#tangem

Mentally grumbling to himself, Tangocam sits in a wooden chair, deep beneath the ground of Decked Out 3, with a map in hand and the order to just stay here.

All he knows is that Tango, the actual Tango, is running some tests above ground that require someone to be here and hold onto this map. That's his purpose, to sit here and wait. It's better than nothing he supposes.

After about half an hour of groaning zombie noises there was at least some quiet when the machine that he's meant to babysit filled up.

Time ticked slowly and he bounced his leg, red eyes glossing over the map again, a hand going over his scruffy beard almost as a reflex that isn't really his.

The only sound now were faint steps in the long deepslate hallway that has been carved out as the only exit. There is no reason to bother looking up, since it is just Tango returning.

But the fall of the boots isn't as heavy and deliberate, once it actually gets closer, which does cause him to perk up.

In the entrance to this lit up cave stands someone he vaguely recognizes as Gem. He's seen her before, years ago, her hair less red, but he remembers. No way he wouldn't, even if it was just brief glances.

For a few moments, he's too distracted by the leather, the red fabrics and the way it all hugs her shape, to see Gem's actual expression.

She's smiling but in a self satisfied way.

"There you are. Thought you weren't gonna be underground this season" Gem teases, slowly walking closer, giving Tango a closer look at her tail, before his eyes dart up again.

The main issue with not actually being Tango, instead just Tangocam, is that he can't talk. So all he can do is give Gem a small wave and a smile but that doesn't deter her from stepping closer, now right in front of him.

Tangocam isn't used to this type of proximity or touch from anyone except Tango, and he knows he wants to reach out but stops himself. This isn't his place and he isn't who Gem wants to see.

Briefly, Gem looks around before green eyes settle on him again, "I was looking for you, you know?" Her words are accompanied by a brief touch over his arm that makes his already hot skin feel like it is on fire.

There are a million things he wants to say. Stuck in a hole underground, where else would I be. Or a teasing what do you need this time?

But nothing comes out.

Even Gem notices at this point, leaning back again, looking at his face with a puzzled expression. "You okay?"

Her brows are furrowed and he doesn't want to look away from her, is unable to when she is still touching him.

It takes a few moments to gather himself, but he shifts, reaching into a pocket of his pants to pull out a small pencil, almost like it is his muscle memory.

It's rather practical that he's technically wearing a copy of Tango's clothes, contents and all.

The entire time he can feel Gem's eyes on him, trying to distract him as he flips the map over and writes.

"No talking."

Turning the map back to Gem it takes her a moment, still not quite getting it.

"You... Lost your voice? Got a cold?"

If Tangocam could sigh, he would. Back to writing on the map.

"Tangocam. Not Tango."

It's not like he isn't aware that he isn't the actual Tango. But spelling it out like this twists something inside him just a little.

The realization dawns on Gems face, but instead of any expected recoil she smiles again.

"I see. Well then, Tangocam, since Tango isn't here..." Her words trail off and her fingers travel over his arm, up to his neck until she cups his cheek.

At this point he's sure his entire face is flushed, blood rushing from his face, down elsewhere and up again.

Slowly Gem leans in closer and closer and Tangocam doesn't even think about pulling away. This is the first time he's actually noticed her black horns, just because he feels like he should look away.

But he can't. And he shouldn't have to. For once, this is actually for him.

Unable, or unwilling to hold himself back, he kisses Gem. Her lips are warmer and softer than he could have ever imagined for something like this. And when her lips part for him, Tangocam wishes he could make any sound.

With Gem now on his lap, he explores her mouth with his, and her body with roaming hands, needing to commit everything to memory because who knows when he'll be around next.

While he's holding onto her waist, Gem begins to move her hips, rocking them back and forth against him.

Despite the silence, Tangocam opens his mouth, head dropped back slightly, a silent gasp escaping him, making Gem laugh.

"This good?" as if the question was even necessary. Still he nods, maybe a little bit too eager but that is all he has.

And she laughs again, causing Tangocam to surge forwards and kiss her again, to capture the sound, to swallow it.

Gem grinds her hips further against him, the feeling of closeness and absolute bliss washing gently over him.

At least until she pulls back, breathing a little heavier, lips redder but with a glint in her eyes.

"You know what I always wanted to do?" Gem asks, looking almost as if she expects an answer before just sliding off his lap and down onto her knees in front of him, eyes never leaving his.

Inside, Tangocam feels like his soul, or whatever he has instead, is about to leave his body.

He wants to make a noise, one of those that Tango is always embarrassed about, he wants to tell Gem that she's beautiful.

For a brief moment he debates reaching for the pen again, writing down the words so he's sure she knows.

But any thought gets interrupted when Gem nudges his legs apart to make more space for herself, elegant fingers already working on undoing his heavy cargo pants.

His hands reach out, stroking over her hair, along the horns, just because he can touch her. Her hair is soft and the skin is smooth under his fingers, and every bit of sensation he can feel gets committed to his memory.

"Lift your hips for me" Gem almost whispers but in the quiet that's enough.

After a brief moment of shifting himself, his warm skin gets exposed to the cold air of the cavern.

Gem is down there, grinning up at him, teasing, "Need a hand here, old man?" and he wants to chuckle in response, instead opting for the lightest tug in her hair, earning him another smile.

"Let me help you."

Nothing prepared him for the sight, the feeling of Gem leaning in and pressing just one brief, open mouthed kiss on his half hard member.

Tangocam resists the urge to squeeze his eyes shut, needing to watch every bit of what's happening.

The softness of Gems lips travels along the flesh, slowly waking it up more and more. With every kiss pressed to him, his hands bury themselves into the red mass of hair, only to let go again, an almost gentle massage.

Once Gem deems him ready enough, and without a warning, she takes his tip in, hand still wrapped around the base of his shaft.

Her lips are wrapped around him, and it feels perfectly warm and wet.

Pursing her lips she gently pushes the skin covering the tip back before letting her tongue drag over the sensitive parts.

This may be the closest he's ever been to making a sound, the way it feels like it is trying to claw its way out of Tango's throat but nothing comes from it.

But just because he's quiet, doesn't mean he's composed. It takes everything in Tangocam to not buck his hips up to meet more of Gems mouth.

He can't keep his hands from gripping a bit firmer, getting a muffled gasp, the vibrations intense around him.

At least, even without talking, Gem gets what he wants and takes him in deeper, her hand working everything she can't fit.

He barely noticed but in the hand that's not busy with holding on for dear life in Gem's hair, he's been clutching the map Tango gave him.

Deciding his priorities are elsewhere, he carelessly lets it fall to the floor, instead opting to rest a hand on Gem's cheek, making her look up at him.

An annoyed sigh leaves Tango as he walks across what is to become Graywick in the hopefully near future.

He's been testing for hours and the map in his hand worked perfectly fine up until a few minutes ago when it suddenly stopped.

