【𝐋𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐘】

“a smoke break?” she looked around. the place wasn’t packed, there were plenty of people working, and she hadn’t taken her break yet. “yeah, i could go for one of those right about now. especially with all these kids running around. aren’t children supposed to take naps?”

xander expected the lure of herbs to be successful, a smirk lining up his lips as he was already headed for the door. “ don’t think they planned on napping at the rink--- probably slept for hours before comin’ in. that or they’re entirely hopped up on energy drinks. “ the man shrugged, opening the door for the girl behind him and gladly leading her to the back alley. plucking a neatly-rolled joint from his shirt pocket, he lit it eagerly. 

“ these rats haven’t driven you insane yet ? i’d have ripped a throat out by the end of the first hour. “

bez catches xander’s lil’ diss but he doesn’t mind –– right ‘bout now, he’s thinkin’ maybe fabric’s becomin’ an enemy of the state. if they weren’t in such a damned public place, he’d engage in some quality vigilante justice. free the hostage. 

“ bet the floor will be, ” he quips back with a nip to his bottom lip and a light waggle to his brow. when xander turns, he takes a couple beats to admire the view. yeah, yeah, sue ‘im.

“ looks like i’m on top, eh ? ”  without those tantalizing eyes on him, bez’s quick wit bounces back –– he’s still smirkin’ to himself as he loops his arms ‘round his man and leaps up so his long legs can do the same. before better judgment can stop him, bez is dippin’ his head low into the crook of xander’s neck, just to the side of his collarbone, trailin’ kisses ‘n breath ‘n teeth.

he’s got alabaster skin latched ‘tween his lips ‘n he’s just about to suck enough to leave a mark, low hum vibrating against his ribs, when ––

“ wh–– oof. ” 

he’s on the ground. stunned. ‘cause it’s like…. it’s like his own hands just fuckin’… dissolved for a second. so bez sits there, heaped limbs and rosed cheeks, blinkin’ up at xander like he doesn’t know what hit him. stars in his eyes, for more reasons than one.

xander’s never been one to jump straight into action, he takes his time, thinks it through, and acts accordingly with extreme caution and accuracy. right now, however ? behold the impatient child that is horny xander. he all but stomps his feet and huffs dramatically, waiting for bez to finally jump on so they could steal this moment before it’s ruined. inevitably. 

“ the floor’s always a fan of those rags, wish you’d never wear ‘em to be honest. “ he quips, a side glance his lover’s way and a smile forces onto xander’s lips.

“ enjoy it while it lasts, you won’t be seeing my back for long. “ and with one deep breath, xander is speeding through the night and high-tailing his ass towards a solstice of orgasmic relief. sweet lips trailed temptation across his skin and the gentle tear of teeth almost sent him tumbling at his feet.

xander could almost taste the sweet relief, smell the smoke of cigarette’s once they’ve finally wore themselves out. god, he needed to get laid. it was as if the cosmos was against them. 

“ home sweet home, my darling dear. need to hop through the window or can we sneak in the front ? “

manny’s life had grown significantly brighter since he’d turned xander and taken him under his wing. it hadn’t exactly been what he planned, but… he wasn’t going to let him suffer if he didn’t have to. and it had all worked out for the best.

all other things about their relationship inconsidered, xander knew what he liked to drink. that meant a lot to manny. and he never pried. 

“not tonight,” he said with half a smile. when they were together, he and clem, there was nothing else on his mind. when they were apart, he rarely thought about her. or he liked to tell himself he did. he liked to think he had no attachments, just himself and xander and their corruptive force against the world. “what about your boy?”

xander would never be able to repay manny for saving his life. not until they went into that dark night --- he’d pledged his life to his savior from day one, and he planned to die by his side. if that’s what it took. but he would’ve never thought he’d been living this life. they had created a bond, one that neither of them spoke of much, but a silent agreement held true between them. 

respect was something they shared, planted the seed with a rebirth and it’s been sprouting, growing ever since. manny was never much of a digger, didn’t seek your life story upon arrival. he recognized the person, whoever it may be, for who they are now. not what they used to be. it was something he admired.

