#cssette

IT CAME IN A COLD TONE, from the tape recorder that he was holding. HOUSTON froze in his spot; lips still pursed slightly. he didn't think that he would get turned down so blatantly, but he should have expected something like that from someone as ornery as JACKET. to think that he would have been fond of physical touch was a stretch. the man hardly allowed anyone else close to him, let alone someone like himself. a feeling of hot shame washed over him & he fixed his face. backing up a step, clearing his throat. ❝ yeah, i don't get who would wanna do that. it's disgusting . ❞ a quick save of face. the best that he could manage. as if he wasn't just leaning in for a kiss moment's before. it had been a swift rejection , one that had clearly been prepared beforehand. JACKET was always ready for any situation, his tapes proved that time & time again.

𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍, unblinking gaze. he has been challenged. unwavering glances at one another, with the inability to look away. this man holds no fear in his stare; it's completely empty. he cannot surprise him, let alone make him shiver & tremble. but what he can do is stare him down, until one of them inevitably decides to look away. he doesn't need to blink, which makes the ordeal even more unsettling to any on - lookers. just two men, locked in a wondrous battle.

THEY WERE SITTING ON THE COUCH IN THE SAFE HOUSE, the television was blaring the news. the aftermath of their latest heist was all the rage on the local media. they loved to witness the aftermath of it, though HOUSTON wasn't comforted by the amount of footage that they had of them. watching with interest, he sees some familiar masks on the screen as his eyes are glued to the screen. next to him, he feels a familiar sense of warmth pressed up against him. with no masks on, he can see the other's full expression. his eyes are shut tightly, his mouth in a thin line. he has frown lines, likely from years of never moving his facial features. JACKET is a curious man to witness. the only thing that draws him from the TELEVISION SET is a chance to witness him further without being noticed. he's fast asleep at the moment, his chest rising & falling in rhythm. he didn't expect for the other to fall asleep so comfortably next to him; but he supposes that not everyone takes much interest to the news, not as much as he does.

taking the opportunity to inspect him further. there is a faint smell of cigarette smoke on his jacket. it's nothing too overpowering. he can't prod too much, lest he wakes him up. all he can do is look at him, taking in minor details. the wrinkles of his face, frown lines, creases in his eyelids. all things that he wouldn't usually get to notice. JACKET is his to admire right now. he's a fair - looking man, easy on the eyes. HOUSTON has shared many intimate moments with the man, but never had the chance to truly get a look at him. most times, he's shielded in mystery. with the tape recorder that he used so often, he's never gotten to hear his real voice. there was something about him that seemed almost in - human. his bloodlust was far greater than the others, and he lacked remorse in every way. he was truly an enigma to someone as emotional as HOUSTON.

leaning in a little, the couch shifts under his weight; bringing JACKET closer. bringing his hand up to touch the man's hair, he pushes his short bangs out to the side. it feels so wrong to be able to touch him without him realizing it; but he doubted that he would mind the intrusion. someone so ready for combat, he might have just woken him.

HOUSTON WAS NOT THE KIND OF MAN WHO UNDERSTOOD JOKES SO EASILY. he was gullible at best, quick to fall for a small joke that would have put him down. his ability to overthink was grandiose. anything that was said by JACKET, someone who talked so little, was taken to heart. the words spoken by his tape recorder were still playing in his head. he hadn't thought about the other's lack of care for hygiene, he simply went with the fact that he was being serious. the look on his face was pathetic, like a kicked puppy. someone who wasn't given his way. their relationship was still new to him, and he wasn't accustomed to the intricacies of it. whether it was alright to kiss when there was not prying eyes. he would have thought that it was safe to do when it was just the two of them; no one there to judge them for something so miniscule. though, being turned down had been a massive blow to his pride; something that he wouldn't come back from so easily. he couldn't quite kick it out of his head as quickly as he would have liked. JACKET was a finicky person; one who would have most definitely turned him down for something that he wasn't in the mood for in the moment.