His mind is already working rapidly, trying to figure out what happened. Was it a line of redstone that didn't get updated? Did he break anything when he dug himself out of the hole underground to check on the wardens?

With a brisk pace, Tango traces back his steps, making sure the glowing red line isn't getting pinched anywhere.

The frustration is growing when he can't find the cause of the issue, standing in a dark hallway, leading back to the zombie spawner where he left Tangocam before he went testing.

He needs to double check the map, maybe something is wrong with his...

With his cape flowing behind him, he quickly maneuvers through the path he carved out weeks ago, the light of the room blinding him for a brief moment before Tango sets his eyes on the scene in front of him.

The map is crumpled on the floor, the root of his issue, but clearly not the priority as he sees Tangocam leaned back in his chair, lips parted and none other than Gem on her knees, lips wrapped deeply around a member that equals his own.

For a few moments, Tango is speechless. No usual teasing, no question coming out. He is utterly silent, just watching in a mix of shock, arousal and jealousy.

There's a soft noise as Gem pulls herself off Tangocam, earning herself a surprisingly gentle caress.

"I'm slowly starting to miss your voice, you know?" Gem teases while there is still a line of spit connecting her to the dick right beneath her mouth.

"Gem" Tango feels breathless, taking a step closer into the room despite every instinct in him telling him to run. That he's intruding.

"What?" She replies as if this is an entirely normal situation. "You're gonna stand there or are you gonna come over?"

His legs feel heavy but they move on their own, towards the two.

"I didn't know you..." Tango starts but what does he even want to say? I didn't know you wanted to suck my dick? His dick?

At least Gem interrupts his racing thoughts when she begins to work open the slacks, Tango taking over to help her spit slicked hand.

"Are you sure you want this?" He asks, his voice airy from nerves.

Gem just laughs at him.

"You think I'd be here like this if I wouldn't?"

Tango chokes down a laugh because he still doesn't believe that he isn't dreaming, half convinced he's gonna wake up with an embarrassing stain in his pants.

As they work on freeing him, Tangocam seems to be getting a bit impatient, gently tugging on Gem's hair to grab her attention.

"Hey, patience, skippy" Tango calls out, earning himself a glare. It is odd an odd feeling, to say the least, being stared at like this by himself.

Gem's hand returns to the neglected member, starting to work on him again, as Tango takes care of the rest of his own pants.

"Be nice" she chides, giving Tango a look. "Or you can just go back to watching."

The message is clear and Tango holds back any further tease, his dick now in his own hand, stroking himself to the sight of Gem paying attention to someone else.

For now, his eyes glance up again at Tangocam, the way his head is titled back slightly, his lips parted and the flames of his hair glowing a brighter orange than usual.

A soft groan leaves his lips as he keeps his hand going along his shaft, only briefly glancing down at the redhead using her mouth again to get more of these expressions out of him.

This is just what Tango looks like, lost in pleasure. And apparently Gem likes that?

"Enjoying the view?" Tango hadn't even realized that Gem pulled back again, her hand now reaching out to him, taking over.

Tango can't do anything but nod, entirely dumbfounded.

When Gem's grip wraps around him, he hisses slightly from how intense it is.

"Gentler. Please", he begs breathlessly and immediately the pressure lessens.

Now his eyes are only on Gem and he can see her thinking, all while both her hands are now occupied. A mumbled, "interesting" would normally spark all of Tango's focus but right now he can't think about anything that isn't Gem's touch.

"Please, more" He bites his lips, trying not to ask for too much but Gem still gives him everything.

Now he gets to feel the warmth of Gem's lips, the wet feeling of her saliva coating him as she slowly sinks down further and further.

There's no way to hold back the groans and grunts that make him feel absolutely ancient as intense pleasure washes over Tango, moaning softly as Gem takes all of him in, just to pull all the way back off again. The sudden lack of pressure and warmth is enough to drag a soft whine out of him.

"Gem," Tango pleads, green eyes looking up at him.

"Stop complaining and get behind me."

Tango almost freezes in place, his body working on its own.

He takes a few steps, and while Gem's mouth is busy again with Tangocam, her hands help expose her already slick skin.

This must be a dream, no way this is happening, is all that's ringing in Tango's head.

He gets on his knees behind Gem, his hand, still wearing the dark leather glove, travels across the pale skin of her ass, as if he's worshipping a precious artifact.

He lets the hand come to rest, the light skin contrasting with his glove, as his thumb gently strokes over her cheek, just briefly dipping between the before pulling back.

Not today, he doesn't want to get greedy.

Instead, he opts for taking the glove off, wanting to feel everything. His fingers trace over the slick folds, teasing Gem enough to get a muffled sound of complaint out of her.

Tango chuckles before he dips his fingers in, feeling her body react immediately, hips dipping lower for more, tightness clenching around his digits.

At least for a bit, Tango lets himself get lost in the feeling, the slick sounds of Gem, the ones her mouth makes and the muffled groans around Tangocam.

His other hand is busy spreading the spit Gem gave him, across himself before the need gets too large.

Tango lines himself up behind Gem, hands on her hips to guide her to an easier angle, before asking one more time, "You sure?"

Despite Gem's mouth being fully occupied, he swears he can hear the annoyance in her grunt as she pushes back.

The absolute bliss he feels as his tip starts sliding in, enjoying the stretch around him, is unmatched. His eyes fall shut, his tail wraps tightly around Gem's ankle, holding onto her, grounding himself.

It takes a few seconds for both of them to adjust, but Gem gets impatient first, beginning to move.

Not wanting to keep her waiting, his grip on her becomes firmer, holding her steady while he slowly sinks in fully, giving himself another moment to breathe in and out, not wanting to already have this end.

Finally, he begins to thrust, his mouth hanging open as he groans at the feeling of Gem around him.

"Fuck, you feel perfect," he mumbles, entirely lost in her.

Once his pace steadies, deep thrusts, slightly spaced out so he can recoup between each one, he dares to open his eyes, looking down at Gem's ass, at the way he's buried inside her.

Immediately he needs to look away, already feeling a tightness in his balls.

Instead his gaze lands on his own familiar face that has apparently been watching him with a matching expression of bliss. He almost wants to tease it for staring at him and not Gem but the words get stuck in his throat, replaced by a moan as Gem clenches around him.

And now he's unable to take his eyes off of Tangocam, who's expression is all too similar as Gem takes him in deeper, head bobbing up and down, Tango's thrusts now matching the pace, making her take him in deeper into her throat.

They find a faster pace, Gem moving between the two blazeborn, working in perfect tandem.

Tango catches himself looking into the red eyes of himself more than the ass he should be focusing on, but seeing his own expression of pleasure, the way his own hands knot into Gem's hair, is enough to make him come apart.

He knows he should pull out, or at the very least warn Gem but he can't, not when she gets pushed back down onto him one last time.

With a loud groan, Tango spills, sandwiching Gem tightly between the two of them, as he thrusts forward again, leaning over her back as he rides out his high.

