#greenatom

Oliver smiled and slowly approached the now blushing man who was smiling sheepishly. 

“It’s fine, Ray. I didn’t know you played,” Oliver noted. 

“Oh… uh yeah. I started taking lessons when I was five, and it just sort of stuck with me. Guess it keeps me calm, especially after a hard day at work. You know how rough a day at Queen Consolidated can be.” 

“You’re amazing–at the piano, I mean,” Oliver quickly corrected. 

“Oh well thanks. It’s not a hard piece. It’s Debussy’s Arabesque #1. It’s a classic really. I learned to play it back in middle school for our talent show. I took first place.” 

Normally, Oliver would find himself annoyed by Ray’s rambling, but for some reason seeing the man flustered by the compliment was… nice. 

“Teach me how to play?” Oliver suggested, motioning at the piano. 

“Uhh, sure. Here have a seat,” Ray offered, getting up to make room for Oliver on the stool. 

Oliver put his glass of champagne down, and took a seat where Ray had just been. Ray hovered behind him, leaning down close to Oliver’s face, and he let his hands cover Oliver’s as he fixed Oliver’s hands into the right position on the piano. 

“This is how you hold your hands when you’re playing,” Ray lectured. His voice was calm and gentle, and his breath tickled Oliver’s ear. Ray’s hands slowly guided Oliver’s hands up the piano in a sequence of notes similar to what Ray had just been playing. Oliver put up no resistance as Ray moved his fingers accordingly. Instead, he on the man’s gentle feel of Ray’s soft hands on his own. 

“Just like that, Oliver,” Ray murmured as Oliver’s hands started to move slightly faster with Ray’s guidance until he reached what sounded like the ending of the song he’d been playing. The moment felt so intimate, and with Ray so close to him like he was, there was something of a spark that he felt. 

When Ray’s hands stopped, Oliver slowly turned to the man who was staring back at him, brown eyes almost wide in surprise. Ray swallowed and smiled. 

“You did well,” Ray praised. 

Oliver laughed quietly and half-smiled. “Well you were the one doing all the work.” 

The two stared at one another for a moment that had felt like an eternity to Oliver, but Ray quickly pulled himself up and away from Oliver, a noticeable blush now spread across his cheeks. 

“Well–I–uh should probably get back to the party,” he said as he fixed the jacket of his suit. “If you ever want me to teach you some more just let me know and–we’ll–practice sometime.” 

Oliver took a deep breath and decided to take a leap of faith by standing and pulling Ray into a kiss. Ray lips were soft, and almost immediately pliant, and Oliver savored the surprised noise that escaped from Ray’s mouth. 

When he pulled back, he took in the sight of a kiss-dazed Ray Palmer, who was grinning sightly with that same blush still. 

“How about another lesson on Tuesday, after I take you out to dinner?” Oliver offered. 

Ray was surprised, but he quickly smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’d–uh–love that, actually.”