The Mechanics of Love, Part Five: Karl/Eric fic
Title: The Mechanics of Love, Part Five
Characters: Karl Urban/Eric Bana
Rating: NC-17 for this part
Beta: The always generous kitty_trio
Word Count: 2546 words this part
Disclaimer: Never happened; I make no money from this story
Summary: This is an AU set in NZ, with Eric aged about 25 and Karl about 21. They are both mechanics, working for a small outfit in West Auckland.
Author's Notes: In this chapter, it's the morning after Eric and Karl spend their first night together.
Dedication: Continuing this one for lookingglassf1, who always wants more E/K. *smooches*
Previous Parts:
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four
Waking slowly, Eric rolled and crashed into somebody. His eyes flew open wide and his heart stuttered unevenly. Realising who it was, he took a deep breath and managed to calm himself as Karl blinked his own eyes open and smiled at him.
"So it wasn't a dream…" Karl murmured sleepily.
"Guess not," Eric replied, shifting a hand and finding a warm thigh. He stroked it softly for a moment and was just about to move his hand away again when Karl spoke.
"Keep doing that and you're gonna have to deal with this." Karl rolled and Eric's hand met his hard-on.
"Not sure that's really a problem," Eric grinned, and wrapped a hand around it.
Karl groaned as he began stroking firmly, sending a thrill of need right through Eric. Not that he hadn't already been semi-firm himself; there was nothing unusual in that for a morning. Generally he just ignored it and went about getting ready for work. But this was Saturday, and he had a hard-on and a horny guy in bed with him. He wasn't about to let either go to waste.
Shifting closer, he offered Karl his lips as he continued to manipulate the cock in his hand. Karl reached towards his face, holding him steady as he thrust into Eric's hand, and joined their mouths wetly. Christ! Eric hadn't been so turned on by someone in months.
"I want to fuck you," he muttered when they drew back, but he didn't stop moving his hand.
Karl shook his head, his cheeks flushing. "No; not yet. Please?" he begged, and Eric wasn't sure if he meant he didn't want to at all, or just that he wanted Eric to keep wanking him for a little longer.
Deciding to go with the safer option, Eric ducked under the blankets and found Karl's cock with his mouth.
"Fuck!" Karl gasped as Eric surrounded the head of his prick in dampness, and jerked quickly into the action.
Eric slid off and pushed at the bedding. Karl flicked the blankets back so he could look at Eric, and he asked desperately, "What?"
"You liked the finger, yeah? I could do that again; see how it goes…"
"Uh… okay," Karl nodded, though he looked nervous.
"I won't hurt you," Eric promised and shifted upwards to look for lube.
"What… where are you going?" Karl almost whined.
"It's okay, Karl. It's easier with some of this," he explained, coming back with the lube in hand. "I'll be careful. I… I won't fuck you; I'll just use my fingers, I promise." It was hard to hold back for someone so inexperienced when Eric had been going the whole way with well-fucked guys for a long time now, but he knew it'd be worth it if he made the effort.
"Okay," Karl said again, still looking a bit unsure. "Where do you want me?"
"It's all right, Karl. Where you are is fine. Just relax. Let me do this…" Eric shifted closer again, and kissed Karl gently, slowly turning it more erotic as Karl responded. One hand found Karl's prick again and he flicked the lid of the lube with the other. Karl's erection hadn't diminished any, so he obviously wasn't completely against Eric's idea, even though Eric could feel how his heartbeat had increased.
Eric explored Karl's mouth to keep his attention away from his fingers as he coated them in lube. Dropping the tube, he wrapped the damp hand back around Karl's cock and began to move again. Karl gasped into his mouth and rocked his hips. The juicy sounds of a well-lubed cock filled Eric's ears, and he felt a thrill dance through his own. Pushing his hips nearer, he shifted his hand to hold them both - not an easy proposition, but a worthwhile one. The contact made them break apart from the kiss, but it wasn't a bad thing.
"Christ!" Karl groaned, sliding a hand down Eric's side and letting it join Eric's on both cocks.
"Fuck, yeah," Eric moaned back, letting the fingers of his other hand play in the wetness. He sucked on Karl's bottom lip, then curled slightly to seek an already peaked nipple with his teeth. One hand remained with Karl's on their cocks as they found an easy rhythm together, while the other slid under Karl's balls, rubbing gently down his perineum.