His thighs are burning and he feels utterly exhausted but he presses a brief kiss to her shoulder, before pulling out, seed slowly dripping out after.

He's left catching his breath on his knees, still watching the scene in front of him.

The tugging in Gem's hair grows tighter, clearly not wanting her to pull away but letting Gem go with a ragged look of longing, as she pulls off Tangocam.

Tango is about to say something when Gem gets up, off her knees, climbing up into Tangocam's lap, but making sure to face Tango.

"Okay?" She asks, briefly looking back for a nod but instead, greedy hands pull her closer as he buries himself inside her immediately.

The sight in front of Tango is better than anything his imagination could've ever come up with, his own expression one of need and want, as he presses kisses along Gem's neck, gently biting into the soft skin.

If Tango had anything left in him he'd have complained because he is the vampire here after all.

But Gem's moans distract him, her own eyes pressed shut, hands working herself closer and closer to her own climax as large hands on her hips move her up and down.

It doesn't seem to take long for her to get there, grinding her hips down hard, moaning Tango's name as she cums.

Behind her, Tango can see how his own hips are lifting off the chair just to drive himself deeper, as his own face scrunches up, mouth open in sounds that aren't coming.

For a few moments, the only sound is the breathing of all three of them slowly normalizing, Tango still unable to take his eyes off the couple in front of him.

Quickly, Gem smirks before turning her head back to find Tangocam's lips, slowly making out with him, then finally turning to Tango with a nudge of her head, "Come closer"

Already on his feet, stumbling towards her like a fool, he braces her hands on Gem's thighs, and leans in to finally kiss her, open mouthed and wanting meeting Gem's lazy pace.

When Gem pulls back, Tango follows, needing more of her, kissing the skin of her jaw, his scruff scratching her enough to make her giggle.

Still he notices that Tangocam behind her is watching him, eyes following every move as he still holds Gem secure on his softening member.

Tango doesn't know what in his brain causes him to do this but he leans up slightly and instead kisses the man behind Gem.

His own lips feel rougher, more chapped and the kiss is more clumsy, more experimental, than when he kissed Gem.

Caves are included on that list of things, along with anywhere underground, which is… kind of a problem, given the number of pretty essential resources only available there. But he makes do. He makes wooden tools, then stone ones from rock he scavenges above ground. He plants wheat, and melon seeds, and potatoes and beetroots and pumpkin too when he finds a nearby village. He trades with the villagers for the things he cannot get on the surface, begs the redstone components needed for a few basic farms from Zedaph. He makes do.

He builds his first base out of wood, mostly, with little else to hand. He nestles it in a small pocket space between the sheer side of a mountain, and a copse of trees at the edge of a flower forest – closed in enough to be safe, but not so close as to be claustrophobic. No view of the sea; no endless plains; no nearby crevices or caves full of pooling darkness. It’s perfect. Cradled between the cliffs and the trees, he can feel safe.

The finished house has small, cosy rooms, and floor-to-ceiling windows, and a roof with a generous enough overhang that he can see little else but trees and mountain through them. It has more lights than he needs, small glowing mushrooms and lichens and lamps and torches fit haphazardly into every available space. It has a fireplace in every room.

He’s found that he can’t stand the cold, nowadays. Nor the dark. Nor the sight of the sky.

His friends try to come calling, and he fends them off with next week and let me settle in. Keralis takes the bullshit excuses at face value. Impulse and Zedaph, less so, but they have the decency to at least feign patience. Or perhaps they just get distracted, and forget he never actually gave them his coordinates, never actually put a date in the diary for a visit. He’s grateful either way.

And Bdubs. Bdubs tries to visit, too. Bdubs is the worst of all of them at taking no for answer gracefully.

Tango’s not proud of how he handles it. He’s not sure he feels bad, because that’s a thing he tries not to do, feeling bad for the stuff he does – but he’s really, really not proud. Words are had, via communicator.

Bdubs says he’s going to visit. Tango declines. Bdubs insists he’s going to visit. Tango refuses to give him his coordinates. Bdubs says he will scour the continent in search of Tango’s base. Tango tells him to fuck off.

He doesn’t get any more messages from Bdubs, after that.

It’s fine.

He’s alone, now, and it’s easier like that. It is. Really, honestly. It means he doesn’t have to explain anything to anyone – these stupid aversions he has now, the way he avoids the ocean and caves and the night sky. The panic attacks. The sleepless nights, and screaming night terrors. The shakes in his hands, the nausea, the fuzziness in his head. The way there’s some things he just can’t stand now, like the cold, or the dark, or not being able to breathe, or anything touching his chest or face, or rabbits or horses or small spaces or wide open spaces or–

Or the way he still sees it, sometimes. Behind his eyelids, when he closes his eyes. The way the universe had looked, huge and splayed out and glittering before him, endless, infinite, brilliantly dark. The way it had reached out with open arms, right before the oxygen ran out.

The way it had consumed him whole.

So, anyway. It’s easier to be alone. And now he’s alone! Really, truly alone. Lucky him.

Or, at least, he’s alone until four months into his solitude, when there’s a knock at his front door at just past sundown. A knock at the door that no one should have the coordinates to.

He opens it slowly, reluctantly, half-expecting against all odds to see Bdubs waiting there. Half-hoping, if he’s being honest with himself. Half-dreading, if he’s being more honest.

It’s not Bdubs.

“Hey, you old hermit, you!” It’s Gem, lichen trailing from her antlers and a bright, fixed smile on her face and a package almost bigger than her torso in her arms. “How’re you doing? I’m here with a little housewarming present.” She holds the package up, by way of explanation. It briefly blots out her face. “It’s been a really big job tracking you down, I can tell you, but hey! I’m here now. Only a couple of months late. Can I come in?”

“Oh, uh. Hey, hermit, back atcha.” Tango pushes a smile onto his own face, tries to match her energy – tries to find his old energy, that boundless enthusiasm, that go go go drive. It falls flat. Reluctantly, he steps back, steps aside, opens the door a little wider. “Yeah– yeah, sure, come in. Sure.”

Gem trots on in. She doesn’t comment on the fireplace in every room, on the torches everywhere, on the near-total absence of stone or other quarried materials. On the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Oh, this is so nice, Tango,” she says, and try as he might, he can’t find any hint of insincerity in her voice. “So cosy. And you’ve got the forest all around you, and that lovely mountain with the waterfall… Such a nice area. So much potential!”

“Yeah, well.” He shuts the door, doesn’t lock it. He never locks it. Doesn’t like feeling trapped, for some reason, nowadays. “It’s somewhere to sleep.”

“Oh?” He can feel her eyes on the back of his neck, as he pads over to the kitchen. She follows. He can hear her hooves on the wooden flooring, tap tap tap tap. “You are sleeping, then.”