“ too bad, hate to say it but i like the gal. if i swung the other way you might’ve had some competition. “ xander joked lightly, topping off their drinks and making his way towards the couch. alcohol dispersed, they were free to blow off steam.  “ he’s off in town somewhere. said somethin’ about needin’ inspiration for tonight’s broadcast. “ he chuckled, the idea of bez needin’ anything more than a joint and a glass of whiskey for inspiration baffled him. 

georgia let out an over-dramatic gasp. “i just gave you a doughnut and you have the audacity to ask for bail?!” she reached into her dress, pulling out the key for the cell door as she continued. “do you think i’m made of money?! is that all i am to you, a walkin’, talkin’ piggy bank or somethin’?“ she opened the door and gestured for him to come out, letting the door close on its own behind him. “the nerve you have alexander chapell, the nerve.”

xander tried to resist the smile that ached on his lips --- teeth butted against the inside of his mouth until finally, they broke free. god, her ramblings always got him. and the jangle of the keys ? come on, this girl could ride her way through college with a mic, an audience, and a bag of chips. 

“ walkin’, talkin’ piggy bank ? now that’s a new one babe, figured you’re just my get out of jail free card. pretty handy when i need it. “ he chuckled, a sly wink sent her way as feet stroll from the cell. god, this girl’s had him whipped since she was a kid. but dammit if she didn’t pull through when he needed it. 

“ aight, aight, how about i take you for ice cream ? bought and paid for ice cream, no sticky fingers this time. “

yeah, alright, the only thing keepin’ him from jumpin’ his guy’s bones is this open air. so can y’blame him for the way his eyes ignite at xander’s proposition ?  his skin’s still hot to the touch, still tingles where those sweet lips left their mark… bez rights his neck –– didn’t even realize he’d been barin’ it.

“ what’ll we call this then ? ”  he purrs, pushin’ off the wall behind him to press his hips forward, but findin’ no place further they can go. they’re flush together; the problem’s too many clothes. not enough skin. bez licks his lips and peers up at xander through sultry eyes. “ … a study date ? ”

they should get movin’. right. now. but he also can’t bring himself to end this contact, this constant press, press, pressing nearer, closer, like maybe one second more and their bodies might intertwine.

“ color… me… charmed… ”  bez whispers between sneaky kisses up xander’s cheek to his right ear, catchin’ its lobe between his teeth. gentle bite ‘n tug. his next words dip nice ‘n low.  “ how fast can we go ? ”  he’s not talkin’ just the commute.

a pattern comes to light, one they’ve tried time and time again. it’s not like they’re practicin’ abstinence here. but there’s a fire in xander’s touch and the writhing of the man beneath it was only fuel to the flame. his neck straightens and xander resists a soft whine, eyes finally matching his gaze. 

“ study date, huh ? “ he chuckled, a cocky smirk sliding on chapped lips while his hands follow bez’s hips. a soft push, a muffled groan, and xander’s about ready to get out of here. 

rough hands pull him closer, closer, but clothing’s a bitch and xander’s on the brink of becoming a nudity advocate, just so those bastard cloths would never get in his way again. “ yeah, not a big fan of this coat of yours, or those jeans... “ he mumbled, not entirely sure if it was audible. 

nova was a bit bored, and generally, to entertain herself, she’d cause something interesting to happen. but tonight there were too many children around and none of them had pissed her off so she’d felt uncharacteristically inclined to leave them alone. but when she caught xander making his way over, her mood turned for the better. 

“business is fine, just not really up your alley, if you catch my drift. a tad on the young side this evening.”

xander could already see the lack of profit surrounding him, his customer market dropping almost instantly. but there was always someone looking to buy, just gotta know who to look for. he saunters her way and leans against the bar, eyes scanning the scene. 