"I…" Karl tried, and Eric paused for a moment, although their bodies never stopped moving. No more words came though, and a quick glance to Karl's face seemed to indicate there were no more.
He licked and sucked the nipple he'd been worrying and slid the finger closer to Karl's asshole, circling delicately. A shiver ran through Karl and he made a sound that hit Eric right in the groin. Gently, he dipped his finger into the heated hole, slowing his stroking hand down slightly. They were both close; it really wouldn't take much now. Karl tried to speed the hand on their cocks up, but Eric wouldn't let him, and the finger slid in deeper. Karl made the sound again as Eric's knuckle breached the tight muscle and he sought the sweet spot inside.
Karl jerked, though he didn't lose his grip anywhere, and for a moment Eric thought he was going to freak and pull away. But then he groaned, "Oh… yes," drawing the 's' out sibilantly, and returned his rocking to the easy rhythm they'd found earlier. Eric grinned against his chest and stroked the finger over the place inside Karl, his own pleasure rising fast as sounds of bliss kept escaping Karl's mouth.
Unable to help himself, Eric shifted a little so he could look at Karl's face as he increased the speed of both actions. His own pleasure was secondary, but he could easily get off on Karl's expression, he thought with a smirk. The man had his eyes shut and his head thrown back, muscles taut and pleasure evident in every twitch of his mouth.
Eric's ministrations were having an effect, and Karl suddenly opened his eyes, fixing on Eric's, and grunted, "Fuck me!"
He didn't mean it literally, quite obviously, as his cock jerked and sputtered in Eric's hand, and he thrust against Eric harshly, blindly seeking Eric's mouth and joining it with his own as he came. Eric almost grinned under the kiss, his hands still moving. His heart pounded, and his own needs rose, but Karl was flopping backward now and letting go.
"Shit…" Karl breathed, closing his eyes again.
Eric's cock throbbed, orgasm just out of reach, and he almost gave in to what he wanted as his finger slid out of Karl's body, but no, he couldn't do that; he'd promised. He wrapped his own hand back around his prick, hand sliding easily in lube and come, and began jerking himself faster.
"Let me," Karl murmured, moving more quickly than Eric would have given him credit for after such a shattering climax.
The taste of lube clearly didn't bother him; nor his own come, because suddenly his wet mouth was wrapped around the head of Eric's dick, and Eric was gasping as desperately as he'd had Karl do minutes earlier. The unexpected delight of it when he was so close won out, and it only took a few harsh sucks and a squeeze of Karl's hand around the rest of his length before Eric was shooting hard down Karl's throat.
Karl bobbed on his cock a few times, swallowing hard, and Eric shuddered through rippling aftershocks, breath heaving and muscles spasming.
Without speaking, Karl climbed back up to kiss him, and Eric gave into it, too exhausted to protest the taste of his own come from soft, wet lips. Unable to move, he let Karl sprawl across him, the kiss gentle and easy.
Eric was already starting to doze when Karl spoke.
"Thank you."
Blinking, Eric strained his head back to be able to look at Karl's face. "For what?"
"For that. And last night. It was… shit, I haven't done anything like that with another guy in ages… and it was…" Karl shrugged, pinkness creeping up his cheeks.
Eric narrowed his eyes as Karl drew away. "You don't have to leave," he offered softly. "We could hang out today… if you want?"
Karl was sitting on the edge of the bed by now, gazing around the room like he hadn't even seen it before. Come to that, he probably hadn't. They'd been in such a hurry to touch each other last night, and this morning hadn't been any different.
"I dunno," Karl said, spotting his pants and standing up to retrieve them. "I've got things to do. Mum needs me to…" He swallowed any further words, not looking at Eric.
"She going to mind you didn't come home last night?" Eric asked, wondering at the sudden change of demeanour. He shifted a little, pulling the sheet over his nudity and pushing a pillow behind him to lean on.
Karl nodded, but said nothing as he found the rest of his clothes and struggled into them.
"You could have a shower," Eric said, "if you want. Might be a little less obvious what you've been up to."
Karl snorted. "Won't make any difference. I go in smelling like this, she'll know I've had sex, and it could be a guy or a girl; she won't know and won't ask. If I'm washed, she'll think I'm trying to hide that I've had been out all night fucking, and she'll work out it's a bloke. She knows me too well. And if she knows… Dad will know."