He grunts, which is rude, but – whatever. It’s not like his social skills were ever that great to begin with, and a few months in relative isolation after dying alone in the cold, endless vacuum of space– he shudders, full-body shudders, as though to throw the thought off. His social skills sucked, and now they suck even more. Enough said.

“Did Bdubs send you over here?” he asks, filling the kettle from a bucket and hanging it over the kitchen fireplace. He’ll get round to plumbing and stuff eventually. He will. When his energy comes back. “Making sure that everyone does their part to keep the moon at bay?” He means it as a joke. It mostly just makes him feel sick.

“Oh, no, I came myself. To give you your present, remember?” She holds it up, an amorphous lump wrapped in brown packing paper and tied with dyed twine. “Though… if you don’t want it…”

The quiet reproach in her voice makes him wince.

“Look. Sorry,” says Tango, his voice rough with disuse, with lack of sleep. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. Been, uh. It’s been a while since I had visitors. I’m out of practice.”

“Well. Bdubs didn’t send me, but he did ask me to send you his regards.” The reproach is lighter, now, but it remains. “He said you didn’t want to see him. I told him that seemed a bit out of character, but he was pretty insistent!” He cannot bring himself to turn and look at her, to see the disapproval in her eyes that he’s sure will be there.

“Never said he couldn’t visit,” Tango mutters, pulling down cups out of the cupboards. Terracotta, hand-glazed, made by yours truly. He was pretty awful at it, to start out with. He’s getting better, though. Gem gets one of the more recent ones, glazed bright yellow, with half-hearted attempts at decorations scratched in before baking; he takes an older attempt, plain and lopsided, with a crack through the lip.

“That’s not what he said to me.”

“Yeah, well.” Tango thinks of fuck off, and very carefully does not flinch. He gets the tea down, too, one bag in Gem’s cup and another in his. “He got it wrong, then.”

There’s the soft rustle of Gem setting her parcel down on the table behind him. “Did he?” she says, quietly. “Because it seems like no one’s been to see you, Tango. I asked around, trying to find someone who knew where you were, so I could get your present to you. No one did. …And a lot of people were worried about you, you know.”

Tango very carefully places the box of tea back on the shelf, before he crushes it, and says nothing. The kettle on the fire boils. He retrieves it, and pours water into both their cups, without ever turning to look at Gem.

“It’s not good.” Gem picks her words the same way he’s seen her picking up butterflies, each movement tentative, carefully considered. “Shutting yourself away like this. I– I really did just come here to give you a housewarming gift, Tango, but… you should know that people miss you. And that there are ways of… of dealing with this, with what happened, to all of us, without isolating yourself. Without hiding.”

He hates, a little bit, that she feels she has to be so gentle with him. He hates that that’s what he is now. Fragile. Breakable.

“It’s just–” he says, and then his throat closes up like there’s a fist around it, and abruptly he cannot speak. His shoulders hunch, involuntary. He curls fingers around the edge of the counter, in a useless attempt to ground himself.

“It’s just different for me, okay?” he chokes out, eventually, through the sudden lack of air in the kitchen. He can’t breathe in, can’t get enough into his lungs, and– oh hey, it’s basically like suffocating in the cold, dark vacuum of space again, except he can’t think about that or he’ll panic, except he’s already thinking about it, and– oh boy– oh boy–

“Tango,” says Gem.

He expects her to say it’s not. He expects her to say that they’ve all suffered. And they have! Of course they have. He’s stupid, and selfish, but he’s not so stupid and selfish as to think that no one else is hurting. It’s just no one is hurting the same as him, is the problem. None of them died failed and alone and drowning in space.

What she actually says, though, is, “Tango. It’s different for everyone.”

“Yeah,” he croaks, fingers white-knuckled where he’s still clutching at the counter. “Yeah, but–”

“No buts.” Gem sighs, but not a sigh of exasperation – just a tired little exhale, a noise of grief, of trauma-release. “Cleo got stuck in the End, alone, for what she says felt like a year. Quite a few of us got stuck in the Nether, either together or apart for. For a while. Boatem were drifting in the void for… weeks, I think, they said, weeks and weeks. Ren and Doc got possessed, before– before the moon hit.” She hesitates. “…And Bdubs was still at his base when it hit. He was alone, too.”

It’s not meant to be a scolding. He knows that. But it still cuts like a knife to the spine.

When Gem touches his shoulder, soft, hesitant, he jumps. It’s been months since anyone touched him. He whips round to stare at her in cornered-animal panic, grabs her wrist without thinking before she can try to touch him again.

He becomes aware, as her pulse hammers beneath his fingers, that he is crying. He becomes aware, as he stares at her, wide-eyed and wild, that she can see he is crying.

He becomes aware, as his chest heaves and his shoulders shake and warmth trails down his cheeks, that he cannot stop.

Gem mouth does something soft, something complicated. There’s kindness in her eyes, but no pity. She doesn’t try to pull away from him, either, he’s sure he’s holding her too hard – desperate for something, anything to stop him from drifting away. “Oh,” she says, gently. “Oh, Tango.”

When she reaches out for him this time, he doesn’t flinch away. She’s shorter than him, but not by much, and when she steps closer and curls a hand around the back of his neck and tugs his face into the crook of her neck, he lets her. He lets her hold him there, as he cries into her neck, and her hair, and the softness of her shirt.

He cries until there is nothing left in him.

By the time his breathing steadies, he feels hollowed out. Like someone’s scooped out the space in his chest, emptied him. It should be an awful feeling, too close to the vast expanse of the night sky, too close to the nothingness of vacuum. Instead, it feels… clean. There’s no panic pressing out of him, making his ribcage creak with its weight, no fear or grief or anger. Just quiet. Easy, empty quiet.

Gem’s hand is still on his neck, stroking at the soft hair of his nape. His hand is still on her wrist, her pulse still under his fingers. Alive. They’re both alive. And he’s got both his feet on solid ground.

“That was. Uh. I don’t.” He sniffles, and detaches himself, reluctantly, from the crook of Gem’s neck to wipe his face. She lets him pull away, and does him the courtesy of not watching as he wipes his nose on his sleeve. “I’m sorry. Don’t know what, what that. Was. Uh.”

“Why don’t,” says Gem, softly, “we go and sit down? Do you have any sofas?” He nods, still unsteady, and she smiles at him. “That’s good. Let’s go sit on that. You can show me your living room.”

She snags the unopened present from the table as they pass, Tango leading her by her wrist across the hall and to his sofa, singular. He’d considered making more, but the room is small, like all the rooms in his house, and he’d not been expecting guests.

Unsure what else to do when they get there, he follows instructions, and sits. His legs fold gratefully beneath him and he slumps back, exhausted, into the cushions.

“Oh, this is nice,” says Gem, as he sits down. She does not sit, but stands, looking around – passing judgement on the fire, crackling away in its fireplace, and the low ceiling with its dark beams, the carpets on the floor and the little coffee tables and the view out into the forest through the tall, wide windows. “Very warm. Very cosy. You did a really good job with this, Tango, I like this a lot.”