“ yeah, not a lot of buyers, but i’m sure i can find a stressed out mom or two when all the twerps get picks up... but in the meantime, why don’t we take a smoke break, huh ? “

bez near forgets they’re out in the open, vulnerable to judgin’ eyes –– he’s not one to really think ‘bout the complications of offendin’ jesus lord ‘n savior or whatever the hell. pressed back against this wall, his mind careens down one track, and one track only. his hands travel down, down, down, slidin’ into xander’s back pockets to pull him just a lil’ closer. just ‘cause he can.

their lips part and bez is left red-cheeked, rosy-lipped, wanting. it takes him a second to register the newfound space, their restored status as individuals. ‘cause when he’s kissin’ xander, it’s like… it’s like their vertebrae learn how to walk together, like their bodies grow permeable and they can leap into one another’s skin. bez’s tongue darts across his bottom lip, and just that makes him smile –– still tastin’ xander fresh, right there.

“ huh ? ”  bez blinks through mental fog, gazin’ up at xander like he’s just awoken from a thousand-year sleep and he’s been blessed by the most stunning sunrise. “ oh –– ohhhhhh ! ”  and now he’s recovered.

(  those eyes make even bez holmes miss a beat.  ) 

“ betcha we could fill a whole dictionary with these things. ”  any other time, bez might make a dick joke. but right now, his mind’s quiet. satiated. serene. “ have you talkin’ like the next fuckin’ shakespeare soon enough. ”

a pause. a breath. one of bez’s hands trails out of xander’s pocket to trace random patterns along his lower back. maybe letters in cursive. maybe b-e-z-b-e-z-b-e-z spelled out across time.

“ fair is foul, and foul is fair: hey, don’t put that laundry there, ”  he murmurs; poetry, lips barely moving, pupils dilated, reverence sweet on his tongue. like he wrote it himself. like he’s got the bard’s verse down. pat.

xander wasn’t one to put his relationship on display, open and unfolded for all the world to see --- but when he touched, kissed, breathed bez in, all he wanted was him. his concerns fly out the window and only one thought remained within a hollow mind. him. 

their lips part and bez’s first instinct is to breathe, but xander trails his lips down the other’s jaw, soft kisses and gentle love bites peppered across the exposed skin. fingers sliding through his belt loops as he attempted a series of tugs, trying any angle possible to pull him closer. teeth drag across his collarbones as the other goes to speak. 

“i’ll make sure to let her know. i’m sure she’ll be thrilled.” compared to most cops his age, her dad was actually in great shape. he could still lift her like she was a four year old but then again so could teejay. hell, xander probably could too. 

“peneda, i should’ve known,” she squinted. “gonna hafta get em back. might have to arrange for someone’s lunch to disappear accidentally on purpose. that’ll teach em.”

“ always there for mrs. duchannes. she’s never done me wrong --- your dad, however... “ the joke ends with a finished donut and a quick lick of his fingers before he turned her way. 

“ he’s never been my favorite. but, maybe i’ll get old jones. he always hands me a cig in the car. “ a soft snicker and xander’s making his way back to the bars, leanin’ in. “ so, what are the big plans today ? come to bail me out ? “

cream pours nice ‘n steady –– one mississippi, two mississippi –– as xander’s speech makes clem’s smirk grow. nimble fingers recap the dairy bottle and place it back in its proper place; glass bottles clink as the fridge swings shut. the gorgon takes a looooong sip of her mornin’ cup before facing xander, leaning her back against the counter.

“ sounds like someone’s a lil’ green. ”  she’s wise to it, their little dance –– but can she really be to blame, when the kid gets off his radio show so late, just ‘round the time she’s ready for her pre-dawn cigarette ?  nah, that’s on them. never shoot the messenger.

clem’s fingertips dance along the sides of her mug as she relishes in xander’s nickname for her thrilling night with manny. “ olympics, eh ?  what d’ya say; think we went for gold ? ”  sharp eyebrows lift suggestively. her next sip’s more of an audible slurp.