Eric tried to decide if there was a hidden meaning in the last phrase, but he wasn't sure he understood. Karl's Dad sounded disapproving, but that didn't have to mean anything other than he'd have a few choice words to say, did it?
"You be okay? I'll get dressed and give you a lift at least."
"I'll be fine, Eric," Karl smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Don't bother; I'll walk. It's not that far and it'll help clear my head."
Frowning, Eric got out of the bed and kicked into his own pants as Karl looked into the mirror and ran a hand through his unruly locks.
"You wishing you hadn't stayed?" he asked, coming up behind Karl and looking at him in the mirror over his shoulder.
"No, not at all," Karl answered, looking back at him through the glass.
He didn't move, and when Eric stepped closer and put an arm around his waist and drew Karl back against his chest, he closed his eyes for a moment, the pinkness returning to his handsome face. His eyes opened again and he studied Eric's features as they stood there together. He wasn't exactly resisting Eric's hold, but he was far from relaxed.
"I want this, Eric; I do. It's just… I haven't had much luck with it before. What if…" he bit his lip and Eric shushed him, turning to kiss Karl below the nearest ear.
"Don't worry about 'What if's', Karl. We'll just take it slow; see what happens. I haven't had much better luck myself. Let's not worry about things till they happen, eh? Now, let me drive you home?"
"Okay," Karl conceded, turning in Eric's arms. The kiss was brief, but it was as good as all the others, and it seemed like Eric had pushed Karl's worry away for now.
"What will your flatmates think when we come out of your room together?" Karl grinned, like he'd never been worried just moments before.
"Shit," Eric let out, "I'd forgotten about them. What time is it?" He reached into a drawer for a clean t-shirt and pulled it over his head, then found socks and sat on the bed to pull them on.
Karl glanced at the alarm clock by the bed and said, "Nine-thirty, or close enough. They be up?"
They hadn't heard any noises, and knowing Carmen she'd be buried in her bed until noon after a hard night, if she'd even come home. Craig was another matter, and Eric's heart skipped in worry. He could float around the place pretty quietly sometimes, and hadn't been out last night, so he could well be in the kitchen or lounge by now.
"Shit," Eric said again, running a hand through his curly hair. "Craig could be anywhere. Let me check before we go. I don't…"
"Does it matter? Let him think what he likes."
"You really don't care?" Eric asked, looking back at him from the door.
"If he didn't work it out last night, it's not going to take him long," Karl replied, moving towards him. "It didn't strike me that he'd be bothered anyway."
Eric frowned, thinking. What was he so worried about anyway? Karl was probably right, although he'd been hiding his true self for so long now, it was second nature.
"Okay," he finally conceded, opening the door. "You want some breakfast before we go?"
"No, I..." Karl winced, like the idea was painful, "Better get back as soon as I can. Don't like leaving it this late as it is."
"Right you are."
They were in luck though; Craig wasn't anywhere to be seen, and only Chekov wandered through the hallway as they made their way out. He wasn't saying anything, luckily; just seeming grateful to be let out.
Outside Karl's place ten minutes later, Karl turned to Eric, a nervous smile on his face.
"Thanks. I'll see you at work Monday."
Karl seemed really different now; like the face Eric had seen last night was a façade meant to fool him into thinking he was a cool, calm and sophisticated gay guy who didn't have a care in the world, although of course little snatches of the young, insecure man had surfaced from time to time.
He was twitchy now he was outside his own home, and Eric wondered just what he expected when he went inside. Surely his parents couldn't be that worried about him spending the night elsewhere? He was over twenty; he could take care of himself.
Still, what did Eric know? He'd been here since he was eighteen, and while Ted and Mabel - his father's cousins he'd lived with in New Zealand originally - were still concerned enough with his well-being to phone him occasionally, they'd long since stopped worrying where he spent his nights. Besides, he had lived his own life for about four years now without having to report where he was going to be. It was probably different for Karl, who still lived at home with his parents.
"Karl?" Eric asked out the car door before Karl could shut it.
"Yeah?" Karl paused, looking back in at him in puzzlement.
"You need me to give you a lift to work on Monday? I... I don't mind."
Karl glanced over his shoulder at the house, then back at Eric like he was weighing it up. To Eric's relief, he nodded. "Please," he said simply, giving Eric a tiny smile and turning away again.
The smile made Eric inordinately happy, and he rolled his eyes at himself as he drove off, sure he was turning into the biggest pile of mush around.