“…Thank you,” he says, quietly, hoarsely, because he’s not sure what else to say. She smiles at him again. Again, it feels a little bit like he’s won something valuable. Precious.

“Why don’t you open your present.” Gem, very gently, tugs her wrist free from his grip. He definitely does not mourn the loss of contact, the loss of touch and warmth and pulse. He does not. “And I’ll go get our tea. Hmm?”

She’s gone before he can argue, which is probably for the best, because he wants to argue but has no idea what he might say. Instead, his hands drift to the parcel across his thighs, to the twine tied neatly around it and fashioned into a bow on the top. When he pulls the tail of it, it unravels, into two ends of a length of string and an unfolding rose of brown paper in his lap.

Underneath the wrapping is a blanket, soft and pale pink and woollen. Hand-knitted, by the looks of things – the wool maybe hand-spun, though Tango’s knowledge of fibrecrafts ends well before the spinning stage of things. Well before the knitting stage, too, if he’s being honest. He runs his fingers over the surface of it, tracing the little bumps and vees of it, before discarding the paper to the floor and pulling the blanket over his thighs.

His legs warm beneath it. The weight settles him, enough to ground but not enough to trap. The texture is good beneath his hands. When he inhales, he smells sheep, and dirt, and a little of Gem’s perfume, over the woodsmoke of the fire. It’s a nice smell.

He closes his eyes, and does not open them again until he hears the quiet tap of Gem’s hooves become muffled by carpet.

“S’... nice,” is the best he can manage, when she returns – which is, frankly, a bit pathetic, because the blanket’s gorgeous, and was probably quite a lot of work to make, and definitely a lot of work to deliver. Nice seems kind of inadequate in the face of all that. “Really nice. Thank you. I. I appreciate it. I, no, not just– I like it. Really like it.”

Gem sets his tea down on the little table next to his side of the sofa, and hers down on the little table next to hers, and then sits down beside him. “Good,” she says, softly, and when his hand finds her wrist again, she says nothing. He curls his fingers around it, just to feel her pulse. Alive. “I’m glad you like it! I was going for red, with the colour, you know, but then I got the dye a little wrong, and I thought– well. Sometimes you just need a bit of encouragement to step outside your usual colour palette, you know? I thought it might be a little bit of inspiration, for your main base, if you hadn’t started making one yet.”

Tango shakes his head. “I haven’t,” he says, and this, this is easier. This is safer territory. Standard territory. Talk of buildings, of machinery, of plots and plans and projects. “Don’t really, uh. Don’t know what I wanna make. If I wanna make anything…” He closes his eyes again, briefly, tries to sort through his words. “Not sure if I want to build, this time round. Or even do redstone. I’ve been making– other stuff.”

“Other stuff?”

“Yeah. Making, uhh. Been making pottery. Terracotta. Is there a difference?” He sniffs, shrugs. “Probably. I don’t care. Been making stuff, with dirt and whatever. I’ve… I’ve enjoyed it. S’been fun, so far.”

“Oh yeah?” Gem’s voice is gentle, encouraging. She still hasn’t made him let go of her wrist again. The skin there is very soft, under his fingers, almost velvety beneath his callouses. The steady beat of her pulse is surprisingly grounding. “Like what?”

“Like that cup. ‘N this one. Yours is better, though, I made that, like… a couple days ago. Mine was way back. When I’d just gotten my house done, I think.”

“Wow, really?” Gem picks hers up, tilting it this way and that – careful so as not to spill the tea inside. Her sharp eye takes in the colouring, the slight wonkiness, the little lines pressed into the terracotta in the shape of haphazard flowers. “They’re lovely, Tango. You’ll have to give me lessons sometime.”

“Hey! You don’t– you don’t have to sound so surprised.” Tango sniffs again, wetly. The lump in his throat eases, just a little. “...You can. You can keep it, if you want. Buy it. One diamond. Great price, a real bargain. Scout’s honour.”

Gem laughs, her eyes crinkling at the corners. The lichen on her antlers sways as she shakes her head. “Oh, I see. I see. Are you going to throw a glow ink sac in there, too? A sign about how great I am?”

“I.” The lump is back. “Not got any glow ink right now.” And then, compelled by some strange force behind his ribs, “I don’t– like the ocean, any more. Too big. Too cold. Too dark. Too– there’s too much of it. Caves, too. Just, just being underground in generally, actually, and the, uh, the night sky, and. And a bunch of stuff.” He draws in a breath, deep, unsteady, and wills back the panic threatening to tighten around his throat again. “Stupid, I know, like– it’s stupid. But. Hey! There you go. That’s me, now, I guess. Bunch of stupid shit I can’t look at, or do, or whatever, because it reminds me of–” The word catches in his throat. He jerks a thumb up towards the ceiling.

“Oh.” Gem hums, thoughtfully, drawing her feet up onto the couch and leaning into his side. He tugs the blanket to cover her lap, too, almost on reflex. She flashes him a smile full of small, bright teeth. His thumb has, at some point, begun drawing small circles on the warmth of her wrist. “I don’t think that’s stupid at all, Tango. I think that’s… that’s very normal. Being afraid. It’s just part of being alive.”

The muscles in his jawn tense, relax. His molars grind together. He says nothing.

“…We should go swimming, at some point, then,” she says, eventually. “Find a reef somewhere, so it’s nice and warm. And bright! I need some sea pickles anyway, I think. Or– maybe caving would be better, if you’re in such desperate need of diamonds that you’re trying to scam me again. Badly, I might add. You’ve not gotten any better at that.”

It’s Tango’s turn to laugh, a shocked little snort that breaks free without his permission. “Yeah, no, that’s– that’s Keralis’ thing, not mine, the whole conning people out of their stuff thing. Even Bdubs is better than me at–” He cuts himself off, tip of his tongue between his teeth, biting down until he tastes copper.

“…Maybe we could invite Bdubs swimming with us,” says Gem, carefully, after a long moment. He thinks, maybe, she was waiting to see if he’d start crying again. The thought should be humiliating. It is not. “Or caving. Or whatever it is you want to do. I’m sure he’d like to come.”

“S’a reef near here,” is all Tango says, when he finally finds his voice. “Just past the village. Saw it the first night I was here, when I was camping out in one of their houses – it made the whole sea glow…” He trails off, worries at one canine with his bloodied tongue, before blurting, “I could– I could make us all dinner. I’ve been practising that, too. Cooking.”

“Good.” There’s firm approval in Gem’s voice, and Tango thinks maybe he shouldn’t like that as much as he does. He definitely shouldn’t like the kiss she presses to his cheek as much as he does – but if she notices the way his ears pink, she says nothing of it. “I can send him your coordinates, if you like? We could go tomorrow afternoon.”

“You inviting yourself to stay the night?” he grouses, but there’s no heat to his voice, and Gem only laughs at him.

