Being with David was different in a lot of ways.

For as long as he had been dating, Louis had managed to avoid any deep attachments. He'd avoided the public eye and had never once brought a boyfriend to meet any of his other friends. He had managed to avoid any hint of scandal or impropriety and never engaged in public displays of affection.

The same did not hold true for David.

David liked to touch. Constantly.

Since Louis arrived in Weldstone Harbor yesterday and met up with him, it seemed that that tendency had only become more pronounced.

If David wasn't putting a casual hand on Louis's arm, he was intertwining their fingers. The selfish part of Louis wanted to enjoy the inherent physicality of being near David, but the other part of him worried about the optics of it. David's career had already taken a beating due to his role in Lust Story and Louis was worried that word getting out that he was in a relationship with another man—let alone a relationship with Louis—could have a negative impact on him.

Even if public opinion swayed in their favor, having so many eyes on you was... uncomfortable.

Louis had lived this life since he was five. He was used to the attention he got, however invasive and unwelcome it was, but David didn’t seem to give it much thought. Sometimes Louis wondered if he even noticed the looks they got when they walked down the street hand in hand.

Not that they were necessarily recognized walking down the streets of Weldstone Harbor. It wasn’t like they were in a small town anymore. There was anonymity in numbers and the queer population here was thriving. Louis wasn't overly concerned given that there were regularly bigger stars wandering around the streets of Weldstone Harbor.

Louis better judgement said he should be more discreet with David, maybe remind him of the impact on his career. But Louis didn't want David to stop grabbing his hand, even in public. It might be selfish and a little possessive, but Louis wanted everyone to know that David was taken, that David was Louis's.

“Are we going to The Rose and Thistle now?” David asked, one of his hands slipping into Louis's back pocket as if he were on a leash.

David had no concept of personal space, but that was all right with him.

“We can, if you want,” he said.

"I want!"

The two of them had spent the day wandering around on a sort of prolonged date, but they had yet to drop in on Avery. He was a little greedy after two weeks apart and half wanted to keep David for himself for a little longer, but it was probably time to share both David and his time with his other friends. He could at least bask in the closeness of David’s arm to his as they started toward the book shop.

The Rose and Thistle was small and tucked away between two much larger buildings that had popped up years after the establishment of the shop. Avadon Studios loomed over them from across the street, but the little bookstore had managed not only to survive the boom in Weldstone Harbor’s entertainment industry but to thrive.

The door beeped as they entered, announcing their presence to the shop staff—necessary, considering the floor to ceiling maze of shelves which made it impossible to see from one end of the store to the other. It gave the almost unsettling impression that the store went on forever.

After a moment, Avery popped around the corner with their customer service smile on their face which quickly turned into a genuine smile.

“Well, if it isn’t David!” Avery called. “I thought you might have died when you stopped coming by.”

Avery was on the short side with cool brown skin and a perpetually amused expression. Their hair was dyed in their customary shade of turquoise, but it was shorter than when Louis saw them last.

“I didn’t die," David said with mock gravity, "I just found myself in a small mountain village with no way back."

Avery nodded thoughtfully. “Well, that’s good to know. Were you kidnapped or did you decide to become a monk?”

“Neither, I just ended up with a job!”

“Holy shit!” Avery said. “Congrats, dude! And, holy shit, is that Louis with you?”

Avery blinked at them as though only just noticing his presence. He raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Ah, I see that you do still remember my name," Louis said dryly. "It's good to see you, too."

"I did not expect to find you two here together," Avery said, looking suspiciously between them. "It was a very strong moment of 'you appeared in the wrong context, so you don't exist to me.'"

"It's the glasses, they have this whole Clark Kent effect," David said, reaching behind Louis's ear to bounce Louis's glasses to what Louis was sure he thought was great comedic effect. Louis swatted his hand away and Avery snorted.

“Nice to see you, Ave,” Louis said, leaning in for a hug.