~//~//~
Part Six
Musicians Friend Coupon
Characters: Karl Urban/Eric Bana
Rating: NC-17 for this part
Beta: The always generous kitty_trio
Word Count: 2546 words this part
Disclaimer: Never happened; I make no money from this story
Summary: This is an AU set in NZ, with Eric aged about 25 and Karl about 21. They are both mechanics, working for a small outfit in West Auckland.
Author's Notes: In this chapter, it's the morning after Eric and Karl spend their first night together.
Dedication: Continuing this one for lookingglassf1, who always wants more E/K. *smooches*
Previous Parts:
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four
Waking slowly, Eric rolled and crashed into somebody. His eyes flew open wide and his heart stuttered unevenly. Realising who it was, he took a deep breath and managed to calm himself as Karl blinked his own eyes open and smiled at him.
"So it wasn't a dream…" Karl murmured sleepily.
"Guess not," Eric replied, shifting a hand and finding a warm thigh. He stroked it softly for a moment and was just about to move his hand away again when Karl spoke.
"Keep doing that and you're gonna have to deal with this." Karl rolled and Eric's hand met his hard-on.
"Not sure that's really a problem," Eric grinned, and wrapped a hand around it.
Karl groaned as he began stroking firmly, sending a thrill of need right through Eric. Not that he hadn't already been semi-firm himself; there was nothing unusual in that for a morning. Generally he just ignored it and went about getting ready for work. But this was Saturday, and he had a hard-on and a horny guy in bed with him. He wasn't about to let either go to waste.
Shifting closer, he offered Karl his lips as he continued to manipulate the cock in his hand. Karl reached towards his face, holding him steady as he thrust into Eric's hand, and joined their mouths wetly. Christ! Eric hadn't been so turned on by someone in months.
"I want to fuck you," he muttered when they drew back, but he didn't stop moving his hand.
Karl shook his head, his cheeks flushing. "No; not yet. Please?" he begged, and Eric wasn't sure if he meant he didn't want to at all, or just that he wanted Eric to keep wanking him for a little longer.
Deciding to go with the safer option, Eric ducked under the blankets and found Karl's cock with his mouth.
"Fuck!" Karl gasped as Eric surrounded the head of his prick in dampness, and jerked quickly into the action.
Eric slid off and pushed at the bedding. Karl flicked the blankets back so he could look at Eric, and he asked desperately, "What?"
"You liked the finger, yeah? I could do that again; see how it goes…"
"Uh… okay," Karl nodded, though he looked nervous.
"I won't hurt you," Eric promised and shifted upwards to look for lube.
"What… where are you going?" Karl almost whined.
"It's okay, Karl. It's easier with some of this," he explained, coming back with the lube in hand. "I'll be careful. I… I won't fuck you; I'll just use my fingers, I promise." It was hard to hold back for someone so inexperienced when Eric had been going the whole way with well-fucked guys for a long time now, but he knew it'd be worth it if he made the effort.
"Okay," Karl said again, still looking a bit unsure. "Where do you want me?"
"It's all right, Karl. Where you are is fine. Just relax. Let me do this…" Eric shifted closer again, and kissed Karl gently, slowly turning it more erotic as Karl responded. One hand found Karl's prick again and he flicked the lid of the lube with the other. Karl's erection hadn't diminished any, so he obviously wasn't completely against Eric's idea, even though Eric could feel how his heartbeat had increased.
Eric explored Karl's mouth to keep his attention away from his fingers as he coated them in lube. Dropping the tube, he wrapped the damp hand back around Karl's cock and began to move again. Karl gasped into his mouth and rocked his hips. The juicy sounds of a well-lubed cock filled Eric's ears, and he felt a thrill dance through his own. Pushing his hips nearer, he shifted his hand to hold them both - not an easy proposition, but a worthwhile one. The contact made them break apart from the kiss, but it wasn't a bad thing.
"Christ!" Karl groaned, sliding a hand down Eric's side and letting it join Eric's on both cocks.
"Fuck, yeah," Eric moaned back, letting the fingers of his other hand play in the wetness. He sucked on Karl's bottom lip, then curled slightly to seek an already peaked nipple with his teeth. One hand remained with Karl's on their cocks as they found an easy rhythm together, while the other slid under Karl's balls, rubbing gently down his perineum.
"I…" Karl tried, and Eric paused for a moment, although their bodies never stopped moving. No more words came though, and a quick glance to Karl's face seemed to indicate there were no more.