“Are you telling me you don’t have a guest bedroom?” she asks, teasingly. “Tango. Tango. I know you’re a redstoner first and a builder second, but still! Honestly. Even starter bases should really have a guest room. It’s only polite.”

“Of course I’ve got a guest room!” he snaps back, indignant. Finally, he releases her wrist – but only to poke her in the shoulder. She giggles, and sticks her tongue out at him, which only makes him scowl harder. “What do you take me for? I’m not some– some–”

“Some what?” asks Gem, innocently. “Huh? Tango?”

“Well, I’m not gonna insult anyone, now, am I,” he says, and sniffs, decisively. “Because I’m above all that. I’m better than that. The point is, I’ve got a guest room, yeah, sure, you can sleep there, Miss Inviting-herself-over-to-a-man’s-private-house. Costs one diamond a night. And it’s an extra diamond for breakfast in bed.”

“Deal.” Gem yawns, and lets her head rest a little more heavily on his shoulder. Her antlers poke at his cheek, a little. He finds he doesn’t mind. “Two diamonds, because I want breakfast in bed, and then we’ll go swimming tomorrow. With Bdubs.”

“Deal.” If his cheeks are still as pink as the blanket across their laps, then neither of them mention it.

Normally, Gem wasn’t like this. Most days she’d be entirely focused on skating, on landing her jumps, of making the most of her practice. The training hours are expensive for this rink after all, which is a crime considering that for the first hour it is shared with one of the hockey teams.

But this is only where Gem’s dilemma starts

“You’re ogling”, Cleo teases as they slowly skate by, only to leave Gem to stew on it. She clenches her teeth, muttering to herself, “not ogling.” 

Staring? Maybe. Getting distracted? Most definitely. 

And the sigh that escapes her is certainly not helping her case, hearing someone snicker behind her.

It is getting hard to deny as well. What started out as sending an occasional glance to the hockey team; And, who can blame her? Gem is also only human. Of course she had to watch, even if hockey isn’t a sport she’s normally interested in. Heck, she doesn’t even know the rules. But there is a certain respect for other sports. Yes, that’s it. Respect.

Not the way they move over the ice in their rather bulky uniforms but still with such precision, all while focusing on the tiny puck, navigating it around the field. Or the way the group erupts in cheers whenever a goal is scored. Gem may roll her eyes at the chanting of slogans, but in a way it is endearing.

And none of this has to do with one man playing center. Absolutely not.

It isn’t even that he’s a specifically good player, none of them are, but it is strangely endearing seeing him so excited, seeing how hard he’s trying.

So Gem catches herself smiling when he hits the puck towards the goal before falling onto his knees, gliding across the ice on his protectors, watching intently until it hits the goal. What if that smile then turns into a fond grin that she quickly masks again, when he starts cheering, before a teammate helps him up and pats him on the back.

Gem will just pretend that no one saw, that her teammates aren’t rolling their eyes at her and that she doesn’t care about this guy.

She doesn’t even know his name. Barely has seen him without his helmet on. Once, maybe twice, when Gem looked over as they were leaving the rink. And maybe she keeps thinking about his scruffy beard. Not that she could see much else all across the ice.

Okay, maybe things were worse than Gem would like to admit. 

Focus. Focus, Gem. 

Not wanting to be caught staring when he gets up, Gem tears her eyes away and focuses on her own practice. 

This goes well for about all of ten minutes before the shrill sound of a whistle indicates the practice match for the hockey players as over, alongside their practice.

Gem has to skate out of the way to let the men through but decides to linger close by the exit, pretending to fix something on her skate, fastening the laces anew. It doesn’t help that she can feel at least half her team eyeing her.

Getting up again, her eyes trail over the group as they’re taking off their helmets and she can now get a much closer look than previously.

His beard has more grey hairs in it than she anticipated and the little bit of short shaved hair quickly gets hidden beneath a cap. 

What Gem really wasn’t ready for was him putting glasses on, just simple, black frames. Why does this have to affect her so much?

Preferably she’d just bury her head in her hands now but someone behind her has to of course make it worse. “He could be your dad, you know?”

Thankfully her glare is enough to get them to leave her alone. Not that it makes their words go away or any less true. He could be her dad. 

At least she can focus on her training now that the hockey team has cleared the ice.

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

The next week Gem misses practice because work kept her too busy but when she finally returns to the ice, she is in for a surprise. 

The hockey team apparently decided to finally get their own jerseys and not just use the ones for the rink. No, these all had their unique numbers on it. Numbers and… Names.

Even with her glasses she still has to squint a bit, which, despite her trying to at least wait a little, doesn’t go unnoticed. Cleo leans against the board beside her with a smile on her face. “Was wondering how long it would take you to notice. You know, you could’ve just gone and asked for his name. At this point you’re acquainted, with how much you’re staring.”

Gem gives her a glare which is met with laughter. “In case your squinting isn’t helping. His name is Tango. Skizz, the tall one over there, told me a while ago.”

Their words leave Gem with questions that she’s not entirely sure she really wants answers to. Maybe she just really wants to strangle Cleo right now, who is making the smart choice to leave to focus on actually training.

And Gem tries to focus too, but how is her brain supposed to think about jumps and spins when she just learned that Cleo has been talking to the hockey team about her. No way she’d have any other reason to talk to them.

And what kind of friend is Cleo to not tell Gem his name sooner?

It is nearly painful how slow practice passes and it frustrates Gem to no end that she is not on top of it lately. She is good at this. Really good. How can a single hockey player distract her so much? No, she needs to focus on herself for now and not how they practice guiding the puck on the other half of the ice.

Time to actually practice what she needs for the next competition in her mostly empty corner. After getting a few jumps in Gem has her confident smile back on her face.

Now for the more difficult part; She skates backwards and gets ready to jump only to feel herself crash into something. Or someone.

Gem yelps and braces herself to hit the ice, already tucking her hands in, just like she learned, to avoid any accidents but the impact doesn’t happen. Instead she feels two arms around her, holding her with apparent ease.

The clattering noise of the wooden stick landing on the ice ensures that everyone who wasn’t already looking over here most definitely is now.

And if Gem’s face wasn’t already beet red, it definitely was when she realized who caught her - and was still holding her. She sees the scruffy beard, the smile, the way his eyes squint slightly with it.

“You alright there?”, he asks, squeezing her gently as if to remind her that he’s still holding her. In fact, Gem is more than just a little aware of it. It takes her another moment to realize that he asked because he’s still holding her. Gem scrambles to her feet instantly and less gracefully than she would’ve liked but he doesn’t seem to notice.

The instant she’s standing again, they both start apologizing simultaneously. 

“I hadn’t noticed I was this far into your part of the ice, sorry about that. Did you get hurt?”

Gem can all but shake her head before getting out a quick “I’m fine. Good catch” She internally cringes at herself and they both just look at each other for one more moment before Tango gets called over again. “I’ll leave you to it then. Good luck with the jumps and uh, stuff.”