“Still confused," Avery said, returning the hug, "but I'm sensing that you two are here together. How did that happen?”

“You don’t watch much TV, do you?” Louis said.

“I’m a book person, not a TV person,” Avery said, gesturing grandly to their surroundings and managing to knock their fist against one of the shelves.

“We met on set for that job I mentioned,” David explained. “Found out that we both lived here. Or at least, we both did, except I moved out.”

“And he’s now living in a bed and breakfast,” Louis said dryly.

David shrugged, then grinned over at Avery. "I was promised lodgings by the monks, but it fell through. Besides," he continued more seriously, "I don’t have a ton of stuff. I just sold the couch and bed and brought the rest with me.”

Louis raised his brows. He knew David sold the apartment, he hadn’t know that the only items David owned were the things that he brought with him. It suddenly made a lot more sense why David had an entire suitcase full of memorabilia and pictures in his little yellow room at the B&B. It was a little pathetic, really.

“Good to know you can so easily cut ties with us,” Avery said, though they were grinning.

David shrugged. “I’ll send you book requests by mail order. It’ll be like 84 Charing Cross Road.”

Avery laughed, though Louis was unfamiliar with the reference. He couldn’t help his eyes straying over David’s face, anyway.

“So, are you here together, or are you here together?” Avery asked, watching Louis as he looked quickly away from David.

“Together,” David said, imitating Avery's cadence.

“He’s my plus one,” Louis confirmed. “I did tell you I was bringing someone.”

Avery nodded sagely. “So you did. I didn’t know it was David, though.”

“I didn’t know you knew each other so well,” Louis pointed out.

"I'd have given you an invitation in your own right," Avery said to David, "only, you disappeared to your mountaintop before the date was set."

"Awe, sucks," David said, looking genuinely pleased. "I'll remember to send the address of my next mountaintop."

"Good," they said.

“Are you ready for the wedding?” Louis asked, removing his jacket and draping it over his arm as the heat of the store began to grow oppressive.

Avery laughed. “Don’t say it like we’re going to a funeral. If I didn’t know better I’d think you frowned upon the institution.”

Louis just raised an eyebrow in response.

“I’ll have to add that to my list of things that Louis does not approve of, right next to fuel inefficiency and cows,” David said the last with particular judgement.

“What’s he got against cows?” Avery asked, then turned to Louis as though personally affronted. “What did a cow ever do to you?”

“Exactly!” David said.

“Their mere presence is enough,” Louis said, getting a laugh out of David, though Avery took the slight more seriously. They spent the better part of an hour debating bovine merits before Avery was pulled away by a customer looking for a copy of Shadows of Earth. Louis not-so-subtly ducked behind a bookshelf until he’d left, just in case.

“Hiding from your fans?” David asked, following him behind the shelf.

“Avoiding potential threats,” Louis said evenly. Now that they were here, though, he was starting to get other ideas. The isle between these particular shelves was fairly narrow.

David chuckled, as though reading his mind, and stepped a little closer.

“We could always pretend to make out like they do in the movies.”

Louis raised an eyebrow. "Only pretend?" he asked before leaning down to press a kiss to David’s lips.

If the man had been a fan of Starfly, the diversion seemed to have worked as he vaguely heard the sound of someone walking past them.

“When you two are finished browsing,” Avery said from the other side of the shelf, “we can grab dinner. Lila-Marie is manning the counter now and offered to close up shop.”

David sucked in a breath and pulled back with a little smirk.

“Sounds good,” Louis said, taking a step back.

David’s cheeks were a little pink but he didn’t look at all repentant about being caught as they followed Avery to the Snapdragon Flagon. Louis decided to take that as a positive and even caught David’s hand as they walked.

Apparently, David was a bad influence on his sense of propriety.

*****

Though David considered Avery a friend, the two of them had never met up or even spoken outside of Avery's work hours. To David's delight, he found that their company was even better outside of work than it was while they were shuffling around the shelves of the Rose and Thistle.