“ hope i live to see the day you two finally get to it. clock’s tickin’. hope he won’t get bored… ”  she ain’t blind –– not to the emotions festering ‘tween those two. bez’ll be around, hell, probably longer than she ever will. ‘specially now that he’s a ghost.

“ ‘cause that ? ”  another sip. a slight shake of her head. “ that’ll haunt ya. ”

xander pretends like clem’s not in on it around bez, possibly just to save the hope that his boyfriend and his friend might fall on good terms, but he knows bez isn’t a fool. those conveniently-timed interruptions and random blares from manny’s speaker were adding up. it wasn’t exactly subtle, their little game. 

“ green, sure. think i might stay a few nights at bez’s, if lee doesn’t chop my head off on the way in. “ he sips his coffee, eyes staring into nothingness as he ponders over his last few nights. he thought immortality came with endless energy--- god, was he wrong.

he shouldn’t have pushed it, that was obvious from the start, but clem made a worthy opponent in early-morning meltdowns. coffee be their savior, amen. the only prayer he’d ever say.

manny ran a hand through his curls as he looked up from the old leatherbound book, his mother’s script in his hands. chipped black nail polish. every inch of him the same since he was in his twenties. what a sad life he would’ve lived had whatever cretin not saved him.

like he saved xander. what a strange name, he’d thought at first. but things changed with the years. almost like coming to america for the first time. but his body and xander remained the same. never gave up on him.

he grinned, laid his mother’s diary on the table and kicked his legs to stand. “what do you think the answer is, my friend? always ready for a drink.”

flashes of their first deal come to light, a cold touch to the memory as they look picture-perfect today. not a day has aged them, never again until their last breath. their deaths were destined to be tragedy, just by the species they fell into, so they were forced to live every day to it’s fullest. 

nevermind his answer, xander was already moving towards the liquor cabinet, grabbing the supplies for their usual late night benders. he paid no mind to the leather bound book within his friend’s hands. he knew where their lined lied, and that was one he’d rather not cross. sentiment was often scarce in their lives.

“ forget i asked, then. figured your gal would be here by now. “  he gripped the bottles, adding a few cubes of ice to each glass. pouring manny’s scotch, he passed the drink. 

he ain’t wrong. and not gonna lie, it’s a little spooky, how quickly xander’s been able to know him. bez has always prided himself on bein’ a mystery. but xander ?  xander cracks his head open like a sunday mornin’ egg. xander scrambles up his thoughts like he’s a fuckin’ teenager again. bez wonders if the vamp can see it –– the way he can’t so much as hint at a smile before bez’s lips follow suit. bez is grateful ears ringin’ is just an old wive’s tale, ‘cause if xander’s ears rung each time bez thought about him ?  oof. the poor guy’d never hear a thing.

“ maybe. ”  he twists his lips together like maybe the spark behind his eyes won’t give him away. bez is used to performin’. he’s no stranger to maskin’ it all. but around xander, he’s barely got the option. his ‘ tactics ’ make saran wrap look hazy.

not that he minds. not that he minds at all. hell, xander’s… xander’s the first person that makes him want to bear it all. to take a pickaxe to his own ribs, make all his innards easier for the taking. bez beams. convinces himself his heart’s skippin’. he’s terrified.

“ mmm, ”   he hums nice ‘n deep, leanin’ into where xander’s fingers press. long arms sling ‘round that beautiful neck. rosy lips part; minty breath carries across the shrinking space between them.

