[RUNS INTO YOUR ASK BOX WAVING AROUND THE FORBIDDEN KISS SCENE KEKEKEKE]
(Reaction drabble ((kind of? like 50% My Imaginationâ˘)) to your wonderful drawing⌠As they say, an image holds a thousand words⌠((and my indulgent ass wrote twice that. so.))
warnings for; slight power dynamics, vic's âromanticâ writing, kissing and heavily suggestive dialogue
Henry could barely breathe.
And it wasnât because of something he caused.
It was because of the sheer proximity of the other.
Heâd jammed his hand between them at the very last second. Acting off raw instinct, not logic, sloppy, a mess in his arms.
He didnât know why he let it get to that point, feet clad in dress shoes dangling dangerously off the ground, back to the wall, front to a wallâ
âWhat sâmatter sweetheart?â Flowzâs voice came from too close. Henry could feel it rumbling through his chest. âYou didnât think I was a chicken, did you?â
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. He really shouldnât have indulged him then. Stupid to come here in the first place, knowing Flowz wouldâve been around.
A casual event, staff of Hallow Star mingling with staff of Virelux. An invitation Rani advised against refusing. Heâd dressed nice, heâd done all the proper things, drank something scented like vanilla and cinnamon just for the occasionâ
âbut he didnât mean to call any attention to himself. He meant to simply lurk and listenâ
And now it was clear he hadnât ever had a say. From the moment he locked eyes with Florian Vez across the room, before he had to flirt as he always did and convince Henry to take a swig of wine, before the flowery behemoth was on his sixth glass and challenging the smaller to keep upâ
âIâd rather not, thanks.â
âCome on now, donât be shy. Iâve made a lot of guesses about you, as you know, but I didnât imagine you were a lightweight.â
The comment stuck, and Henry, incensed, drank one more glass. Two total. Enough to make him tipsy, laughing loud and playing into the delusional games the crafty CEO had set up.
As they went back and forth, Flowzâs inquiries got less and less⌠suitable for his liking. Cipher had to remove himselfâ but didnât make it far, as Maddy of all people had taken an interest in the fellow. Meanwhile, Henry was caught in a web of tricky questions that flustered him as much as they provoked his mental defenses.
Eventually, they were so far into the fray that he couldnât defend any longer, only make empty threats, and when thatproved useless, he said something that surprised him even in his slightly inebriated state.
âYou smell delicious, and youâve wandered right up to me, in my space, at my event. Who do you suppose would come to your rescue if I were to⌠I donât know, whisk you up and have my way with you in another room?â
Heâd actually guffawed at that, uncouth and raucous, inconsiderate, but at the very least, genuine.
That was still when he doubted the will of Florian Vez. Certainly, as dictated by his idea of common sense, one does not disappear with an attendee of oneâs own event to partake in⌠inappropriate activity rather than hosting said event.
Looking back on it, trying to find a logical reason and ignore the glaring answer of the floral lunaticâs sheer conviction, Henry supposed the festivities were winding down. Those who were not made easy and careless with alcohol were preparing to say goodbyes or already arranging to depart.
No amount of logic could bring sense to Flowzâs decision following Henryâs slightly slurred, and infinitely damnable,
âWhat a disgusting comment. I dare you to try.â
Time had slowed around that moment. Flowzâs flower did something Henry missed, a whip or a shudder, he couldnât recall. But the executive was very still for a momentâŚ
Then, all at once, he was being hoisted around the middle, carried effortlessly, carted like a doll rather than a grown man. He remembered his almost equally damning yelp, and flailed for the entire trip until his back was pressed against a wall, Flowzâs weight settling on top of him, pinning him in place.
âJesus Christ! You god-damnââ
But heâd squeaked, seeing the larger was fixing to crush his mouth shut with his ownâ
Heâd jammed his hand between them at the very last second.
âPut me down.â He hissed from behind his knuckles, amazed and horrified by the way his hand barely covered the lower half of Flowzâs face. âWhatever this is supposed to be, I do not agree to itâ!â
âOh, but darling you dared me.â His voice bled sarcasm. Henry hated it. âYou must have known I donât back out. And I donât back down. Surely youâve been able to glean that from our dealings.â
It was his job to study people.
But even people, no matter how wealthy or self-assured or fucking shameless had limits. Had boundaries.
