting for Mark to respond. Mark placed his hands against Eduardo’s chest and curved his back to stretch out. Eduardo stroked his neck and Mark opened his eyes to smile back.
“Hey,” Mark said, voice croaking a little.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Eduardo whispered against his curls as he kissed Mark’s forehead.
“Whatimeisit?” Mark asked, making it into one word as he yawned. Eduardo leaned over him and checked the blasted clock. “Nine. I’ve got to get up in a minute.” He pressed his head in the base of Mark’s neck. Mark stroked his back for a moment.
“Why?” Mark questioned.
“Press thing. Interview for some magazine about Deerfield and stuff.” Eduardo kissed Mark’s neck once more before gracefully slipping out of bed.
“We need to have a talk about what this is, though,” Eduardo said, voice trembling somewhat nervously as he stood at the wardrobe and gestured between them, as if to indicate what happened last night. Mark snorted and flopped back into Wardo’s bed.
“I thought it was fairly obvious, Wardo.” Mark said to the ceiling.
Eduardo exhaled shakily, running a hand through his hair anxiously. “I mean, I want to be in a relationship with you, but you know I can’t ever come out - my father would kill me - and I’d lose my entire career. I mean, how likely do you think it is that Brazil would want me as their king if I was openly sleeping with men. It doesn’t even matter if it feels right, like... like last night. And I can’t ask that of you. I can’t ask you to be in a relationship with someone who can never hold your hand, or kiss you in public. Not to mention I’d probably have to get married at some point and have kids and - god.” Eduardo stuttered to a finish and leaned against Mark’s desk, head in his hands.
Mark got out of bed and pulled Eduardo against him, holding the back of his head and lacing their fingers together.
“I’ll do it. I’ll be your secret boyfriend, Wardo. If it means I can be with you, I would do anything.” Mark smiled against Eduardo’s skin and felt Eduardo shudder against him.
“I don’t want to put you through tha…” Eduardo started.
“Put me through it, Wardo. I want you, this.” Mark pulled Eduardo’s head back to look him in the eye. He kissed Wardo’s upper lip and licked open Eduardo’s mouth. He pushed back Eduardo till he was sitting against the desk, Mark standing in between his parted thighs.
“I want you too.” Wardo replied breathily, sounding a little more emotional than Mark expected. He smiled at Eduardo and felt his stomach loosen when the smile was returned.