having JACKET lean in closer to him, repeating another phrase to him; this time, telling him that he was WAITING on him. HOUSTON is slow on the uptake. wondering if he was trying to undo what was just done. looking him over for a moment, he understands now what he wanted. he was egging him on for a kiss, one that was just pushed to the side for the sake of a joke. readying himself once again, he leans back in towards JACKET. the smell of cigarettes is thick on the lips of his partner. it starts of shy, pressing his lips with caution to his own. he doesn't want to push his luck; being slow about it. their heights are similar, so there is no need to stand on his toes to reach his lips. just a quick lean in & he's able to capture his lips with his own. he saves the nervous stammering for later, wanting nothing more than a quick kiss while there is no prying eyes to witness the endeavor. it's a rarity to have such privacy in the safe house. / @cssette

TRYING TO SLEEP AFTER THE MOVIE THAT THEY WATCHED WAS IMPOSSIBLE. he prided himself on being scared of very little in the real world. but it wasn't the real world that was scaring him at the moment. it was a paranormal film that had left him so antsy that night. the fear of the dead coming back to haunt him. it was a realistic fear after all of the bad deeds that they have done. tossing & turning on the bed. he knew that JACKET was laying right next to him. though, he wasn't so sure that the other man was having the same difficulty falling asleep as he was. every small noise in the room had left him jumping out of his skin; wondering if there was something out there coming to get him. once something had fallen off the dresser, he sat up straight in bed. ❝ ARE YOU AWAKE? ❞ he asks quickly, not bothering to shake the other from his slumber. judging from the position that he was sitting in, he was still awake on his cellphone.

❝ something just fuckin' moved, it moved over there. ❞ kicking the covers off himself. he can't help but feel as if he has to investigate the matter. reaching for his own phone, he flicks on the flashlight. ❝ we have to check it out, come on. ❞ he wants JACKET to come with him. he can't face this alone. it was more reassuring if he had the other man with him. his mind is thinking of the contorted bodies & bleeding limbs from the movie that he watched earlier. thinking that someone would be standing there if he wasn't cautious enough. it certainly was no break - in. they were in a well enough guarded house for that. pointing his flashlight towards the dresser, he finds that it was just a stick of deodorant that had tipped over from standing up. running his hand through his hair, he can't help but feel a wash of relief take over his body. it was nothing. just worry eating away at him.

❝ man, this shit isn't funny. did you set that up? ❞

HE HAD LOW EXPECTATIONS OF SOMEONE LIKE JACKET. mere kindness was something to be questioned. because someone like JACKET wasn't kind without reason. he felt this way about many of the men in the gang; they had certain reasons for their kindness & often times, it wasn't good reasons. being handed a soda by the silent man, he looks at it with curiosity. wonder, why he had been handed it in the first place. most in the gang weren't strangers to his favoritism towards ROOT BEER. it was the only thing he would drink, favored more than water. though, that didn't mean that he was going to accept it from JACKET without a cock of the eyebrow. the container was still sealed; giving him less of a reason to believe that something was slipped into it. this wasn't that kind of joke.

HE IS SITTING OUTSIDE OF THE SAFE HOUSE, smoking a cigarette. a habit that he wishes that he can quit, but he doesn't have the motivation to. his older brother had gotten him into it, and now he's become invested in smoking a pack a week, if not more. it takes the edge off things, which god knew, he needed. he had the garage door open, but he doesn't like smoking inside of the safe house, he prefers to sit outside of the door the most that he can. the night air is cold on his bare arms, but for a little bit of nicotine, he can handle it.

feeling a jacket be placed over his shoulders, he turns his head to look at who it was. the plain - faced man, the one who he is always trying to avoid. it seems that he had come to seek him out. gifting him his jacket in the process. instead of making comment about it, he holds out his pack of cigarettes, offering one to the man. as far as he knows, JACKET smokes as well. he doesn't doubt that the other would join him for a cigarette in silence. though, HOUSTON doesn't bode well in silence. he feels the need to fill the air with some kind of nonsensical rambling. ❝ the van is almost back one hundred percent. thanks to me, of course. i don't know what these fucks do to it when i'm not there, but it was a fuckin' mess. ❞ taking a drag from his own cigarette, he pulls the jacket down a little further on his shoulders. it feels nice, having the warmth still radiating off of it from the other wearing it. ❝ i really need a break from all this shit. ❞ he sighs, though he doesn't feel hopeful that he will. what they do, it's a lifestyle. not a job.