Henryâs boundaries were being quite violated right nowâ he went to fire off another round of insults, when something warm and wet defiled his palmâ
âGodâ!â He half-hissed, half-whimpered, instinct telling him to yank his hand away, fear keeping it in place. He could feel Flowzâs breath on his face.
âNext time itâll be my teeth.â
A horrible declaration. Henryâs drunken and wasted mind scrambled to find a way out of this.
For all his years scheming and every nick and scar heâd gotten along the way, he would lose himself to a wall of a man and his inability to feel shame and his stupid fucking mouthâ
âJust one kiss. You get one kiss and then you will put me down and leave me alone for the rest of the night.â Henry hissed, growled, spat the words like poison, like venomâ
âPromise me, damn it.â
His tone was far too pleased, he was enjoying every second of it, maybe just basking in the thought of Henry practically melting under him. The bubble boy loathed every thought of submission, so certainly earning it in any way shape or form, prying it from his manicured plastic hands, was a victory.
Even if it was so small as a kiss.
When was the last time Henry had kissed anyone, anyways?
Of course it had happened before⌠college dorm celebrations and young nights on the town⌠high school prom and all sorts of eventsâŚ
And still it was a rarityâ
Additionally, he was absolutely certain he had never let a man kiss himâ
âShut up. On the count of three, I will remove my hand. One kiss. They last, on average, seven seconds. Do not be a glutton.â
A laugh reverberated through the chest pressing into him.
âPerhaps you have been studying me.â
Though, Henry couldnât begin to fathom why heâd wanted to taste him so badlyâŚ
He found his gaze roaming the room they were in, dark and spacious, the light from the main area shining in from the wall to his right, maybe twenty feet past Flowz.
He flexed his fingers, experimental, daring a glance at the otherâs face. He wore his desire like he was proud of itâ concealing nothing, not needing that damned silver tongue, speaking it all with his gazeâ
He couldnât bring himself to answer back, merely inclining his head the slightest fraction.
âI have one condition for you. For what is about to transpire.â
He grunted in response, overwhelmed by the imminence of it all.
âYou will kiss me back.â
âThen I will keep you here on this wall for the rest of the night. And who knows, by then, Iâd probably have done morethan just kiss youââ
He sputtered at that, head reluctantly turned away, and cursed.
âFuck. Fine. I will kiss you back.â
âAnd if you donât get it right the first time, we will try again, and again, and againââ
His stare was now burning, acrid, giving in with a fight. He stared down the predator before him, unwilling to enjoy it for even a second.
Every moment felt like another shovelful of dirt from the earth; he was digging his own grave.
Resolve gave way to icy unease as he let his hand fall away, his protection, his shield, his barrier against the beast who for whatever reason had taken this undue interest in him.
Flowz was smiling under his hand, but he supposed he could have expected that, lips quivering, unprepared, out of practice, out of his comfort zoneâ
âReady?â Came the honey-slicked, ever teasing tone.
Henry figured he was in too deep already.
He took it as an invitation not to kiss, for the spark in his eyes and the shudder that passed through him was nothing soft, nothing chasteâ
He was pinning him to the wall before, and now he was trying to make him a part of it. Flowz didnât kiss with just his mouthâ his whole body leaned into it as if to explore Henryâs entirety instead of the small stretch he was permitted.
It was intense. First a tease on Henryâs lips, a tongue flicking out to taste his mouth as it had his handâ and then he bit.
He bit and Henry was amazed at how he hadnât popped right then, opening his mouth toâ
But Flowz went right along, tongue and teeth, relentless, eager, all hunger and desire, somehow closer, filling the air with his scent of faint wine and something smoky sweet.
Henry was so overwhelmed he almost forgot to kiss back. His eyes flew openâ when did he close his eyes?â bedazzled, to find his partner staring straight back.
That sent a thrill through him.
His hands seamlessly found their places along Flowzâs head and shoulder. He snapped his eyes shut again and slowly pushed back, not meek, but subtle, searching for an in to exploit and maybe get some control back.
He didnât get the chance for what felt like eternity. He almost didnât want to. There was pleasure, thereâ something sick and twisted wrenched out of his gut at the feeling of being wanted. Flowz knew quite well how to wind the sensation up and pull it out, and for Henry, knowing that was a bittersweet sort of hell.
When he finally found his opening, he snatched it, not needy, but aggressive, vengeful. He didnât want to return what he was given, no, heâd processed every second of it and planned to relive it later. Right now, he was focused on expressing his anger at being in his current position.