And having Louis there was an added bonus. David got to see a new side of Louis. He wasn't like he was with Rosemarie, but neither was he like he was with colleagues. It was like seeing a younger version of him, playful and a little mischievous. He got it out of them that the two had met in college and bonded over theater classes then reconnected once Louis moved back from California.

Avery's fiancé, Eloise, joined them, too. David liked her, too. She worked in video games and sucked David into a fascinating conversation about motion capture.

The gathering lasted late into the night. By the time they bid their farewells, David was half asleep on his feet. Louis still had his condo here and did not have to stay at a hotel on the other side of the city like David. He was a little jealous, honestly.

“Do you want to stay over?” Louis offered when David whined about it.

David’s heart lurched and he glanced over at him. Louis continued walking, their hands still clasped sending warmth radiating through David. He considered it for a moment, chewing his lip.

“Don’t you have to meet Avery for the rehearsal in the morning? I don’t want to get in the way.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Louis hummed in the affirmative. “I do, but you won't be in the way. I don’t have to leave until about ten, you could stay and we could grab breakfast in the morning before—” Louis cut off, and gave a short shake of his head. He came to a stop and turned to David with a rueful smile. “Sorry, I’m being pushy," Louis said on a long exhale. "You don’t have to stay over. I can call you a cab.”

David’s stomach fluttered with something between relief and disappointment. He hesitated. He wanted to spend the night with Louis, he just wasn't ready to spend the night with Louis.

Something in his expression must have revealed his misgivings because Louis just smiled and leaned in to give him a proper goodnight kiss. It wasn't a heated kiss, nor was it chaste, it was just tender and lingering in a way that made David's stomach flutter with something else entirely.

"I'll call you after the rehearsal, then," Louis said. He didn't look disappointed, but his eyes lingered on David's face for a moment longer than usual before he turned to wave down a cab.

David caught his arm, then took Louis's hand, giving it a little squeeze.

“No,” David said. “I do want to go home with you.”

Louis stared at him intently for a moment before his lips quirked into a smile. “This way, then.”

The two of them walked to Louis's condo, which was only a little further than David's apartment had been. David couldn't quite believe that he had been living within ten blocks of Louis Greene and never knew it. Somehow, they hadn't managed to run into each other until they both ended up in Midtown. David would have to thank Jennifer again for flying him out there.

Louis's condo was both nothing like David had imagined and exactly like David had imagined. It was a tiny, narrow flat with a shared yard and a garden full of aesthetic, but not particularly utilitarian flowers—it was nothing like he pictured a movie star's residence. Inside, though, it was very Louis. Everything was clean and precise and bathed in timeless shades of "neutral" and "muted" and "timeless".

“It’s very you,” David said, nodding solemnly enough that Louis cuffed him lightly. “I like the minimalism. It brings out the color.”

Louis shrugged. “I’m not sentimental. I don't collect things.”

David pursed his lips disapprovingly. "Louis, where are the cute little knick knacks and trinkets? Did Rosemarie teach you nothing? Should I buy you a glass cow for your mantle piece?"

“I will throw it away."

"You wouldn't!" David said with mock affront.

Louis raised an eyebrow.

"No, look, it would match," David insisted. "Everything else in here is in black and white."

Louis tried to glare, but his eyes were smiling. David snorted.

"Really, though," he said. "Your place is nice. It does feel very you."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

David nodded, swinging an arm around Louis's shoulder. "You should."

"Well, then, make yourself at home,” Louis said, gesturing around them. “Kitchen is in here, bathroom is the door on the right, and there's a full bath upstairs.”

A giddy feeling pulsed through him as David realized that this was the first time he'd been in Louis's home. Not just the place where Louis was living, not his sister's home, but Louis's home. A space that was really and truly Louis's.

David needed to explore.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Louis asked.

“No, thanks." He dropped his arm from Louis's shoulder and began snooping.