Gem wanted to both kick herself, because how can she be more endeared by him from just a few words and also because she wants to reach out. Thankfully her pride gets the better of her and she skates away, trying to calm her breathing as she gives him one last smile.

The next half hour passes slowly, as Gem’s eyes trail to the large clock on the wall, over to the hockey team, while trying actively not to glance at her teammates.

When the hockey team eventually leaves the ice, Gem quickly replaces her pride with all the courage she can find in herself and skates over to where Tango gets off the ice. 

Her skates break sharply, before she can stop herself and calls out “Tango!” which raises not only his head - now without helmet and with glasses - but also that of a few others.

“Huh? Oh hi. You again.”, he gives her a warm smile before coming over, now shorter than her, now that he’s off the ice. Gem can’t help her smile. “Wait, you know my name?” Gem’s smile nearly falters.

For a moment she fumbles before saying a bit too quickly,  “The back of your shirt. Jersey. Got your name on it now.” Nice save, hopefully? But he’s laughing and Gem can see the way his nose scrunches up. No man over 40 should have the right to be cute like this.

“Right, right.”

She has to take a deep breath before she can get her next words out. “I wanted to ask if you wanna grab a coffee sometime?”, then quickly adds, “As a thank you. For catching me.” 

At least this masks her ‘little crush’ as Cleo calls it a bit. 

“Oh, it’s all fine, I was the one on the wrong side of the ice. Didn’t even do anything.”, he brushes her off and it stings just a little. 

Someone in the back groans and then a glove hits Tango on the back of his head, startling Gem. Tango’s head whips back at whoever threw it before turning back to Gem who is now chuckling nervously, about to come up with any reason to leave so she can fix her bruised ego in peace. “But… If you’d want to, I can buy you a coffee. It was on me after all.”, he rubs the back of his neck, putting his baseball cap on.

Failing to mask her enthusiasm, Gem nods. “Does Tuesday sound good? 5pm?”

He keeps smiling at her, while his teammates are already heading for the locker room. “Sounds good. We can meet outside then?” And once Gem nods he’s about to leave, giving her a short wave. “See you Tuesday then…”, he seems to have realized he never asked her name. Gem laughs softly, taking pity on him. There was enough embarrassment today already. “Gem.”

“Alright, see you Tuesday, Gem”

She really doesn’t want to talk to anyone else right now but there is still about an hour of her training left. And only about 4 days till her date.

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

“When did you start skating?” Tango asks, a simple question, as he grabs his coffee before they head over to an empty table.

Gem sits down opposite him but he can briefly feel her leg brush against his but blames it on the table being tiny. “Oh I started quite late, when I was around 19.”

Carefully Tango tries to think how to ask her how long ago that was and Gem seems to read his mind as she casually answers, “So I’ve been at it for bit less than 9 years now.”

Her words in combination with her smile might need to get cited on Tango’s obituary. In his head he automatically does the math and… She’s 28. This might be worse than he thought.

He tries to school his expression into a soft, neutral smile as he takes a sip of his still too hot coffee. “Wow. 9 years?”, he feels like his reply falls short but how is he meant to reply when his head only supplies that she was born the year he graduated from high school. Or that when she graduated highschool he already had been working and thought about buying a house.

Thankfully Gem’s voice distracts him before his thoughts can continue spiraling in that direction. “And you?” Gem’s smile was hidden behind the paper cup with her, for Tango’s taste, way to sweet coffee in it, her glasses fogging up slightly. Why does this make it so much harder for him to concentrate? 

“Oh, I've only been playing hockey for a few months now. Still a beginner” he laughs, trying to brush over his nervousness. He shouldn't be nervous at all. They are just grabbing coffee. This means nothing. Unless it does. Nope, not going down that train of thought again either. He spent too much time thinking about it already before they met. Whether this could be considered a date or not. Whether he should dress nicer or not. Looking at Gem he wishes he had. 

Gem is still looking at him, so he feels the need to keep talking. “I started because a friend of mine got into it a short while ago and he dragged me along.”

“Wow, for only a few months on the ice you've been really stable. Especially if you can catch a whole person” She laughs and this time Tango can't deny how fast his heart is beating. What is this woman doing to him? 

“But I'm really glad you did. I've got a competition coming up really soon and I can't afford any injury now.” Tango can't help but smile back. 

“Well, it was definitely on me. Don't worry, during the next practice I'll make sure to keep my butt on the hockey side of things” he says and is glad that it makes her laugh. 

“Is the competition a local thing?” he can't help his genuine curiosity. He's never really had an interest in figure skating before, with it not being quite his type of sport. And he knows that now it's not the sport either that caught his eye.

“Bit more than that,” Gem laughs, “a regional one. But if I do well there I can still move up.” 

Tango can't help but notice the way her eyes light up when she talks about skating, and the sight might as well be addicting. So he keeps asking, just so Gem talks more about it.

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

A lot more time than anticipated passes, Tango even got up to get them new drinks at some point, getting Gem exactly what she ordered earlier. 

After she asked him out for a coffee, Gem had been trying her hardest not to get her hopes up. She's barely ever talked to him, after all. But after having spent some time with him? He's incredibly sweet. 

Sure, some of his humor has her roll her eyes but it's fun. He is fun.

So what if she plays it up, just a little bit. Blinking up at him as he places down another cup. Asking him to talk about his nerdy hobbies. It’s too easy, when she sees him fluster, mentioning his DnD campaign.

The way he got just the slightest bit embarrassed at first but warmed up once Gem showed interest. Was he worried that she’d get up and leave? Call him a nerd? To be fair she did. But it’s not like she isn’t interested. In fact she played enough games similar to it that she can follow him more than just a bit. 

It’s just more fun hearing Tango explain it to her. Hearing the excitement in his voice as he talks about his character and it is just straight up cute. 

“But where’s the whimsy if there’s no romance? You’re playing a bard! Aren’t you meant to get it on?” Gem laughs, and when Tango’s face grows about five shades redder she can’t help but laugh more. 

“Bards do more than just flirt.” Tango retorts, shaking his head in mock-offense. 

“Well, guess you’ll just have to invite me over and show me then.” Tongue sticking out the slightest bit between her lips, gently biting down on it, watching Tango’s expressions go through all five stages of grief in quick succession. Gem has to keep herself from laughing when he finally settles on a drawn out “sure.”

She really can’t blame him for it. Which doesn’t mean she isn’t incredibly amused by his suffering.

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

When their date is coming to an end, Gem and Tango walk back to the ice rink, where their cars are parked. Going slower than necessary, as neither really want this to end. If it was a date for Gem.

After saying their goodbyes, Tango panics for a short moment. Should he go for a kiss? Way too early. What if he's been reading this entire thing differently. A hug instead? What if Gem would think he's some old creep? 

His brain turns off when Gem gives him a loose, friendly hug and without thinking he returns it. 