So he did what he could to get back at Flowz while trapped in the dangerously passionate embrace. His legs wrapped around his massive waist, and he took the opportunity to infiltrate the other, met with the taste of wine and other charcuterie snacks from the formalâ
âand then, faint but sharp, unmissable, metal. Iron. A tang at the back of his tongue.
Henry was positively elated by that detail, searching for moreâ
He was gazing again, this time, curiously into the eyes of Florian Vez. Permanently half-lidded, but now they were fluttering, savoring the sensation, that wicked flower blossoming fully, shivering in delight, burning gold and pinkâ
Henry was appalled at the both of them.
He pulled away immediately, breaking the kiss, breaking the spell, suddenly devoid of the burning warmth and bliss the liquid courage offered.
Shocked into sobriety, he stared, dumbfounded at this man before him. This man he had just escaped the realm of proper acting and formality for to hide behind walls and kiss like lovestruck teenagersâ!
âPut me down!â Heâd half-yelled, half-shrieked, somewhat horrified at himself, instantly unraveling from the other, writhing against the wall.
âLeaving so soon? Donât you think we oughtaââ
The heel of his palm struck Flowz right near the base of his flower. The crime boss released him, stepping back, drinking in the sight of Henry clutching the wall for support.
âSeven seconds my assâŚâ The giant grumbled, low, taunting, and Henry couldnât recall how long it had been.
âDealâs a deal.â He continued, producing a cigar out of nowhere to light, barely concealing how he tracked the movements of the other. âYou taste like heaven, too. Iâll have to keep that in mind.â
Henry barked a sore laugh, mirthless, devoid of humor. He hiccupped once, waves of whiplash washing over him.
He couldnât tell if he wanted to burst his sides or burst into tears.
He knew he wasnât about to do either in front of the mob boss whoâd brought on the whirlwind of emotion.
âWell, sweetheart, youâre free to go enjoy your night,â Flowz crooned, saccharine, satisfied. âI know Iâve enjoyed mine.â
The smile on his face was all teeth.
Henry willed his legs to move. Forced them to after having the shape of Flowz pressed into them. He took one teetering step, two, three, four and formed a stream out of them, robotic, automatic, what heâd done all his life to simply survive.
âPleasure doing business with you,â he was sure to say on his way past, smiled plastered on, brushing against the blooming bastardâs coat and shuddering as he did so.
He couldnât tell if heâd meant the words or not.
Maddyâs voice. Maddyâs face. He was for once glad to see it.
âMr. Williams.â He tried, straining for some semblance of control after whatever the hell he just went through. Her eyes were glossy with drink, however, and she barely registered the correction at all.
âWhereâs Mr. Florian? His friendâs lookinâ for him.â Her smile was cheesy, soft, always a friendly drunk. Henry didnât have to turn around to know Flowz was headed out past him, just kept his head down and watched out the tips of his eyes.
He went home that night and wondered.
Summoned up that feeling of desperate need he certainly felt from the other, shoved it back down, and drew it up again.
Played and replayed the feeling. Prodded the fallacies his mind gave way to when exposed to even just a glass or two of wine. Took it apart and put it back together.
He woke up the next morning and decided he was going to treat it like most things;
If he didnât gain from it, he didnât care. Despite whatever situationship status this Florian Vez continuously imposed upon him, he would treat the man the same and ignore his advances until the occasion arose that he could benefit from allowing them.
Even if that benefit was simply his own fulfillmentâŚ
Because Henry found, in all his deep thought, that he somewhat enjoyed the chase.
(âŚdo critique if you find fault. I donât share the kissing scenes I write so lemme know if this is any good lmao⌠wine n henry ainât a good mix. 9/10 he gets a new spiral out of it lmaoâ)
AGGRESSIVELY AND PLATONICALLY SMOOCHES YOUR HEAD.
I MUST WRITE FLOWZ POV AFTER THIS.
STARES AT MY NOTEPAD AND GRINS.
Now I've got a project to do while my father is busy helping my Aunt!1!1!1!
Anyways. You. Wrote him so. Canon.
Flowz is a pusher. He will push to get what he wants. Yet, he will stop if he feels if the other is truly not wanting to give him what he wants.
I just KNOW that Henry would NEVER drink wine (or any type of alcohol) around Flowz again lmao..
(Flowz. Will attempt many times to do this again.)
this. This was delicious.
Love me some kissing scenes.