The kitchen was a simple galley with a door beside the intimidatingly high tech fridge that presumably led to a pantry. Beneath the stairs was the promised bathroom. David peeked his head in only long enough to see that even the hand towel was white. He shook his head and gave Louis a disapproving look.

"Don't you know that bathrooms are supposed to be themed? Either by color or animal or superhero?"

Louis leaned back against the kitchen counter, watching David investigate, looking amused. "I'll be sure to acquire your professional input when it comes time to redecorate."

David nodded, satisfied, then went to check out the living room. It wasn't a big place, but everything was so perfectly suited to the space ti was in that David wondered if Louis had ordered custom furniture. He wouldn't put it past him, really.

The sofa was sleek and modern, leather or faux leather in a blue gray. There were no trinkets on the mantelpiece except for two identical bronze candle holders with two identical white candles—which had never been lit.

The only color in the place were a series of watercolor paintings on the walls. David examined each one of them, pointing out the places he recognized to Louis. They seemed to be a series of the coast around Weldstone Harbor. But even the watercolors held the same muted blues and cold grays of the rest of the condo.

It all looked very stylish, neat, and modern. But it also looked a little lonely, at least to David. There was no life in it.

For once, David thought he understood Rosemarie’s fear of losing Louis once she was gone. The thought of it made a chill run down David’s spine. He turned to see that Louis had followed him into the living room. He sat on the arm of the sofa, arms crossed over his chest as he watched David with dark eyes.

David's heart pounded.

“What?” David asked, voice soft and a little breathless.

Louis uncrossed his arms and held a hand out to David. Despite his nerves, David couldn't resist, coming immediately into Loui's grasp. Louis's smile was warm and pleased enough to outshine his nervousness as he came to a stop just between Louis's knees.

Louis looped his arms around David's waist and pulled him a step closer, pressing his hands flat against his back. His nose burrowed into David's stomach before he tilted his head up to smile at him. David's breath hitched and his own hands ran over Louis's shoulders to settle in his hair.

"Nothing, really," Louis said and it took David a moment to remember what he'd asked. "I was just thinking about how much I missed you."

David practically melted at that, bending to press a kiss to Louis's forehead, then his lips.

"I missed you, too," he admitted. “Let’s not do long distance again.”

Louis laughed, though they both knew how unlikely that was. If they stayed together, their careers would doubtless take them in different directions and to different locations regularly.

No matter how much David would like to stick to Louis 24/7, he didn’t think he was any more qualified to be a house spouse than he was a construction worker. The thought was more upsetting that David might have expected.

He didn’t have long to ponder before Louis hooked a strong hand over the back of his shoulder, encouraging him to lean down for a kiss. David accepted gladly. Kissing from this position was different and he sort of liked the way he could control the angle of Louis's head and set him off balance from his perch on the arm chair. Each time he pulled back out of Louis's reach, Louis chased his mouth, but could do nothing but tighten his arms around Louis's waist, fingers gripping at David's back.

"David," Louis said warningly when David had spent a little too long teasing him. David laughed and pressed a real kiss against his mouth, lips parting to let Louis's tongue lick inside. Louis's stubble rasped against his skin and his breath smelled like the coffee they'd drunk after dinner.

David's hands ran restlessly through Louis's hair and over his shoulders, then skimmed down Louis's back in a way that made Louis suck in a breath, back arching. David grinned into the kiss and did it again.

"Ticklish?" he teased.

“David,” Louis said, clearly aiming for a flat affect but falling short as his voice turned breathless as David skimmed his fingers lightly over the back of his neck. He sucked in another breath, the sound sending a chill down David’s spine, too. Louis's hands slid to his sides, biting into David’s ribs as he looked up at him in that way that made David feel like there was no possible way to be close enough to him.

David kissed him again, harder this time, then pulled back just a little.

“I missed you,” David whispered against Louis's lips. “I really missed you. I didn’t even know it was possible to miss someone that much.”