“ beddable, ”  bez all but purrs, long lashes fanning as his gaze flickers from eyes to lips to eyes… to lips…

it’s probably the only kiss facilitated by dimension x in all the world. and lord, do they make it count.

observance was a consequence of solitude, a lifetime of it packed into an immortal works magic on the spinning world around him. he keeps every detail written down in his mental journal, taking in every aspect of the breathtaking man before him. he’s worked him down to a t, and it scares him half to death. 

two gleamin’ smiles match and xander’s instinct is to throw him on a bed, kiss him ‘til the poor spirit cant breathe. but they’re in public, somewhat with the bustling alleyway, and the social norms weren’t quite accepting of that, so he’s left to pull him close and taught those lips with an inch of breath. 

“ oh yeah ? “ like a deer caught in headlights, this is xander’s favorite form of bez. where there’s nothing holding him back, no sly comment, no radio star act. just beautiful, breathtaking bez. 

just as the last syllable fills the air, xander is crashing wanting lips against a matching pair, pushing the smaller frame against the closest hard surface --- this time, it’s a wall. 

“the usual. well, at least you’re consistent.” 

she scrunched her nose. “my mama decided he shouldn’t be eatin’ so many doughnuts for breakfast so instead of gettin’ up and gettin’ it her damn self, she called me on my day off to go into the job i didn’t hafta be at and get him ‘real food’” she bounced her fingers to really emphasize her air quotes.

“and do you know what i found him eatin’ when i got here, even though my mama told him i was comin’?” she leaned into the bars and threw her head back. “a goddamn doughnut!” a sly smile crept over her face when she heard jesus christ georgia rae, keep your voice down! i won’t eat anymore goddamn doughnuts! from the other room.

at the comment about the handcuffs, she let out a loud, dramatic gasp. “who did it? who hurt you? i want names. whose kinky ass am i kickin’ today?”

“ have to keep a good record, y’know. gotta save that murder charge for down the line. “ it was their usual banter, one that xander didn’t mind. it was rare for him to be interested in general conversation, but the blonde’s a bit more intriguing than he expected. a decade of ‘chance’ encounters had warmed his cold heart, just a bit. 

“ she’s been workin’ on his cholesterol for years, still hasn’t kicked his donut habit ? “ he questions, continuing to tear into the delicious sugury flesh of his surprise breakfast. “ tell her i’ve got it covered. just send the donuts my way. we’ll have him dropping pounds faster than he picks me up. “

she’s quick to play into his game, and it causes a slight twitch at the corner of his lips. not a rare sight, but a true honor within his eyes. she’s right on the edge of glory here. 

“ do believe it was deputy peneda, always a little handsy, that one. ”

“ my night would say otherwise, ”  clem jeers, swayin’ her hips a little extra as she saunters to the counter and feels for her mug. thank you isn’t quite in her repertoire, but the cheeky smile she tosses xander’s general direction does the job. 

“ cream in the fridge ? side door ? ” she’s here so often, she’s startin’ to know manny’s place better than her own. bein’ pre-coffee prevents her from seeing how maybe that might point to something deeper than a good routine fuck.

careful hands close around the mug as she leans down to give it a whiff. “ mm. ”  to the fridge she goes, before xander’s even got the chance to respond. she knows this house. maybe it’s starting to become a home. 

“ quickie, then, ”  clem teases as she pulls open the fridge door and scans bottle-tops with her free hand. she’s no stranger to xander and bez’s unfortunate interruptions. “ he leave able to stand ? ” 

“ the dark makes everything look amazing. “ xander bit back, but his tone lacked the usual frost, a soft warmth lying between twisted syllables instead. he catches the soft emphasis within her movements, but the man chooses to ignore it. she was one to brag --- she was the reason xander hadn’t gotten any in weeks. probably longer than that. 

xander would’ve replied, he really would’ve, if he hadn’t known for a fact that she’d head for the right spot without any help from him. she calls this a fling --- just mindless fucking and a cigarette afterwords, but the laundry load filled with her clothes and the personalized coffee mug on the counter says otherwise. not that he was going to mention that, though.