He licked and sucked the nipple he'd been worrying and slid the finger closer to Karl's asshole, circling delicately. A shiver ran through Karl and he made a sound that hit Eric right in the groin. Gently, he dipped his finger into the heated hole, slowing his stroking hand down slightly. They were both close; it really wouldn't take much now. Karl tried to speed the hand on their cocks up, but Eric wouldn't let him, and the finger slid in deeper. Karl made the sound again as Eric's knuckle breached the tight muscle and he sought the sweet spot inside.
Karl jerked, though he didn't lose his grip anywhere, and for a moment Eric thought he was going to freak and pull away. But then he groaned, "Oh… yes," drawing the 's' out sibilantly, and returned his rocking to the easy rhythm they'd found earlier. Eric grinned against his chest and stroked the finger over the place inside Karl, his own pleasure rising fast as sounds of bliss kept escaping Karl's mouth.
Unable to help himself, Eric shifted a little so he could look at Karl's face as he increased the speed of both actions. His own pleasure was secondary, but he could easily get off on Karl's expression, he thought with a smirk. The man had his eyes shut and his head thrown back, muscles taut and pleasure evident in every twitch of his mouth.
Eric's ministrations were having an effect, and Karl suddenly opened his eyes, fixing on Eric's, and grunted, "Fuck me!"
He didn't mean it literally, quite obviously, as his cock jerked and sputtered in Eric's hand, and he thrust against Eric harshly, blindly seeking Eric's mouth and joining it with his own as he came. Eric almost grinned under the kiss, his hands still moving. His heart pounded, and his own needs rose, but Karl was flopping backward now and letting go.
"Shit…" Karl breathed, closing his eyes again.
Eric's cock throbbed, orgasm just out of reach, and he almost gave in to what he wanted as his finger slid out of Karl's body, but no, he couldn't do that; he'd promised. He wrapped his own hand back around his prick, hand sliding easily in lube and come, and began jerking himself faster.
"Let me," Karl murmured, moving more quickly than Eric would have given him credit for after such a shattering climax.
The taste of lube clearly didn't bother him; nor his own come, because suddenly his wet mouth was wrapped around the head of Eric's dick, and Eric was gasping as desperately as he'd had Karl do minutes earlier. The unexpected delight of it when he was so close won out, and it only took a few harsh sucks and a squeeze of Karl's hand around the rest of his length before Eric was shooting hard down Karl's throat.
Karl bobbed on his cock a few times, swallowing hard, and Eric shuddered through rippling aftershocks, breath heaving and muscles spasming.
Without speaking, Karl climbed back up to kiss him, and Eric gave into it, too exhausted to protest the taste of his own come from soft, wet lips. Unable to move, he let Karl sprawl across him, the kiss gentle and easy.
Eric was already starting to doze when Karl spoke.
"Thank you."
Blinking, Eric strained his head back to be able to look at Karl's face. "For what?"
"For that. And last night. It was… shit, I haven't done anything like that with another guy in ages… and it was…" Karl shrugged, pinkness creeping up his cheeks.
Eric narrowed his eyes as Karl drew away. "You don't have to leave," he offered softly. "We could hang out today… if you want?"
Karl was sitting on the edge of the bed by now, gazing around the room like he hadn't even seen it before. Come to that, he probably hadn't. They'd been in such a hurry to touch each other last night, and this morning hadn't been any different.
"I dunno," Karl said, spotting his pants and standing up to retrieve them. "I've got things to do. Mum needs me to…" He swallowed any further words, not looking at Eric.
"She going to mind you didn't come home last night?" Eric asked, wondering at the sudden change of demeanour. He shifted a little, pulling the sheet over his nudity and pushing a pillow behind him to lean on.
Karl nodded, but said nothing as he found the rest of his clothes and struggled into them.
"You could have a shower," Eric said, "if you want. Might be a little less obvious what you've been up to."
Karl snorted. "Won't make any difference. I go in smelling like this, she'll know I've had sex, and it could be a guy or a girl; she won't know and won't ask. If I'm washed, she'll think I'm trying to hide that I've had been out all night fucking, and she'll work out it's a bloke. She knows me too well. And if she knows… Dad will know."
Eric tried to decide if there was a hidden meaning in the last phrase, but he wasn't sure he understood. Karl's Dad sounded disapproving, but that didn't have to mean anything other than he'd have a few choice words to say, did it?