Louis hands both wrapped up and over David's shoulders, pulling him tighter against him and David leaned into the embrace, pressing their mouths together. He didn't realize quite how much force he was exerting until, suddenly, Louis's body was falling away from him. Louis gave a startled yelp, his grip on David bringing him tumbling down after him.

As soon as David's legs left the floor, his momentum upset the precarious balance Louis had managed to grasp at the edge of the couch and they began to shift. David had barely registered the wide-eyed surprise on Louis's face before the two of them slid heavily off the couch, missing the coffee table by inches.

Louis let out an oof as David landed on top of him once more, then groaned a little theatrically.

David burst into laughter.

"Are you all right?" he gasped when he'd finally stopped cackling long enough to leverage himself onto his elbows. As soon as he saw Louis's disgruntled expression, though, he burst into laughter again and had to bury his face in Louis's chest for a minute to calm down.

"I'm lovely, thanks for asking," Louis said dryly.

David nodded, still grinning then leaned into give him a quick peck. "You are," he agreed, "and so is this rug. From this vantage point, you can really see the shades of gray."

"Shut up, David," Louis said.

"Make me."

Louis did, pulling David down on top of him before rolling them over in a rather impressive feat so that David was pinned to the floor, their bodies tangled tightly together. Louis wasted no time scraping a line over David's jaw with his teeth before taking his mouth again.

David's hands roved up over Louis's back, reveling in the way his muscles shifted as he moved. Louis's weight on top of him was almost too much as he tried to catch his breath between kisses; he never wanted it to end.

Louis shifted on top of him, one of his thighs pressing subtly between David's legs and David was suddenly aware of the position they were in. His heart sped up in a not altogether pleasant way and he realized for the first time that Louis was hard against his hip. David's brain seized up and he froze. As soon as he did, Louis pulled back, searching his face.

"David?" Louis murmured, stroking a hand over his hair. "You all right?"

It was hard to say at the moment. His heart was still hammering and he couldn't seem to sort out his thoughts. He didn't really want to stop what they'd been doing, but he didn't really want to continue, either.

Louis seemed to understand his inability to keep going, though, as he shifted himself up onto his knees so they weren't pressed together anymore. "Let's stop there," he said, pulling David to a seated position.

David flushed, a little embarrassed about freezing up. He searched Louis's eyes for any hint of resentment, but all Louis did was card a gentle hand through his hair.

"Sorry," David mumbled. They were still practically touching and David had to resist a strong urge to bury his face in Louis's chest so he couldn't look at him, but then Louis pulled back further, giving them both some space.

David wanted desperately to be able to clamber forward and continue with what they'd just been doing, but his body didn't seem willing to obey. He reached up to scratch at the back of his neck and hating once again that he was like this.

"David..." Louis trailed off, sounding almost at a loss for words.

He didn't want to string Louis along and he certainly didn't want to push him away, but he didn't know how to fix it, either. How long could Louis reasonably be expected to put up with that? Wasn't the whole point to see if David could go through with it?

Louis cleared his throat, visibly calming himself as he straightened his shirt. He met David's eyes, though, and gave him a half-smile. "It's all right, David. Really. We don't have to do anything that you don't want to." He reached out to run a hand through David's hair again. "I meant it when I said I wanted to date you, not just have a one-night stand."

“Sorry,” David said again, despite Louis's words.

Louis shook his head, but didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned in and pressed a soft little kiss just beside David's eye. David practically melted and also felt about twice as guilty as soon as Louis pulled away.

He watched from the floor as Louis climbed to his feet, then offered him a hand. David hesitated for a moment before taking it and allowing himself to be hauled up.

"It's getting late, anyway," Louis said, keeping his hold on David's hand as he pulled them back to the kitchen and proceeded to pour a glass of water for David and then one for himself. The sheer normalcy of the action made David's nerves start to settle, even if he felt a little like a child being sent to bed.

"The bedroom is upstairs," Louis said. "I can sleep on the couch if you'd be more comfortable that way."

