#72swingler

--------------

Face lay over Swing, resting his head over his broad chest. His body was rather tired from their activity but his mind was still racing, face flushed with a happy glow on his cheeks.

He murmured an “I love you” and left a quick peck to his cheek. In the dimmed light he could barely make out Swing’s face, but he could see his lips curved in a content, relaxed smile, eyes glinting golden and catlike as he watched the younger study him.

Face blushed and stopped his appraisal, sitting up and stretching. He squeezed Swing’s hand that was over his thin waist before letting the bedsheets fall off his form as he got off Swing’s bed. Swing sat up behind him and Face reached for a cigar to pass to his senior and placed it in his mouth, lighting it for him.

“Thanks lil’ buddy” Swing acknowledged, the swirls of smoke surrounding his face.

“Why you’re absolutely welcome, you know I’d do anything for y-” and his words were cut short by a swift kiss to the lips, his tongue engulfed in the taste of Swing’s smooth vanilla menthol. He felt his cheeks heat up as he melted into the kiss, wrapping his thin arms around the others muscular torso.

He resurfaced, panting, breath slightly ragged from the smoke, cheeks a fresh shade of crimson as Swing let go with a sly chuckle. Face quickly got back up off the bed and found his shirt. Mister mayor just had a WAY to always keep his heart always aflutter, and Face would rather not let things “escalate” again so soon.

But as he started to collect his numerous articles of clothing strewn all across the room, the young Once-Ler’s gaze drifted out towards the large windows of the annex. This one happened to face the valley, and was still thankfully unoccupied by any prying eyes of the citizens of Thneedville. Just acres upon acres of beautiful truffula forest, stretched out for miles in every direction.

But for all the colorful trees, there were scarcely any Swommee Swans aperched on the fluffy tufts, barely any bar-ba-loot suited bears playing under ther striped trunks, and hardly any hummingfish singing in the rather glupped up river.

Face felt strangely uncomfortable, an urge to find his blue sunglasses amidst the rest of his garments and wear them strong in the pit of his stomach. But he remained glued to the spot, thinking of his own valley, the voice of his Lorax ringing in his ears.

“Enjoying the view?” he smelled the aroma of Swing’s cigar catch in his throat again as sturdy arms wrapped around his bare slender frame “I know I am” and Face could hear the playful smirk on the Once-Ler’s lips as a gloved hand traced along his ribs and hipbones and a strong jawline rested on his head, following his gaze out the window.

“Once-Ler… ” Face pressed back onto Swing, wanting to feel his warm skin on his own. Nothing in the world felt safer than when he was tucked onto his mentors body, he’d never felt more loved or protected anywhere else.

But try as he might to relax himself, right now he felt uncharacteristically numb to Swing’s affections, trying to find a single star in the smog heavy sky.

“Why are you a Once-Ler?”

It had just slipped out of his lips, on instinct, on accident. But He could feel him stiffen behind him and the smile leave Swing’s features.

The elder started to mumble, phrases of “doing no harm” and “no cause for alarm” and snippets of the greater good for the economy as he muttered out justification, more to himself than the younger.

But as Face listened to the other, his gaze strayed to the slowly but surely decaying Valley, an older reflection of his own. The sounds of super Axe-hackers drowning out the silence of the Swommee Swans, bereft of any Bar-ba-loots, hushed of any Hummingfish. Not a single soul in the great Truffula forest.

Except…

Face didn’t know Swing’s Lorax, or their relationship. He seemed more desperate than his own as he ran in vain after another axe hacker, tiny mustached creature attempting to stop the machine.

Face broke away from the window to stare at Swing, the image of what he would be, what he SHOULD be, fame, success, biggering by the day. Adored and respected, the perfect Once-Ler.

But blue eyes locked onto the bright golden in nothing but remorse and crippling culpability, echoes of a promise broken ringing in his ears as the guilt ridden gaze filled with tears.

“Aren’t you ashamed?”

He had to know. Would the promise of riches and his dream come true overcome a promise made to protect? Would the adoration of a thousand replace of the friendship of one? Would this hole deep inside EVER be filled?

"The things that I do are completely ungood"

He broke away his gaze from the other, attempting to stem the flood of his eyes in self disgust. He was a fraud, a fad, a literal painted whore. A front of fine glamor hiding dirty corporate greed. A man who murdered trees for the sake of monetary benefit. A monster, a MONSTER-

And suddenly his mind went blank as Swing’s lips crashed onto his own.

He tried to pull away. No, he didn’t deserve this, he was horrible, he was a monster, he ought to be locked away in a hoosegow he should. He didn't deserve Swing, he didn’t deserve the warmth, the comfort, the safety, the sweet, smokey taste in his throat.

But the elder held fast, moving his mouth at his every attempt to shrink away, gloved fingers caressing his trembling spine, kissing him, assuring him, loving him, in his hard but gentle way, until the younger was all cried out and had finally stopped shaking.

Swing lifted Face’s chin and brought his gold gaze back to the younger’s blue, speaking in his calm, soothing voice.

“If I didn’t do this… Then someone else would”

Face paused at the simple answer.

It was true.

Once-lers were showing up every day now. How was he any different, and worse than them? Surely if he had decided to give up his business, then some other Once-Ler would come along and take his valley and do the same thing he reckoned. And it was HIS dream to see a Thneed in every household. He only wanted to help people. How bad could that possibly be?

He wasn’t evil, he wasn’t wrong, he wasn’t breaking any laws. He wasn’t… Bad... Right?

“You make a very good point,” Face hiccuped, wiping the last of his remorse off his lashes, giving a small smile as his heartrate started to relax “Mister Once-Ler”

Swing replaced the cigar in his mouth, inhaling a few puffs as he continued to stroke the others thin frame in his strong arms, gloves smooth against his pale, delicate skin, as he caressed him in silent, wordless assurance.

“I have a meeting with the stockholders…” Swing brought his hands up to the others shoulders, thumbing the pale, barely visible freckles “The Funtz will have to see you out. I’ll catch you later, lil buddy” he placed a quick peck to his hair

Face nodded as he let go of him so he could dress into his zoot suit. He watched him before he started to put on his own clothes till both Once-Lers were suited to perfection. Swing gave Face a final kiss

“Mm, you’re a jolly good Once-Ler, Face” Swing grinned, stealing his lips again

“Ain’t we all, Swing?” Face nuzzled him before letting go to watch him leave.

He left with a wave, and Face reached for his blue sparkling shades. But before he wore them again he looked out the window into the valley.

And for a moment, it seemed the Lorax looked back up at him.