"You be okay? I'll get dressed and give you a lift at least."
"I'll be fine, Eric," Karl smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Don't bother; I'll walk. It's not that far and it'll help clear my head."
Frowning, Eric got out of the bed and kicked into his own pants as Karl looked into the mirror and ran a hand through his unruly locks.
"You wishing you hadn't stayed?" he asked, coming up behind Karl and looking at him in the mirror over his shoulder.
"No, not at all," Karl answered, looking back at him through the glass.
He didn't move, and when Eric stepped closer and put an arm around his waist and drew Karl back against his chest, he closed his eyes for a moment, the pinkness returning to his handsome face. His eyes opened again and he studied Eric's features as they stood there together. He wasn't exactly resisting Eric's hold, but he was far from relaxed.
"I want this, Eric; I do. It's just… I haven't had much luck with it before. What if…" he bit his lip and Eric shushed him, turning to kiss Karl below the nearest ear.
"Don't worry about 'What if's', Karl. We'll just take it slow; see what happens. I haven't had much better luck myself. Let's not worry about things till they happen, eh? Now, let me drive you home?"
"Okay," Karl conceded, turning in Eric's arms. The kiss was brief, but it was as good as all the others, and it seemed like Eric had pushed Karl's worry away for now.
"What will your flatmates think when we come out of your room together?" Karl grinned, like he'd never been worried just moments before.
"Shit," Eric let out, "I'd forgotten about them. What time is it?" He reached into a drawer for a clean t-shirt and pulled it over his head, then found socks and sat on the bed to pull them on.
Karl glanced at the alarm clock by the bed and said, "Nine-thirty, or close enough. They be up?"
They hadn't heard any noises, and knowing Carmen she'd be buried in her bed until noon after a hard night, if she'd even come home. Craig was another matter, and Eric's heart skipped in worry. He could float around the place pretty quietly sometimes, and hadn't been out last night, so he could well be in the kitchen or lounge by now.
"Shit," Eric said again, running a hand through his curly hair. "Craig could be anywhere. Let me check before we go. I don't…"
"Does it matter? Let him think what he likes."
"You really don't care?" Eric asked, looking back at him from the door.
"If he didn't work it out last night, it's not going to take him long," Karl replied, moving towards him. "It didn't strike me that he'd be bothered anyway."
Eric frowned, thinking. What was he so worried about anyway? Karl was probably right, although he'd been hiding his true self for so long now, it was second nature.
"Okay," he finally conceded, opening the door. "You want some breakfast before we go?"
"No, I..." Karl winced, like the idea was painful, "Better get back as soon as I can. Don't like leaving it this late as it is."
"Right you are."
They were in luck though; Craig wasn't anywhere to be seen, and only Chekov wandered through the hallway as they made their way out. He wasn't saying anything, luckily; just seeming grateful to be let out.
Outside Karl's place ten minutes later, Karl turned to Eric, a nervous smile on his face.
"Thanks. I'll see you at work Monday."
Karl seemed really different now; like the face Eric had seen last night was a façade meant to fool him into thinking he was a cool, calm and sophisticated gay guy who didn't have a care in the world, although of course little snatches of the young, insecure man had surfaced from time to time.
He was twitchy now he was outside his own home, and Eric wondered just what he expected when he went inside. Surely his parents couldn't be that worried about him spending the night elsewhere? He was over twenty; he could take care of himself.
Still, what did Eric know? He'd been here since he was eighteen, and while Ted and Mabel - his father's cousins he'd lived with in New Zealand originally - were still concerned enough with his well-being to phone him occasionally, they'd long since stopped worrying where he spent his nights. Besides, he had lived his own life for about four years now without having to report where he was going to be. It was probably different for Karl, who still lived at home with his parents.
"Karl?" Eric asked out the car door before Karl could shut it.
"Yeah?" Karl paused, looking back in at him in puzzlement.
"You need me to give you a lift to work on Monday? I... I don't mind."
Karl glanced over his shoulder at the house, then back at Eric like he was weighing it up. To Eric's relief, he nodded. "Please," he said simply, giving Eric a tiny smile and turning away again.
The smile made Eric inordinately happy, and he rolled his eyes at himself as he drove off, sure he was turning into the biggest pile of mush around.
~//~//~
Part Six
Musicians Friend Coupon