David’s stomach clenched with guilt and shame. He didn't want to put Louis out like that. Besides, he didn't really have a problem with sleeping with Louis. He just might have a problem sleeping with Louis.

“No,” David groaned. “Don’t do that. You don’t have to give up your bed just because I got cold feet. I really am sorry. I know I was the one who said I wanted to stay over.”

“Stop saying that,” Louis said, looking extremely uncomfortable. His brows were drawn together and his mouth was pinched in a thin line. “I told you, it’s fine. You aren’t obligated to sleep with me, you know, and you shouldn't feel obligated to, either. That’s not what I want and I’m sure that’s not what you want. We can take this slow. Don't apologize for it.”

David was sorely tempted to apologize again, so he bit his lips and nodded. Taking it slow was one thing, but what would Louis do if taking it slow meant never doing anything at all? A part of David really had wanted to try sleeping with Louis, but when it came down to it, he'd chickened out.

“Still,” David said after an awkward pause, “I don’t mind—" He cut himself off with a shake of his head. "No, I want you to sleep with me. Uh, in the literal way.”

Louis's lips curled into a slow smile and he huffed a laugh before gesturing for David to follow him up to the bedroom.

Despite his words, David was a little nervous as they got to the bedroom. He couldn't even bring himself to tease him about the continued blue-gray quality of the décor.

Louis offered David a pair of pajama pants and he stripped down to change despite the flutter of unease in his chest. He might be uncomfortable with the idea of sex, but he had never been particularly shy. There was no sense in starting now.

Louis followed suit, stripping down to change.

David wondered if Louis usually wore pajamas or if he, too, slept in the buff. The thought made heat run to his cheeks, but he couldn’t help but give Louis's ass a speculative look as he pulled his pants up.

Louis's alarm clock, glasses case, and a small notebook that might have been a planner of some sort were on the bedside table on the right side of the bed, so David climbed in on the other side. Louis glanced at him with an almost tender look before he gestured over his shoulder, grabbing the glasses out of the case.

“I’ll be back in a moment.”

David gave a hesitant nod, then waited awkwardly for him to return. After a moment he mentally shook himself. This shouldn’t have been an awkward situation. The two of them spent more time together lately than they did apart. Still, David’s stomach fluttered as Louis came back through the door.

“Shall I turn off the lights?” he asked.

He had obviously taken out his contacts and his ridiculously thick-framed glasses were perched on his nose. With his hair mussed from rolling around on the carpet, he looked very warm and comfy. David grinned at the thought, but only remembered to answer the question when Louis raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Yeah," he said.

David heard Louis walk over to the other side of the bed while his eyes adjusted to the dark. There was a soft clack of plastic as Louis folded his glasses and set them on the bedside table. The bed dipped and the covers rustled.

David slid down in the bed, rolling reflexively onto his right side, only to realize that that put them face to face. David’s heart pounded in his chest. He could make out the shape of Louis's eyes watching him in the dark. David swallowed, suddenly all too aware of the sound of their breathing in the darkness.

“I can't sleep with you staring at me," David whispered, then considered for a moment before continuing, "Roll over.”

Louis frowned, but after a second’s deliberation, he did as David asked and rolled onto his back. David nudged his shoulder until he'd rolled all the way over onto his other side. It was too dark to see, but David was sure he was rolling his eyes.

Once he was situated, David shuffled closer on the bed until his chest was pressed to Louis's back. Louis tensed a bit as David got settled, throwing an arm over Louis's side and fidgeting until he found a comfortable place for his other arm while maintaining the maximum amount of contact between them. This was nice. He liked being close to Louis and he was a perfectly size body-pillow, too.

After a moment, Louis relaxed back into David’s embrace and that was even better. His hand covered David’s, intertwining their fingers and rubbing a thumb softly over David’s knuckle. David hummed his appreciation against Louis's neck.

“Better?” Louis asked and David thought he heard amusement in his tone, but his eyes were already too heavy to pay much attention.

“Much,” David mumbled, already feeling the gentle pull of sleep.