Then he feels her lips, soft, way too soft, on his cheek only for a moment. At first he thought he imagined it - wishful thinking - but Gem pulls away and he can see her bite her lips.

“Same time next week?”, she asks surprisingly quietly. 

“I'll be there ”

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

The next time they see each other is on the ice, and Gem can’t help her timid smile as she starts skating and the way her heart pounds in her chest when she sees Tango giving her a small wave.

Before Gem can even consider anything - should she go and say hi? - that tall guy, Skizz, she thinks Cleo said, hits Tango on the back hard enough that he stumbles slightly. 

Watching their bickering for a moment, Gem chuckles to herself before she focuses on her practice. The big competition is coming up and after the past weeks have been less than productive she needs to train harder.

Surprisingly, it comes easier now. Tango is still there, on the ice and on her mind but less distracting. Maybe because she knows they’ll see each other again on Tuesday. 

Tango finishes his training with another wave to Gem and once he’s off the ice, Gem can practically feel his eyes follow her as she glides effortlessly into a spin. 

Knowing that he’s watching, Gem eases her spin into skating backwards and right into a jump - the same jump that landed her in Tango’s arms last week. Just this time she nails it. Of course she does.

And it feels better than ever before. Especially when she sees Tango’s impressed smile, all the way from across the ice.

This time she gives him a small wave which he returns with a silly salute with two fingers. Gem can only shake her head. Why did her heart choose this dork?

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

Their coffee date turns into a regular thing much to Tango’s delight. He can’t even admit to himself just how much he’s been enjoying having Gem around him so much. In a way he feels younger, more energized again. Or, more likely he is just - no, he’s not even going to think it.

On Friday, after Gem’s practice ends, Tango gets a text from her. He eventually asked for her number, mumbling an excuse about what if anything comes up.

But he enjoys getting texts from Gem. Pictures of her dog. She sent him an image of her new skates. A link to a new coffee shop that opened nearby that she wanted to try next time.

Tango feels inadequate, struggling to text back, not because he doesn’t want to but because he never knows what to say.

When Gem cancels their usual Tuesday date Tango doesn’t acknowledge the miffed feeling settling in his chest. Especially not when it is because of Gem’s competition that she occasionally mentioned.

It wasn’t until Monday evening that Tango was talking to Skizz about it;

“Dude, did you… not offer to go watch her?” Skizz groans over the phone speaker.

“No? She did not invite me.”, Tango replies quietly. He may realize right now that he’s an idiot. “I should go, shouldn’t I?”

The next hour is spent researching which ice rink nearby is holding a competition tomorrow afternoon. It’s just an hour out by car. He can still get a ticket.

Without allowing himself to overthink it he reserves it. Hopefully Gem wants him there.

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

To say he was nervous was an understatement. Tango has never been good at these types of things. Starting from what to wear, to thinking whether getting her flowers would be too much. 

He settled for wearing something nice, or as nice as he owns without getting fancy. Simple pants and a button down. After shaving his beard in shape he gets in his car, with just a quick stop at a small flower shop. Just something small, not wanting to overdo it. The employee still made something beautiful, a mix of yellows and soft pinks. Hopefully Gem will like it.

Tango learns quickly, during the competition, that he knows absolutely nothing about ice skating and regrets not having looked up anything beforehand. He had never really paid attention to the sport, only to the young woman gliding over the ice.

And while Gem obviously talked about it during their dates it was nowhere near as technical as what he’s seeing on the ice right now.

All competitors are wearing these elaborate outfits but it didn’t strike Tango that he’d get to see Gem like this, not until she is on the ice, handing her jacket to her trainer, leaving her in a dress short enough that Tango feels his blood first rush to his face, then elsewhere. It is green. And sparkly. To him it is the most beautiful dress he’s seen all night but maybe he is biased from the way Gem looks in it. Her hair is crowned with antlers, making her look entirely mythical.

Her smile is radiant as her eyes wander over the ice and for a short moment Tango is convinced she looked over to him. Just in case, he gives her a thumbs up and his biggest smile.

It is harder than expected to match his applause to that of the crowd, never knowing when Gem did anything right or wrong because it all just looks so perfect. Every spin and jump, it all mesmerizes Tango.

Seeing all her practice pay off fills him with so much fondness for her. Gem trained so hard for years so she can perform like this. 

During an elaborate spins Gem holds her leg all the way above her head and Tango considers looking away but his grey eyes are glued to her.

When the music fades out Gem comes to a halt and he can see the way her labored breathing moves her whole body as she holds the pose for a few moments more. Everyone is cheering and clapping. 

Finally, just before Gem breaks the pose and bows, she spots Tango, and when her face brightens he knew it was the right choice to come here. He just wishes he bought a bigger bouquet.

The rest of the event Tango could only focus on the way his heart beats in his chest, how he can’t wait to see Gem once she’s done and congratulate her.

He barely even registers when all competitors are done and the lights focus on the podium. 

When Gem gets called out and wins the second place, Tango cheers as loud as he can, earning a raised eyebrow from the woman in the seat next to him. Not that he cares, not with the way Gem is smiling, waving as the medal gets placed around her neck, careful of the pink flowers that ornate her dress and the antlers still on her head. 

Tango can’t deny that he’s in love.

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

It’s cold outside the ice rink but that doesn’t really matter when Tango waits for Gem to come out. The sun has set a while ago, only the fluorescent light of the building behind him illuminating the pavement, some lanterns farther down the parking lot not helping. 

A bit nervously he’s bouncing on the heel of his foot, waiting for Gem to come out.

When the doors finally open again a group of people walks out, the last few of them he recognizes as Gem’s teammates, and lastly, Gem. Now in her usual training clothes, purple hoodie and 

Suddenly very aware of his age and the way he’s waiting for a much younger woman with a bouquet in hand. As if everyone hasn’t seen it yet, he quickly hides the flowers behind his back and laughs nervously.

He hears some chuckling and even Gem is giggling right until she stands right in front of him.

“Go ahead guys, I’ll be right there”, she calls out and thankfully her teammates leave them alone. “You’re here.”

“Hi. I, uh, wanted to see you. Perform. And I brought you some flowers.”, he hands her the bouquet a bit too quickly. Why does she make him so nervous? 

“I really enjoyed watching you skate. Your spins,” He can’t think about that view right now, already feeling his face grow hotter, “and your, uh…” He motions with his hands above his head for the antlers. Thankfully Gem laughs and takes the flowers from him, nudging his foot gently with hers.

“I’m glad you’re here. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to come.”, Tango realizes how close Gem is to him.

“Since we couldn’t grab coffee today. Wouldn’t want to miss out on this.”, then an idea comes to his mind. “We could still grab one. If you’re not too tired, of course”

Gem does this cute thing again where she bites down on her tongue, seemingly considering his offer. “Cleo drove me here. Let me quickly let them know that you’ll drive me home.”

And with that Gem is off.

Tango finally exhales for the first time in minutes.

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

Their usual coffee dates pick up again and Gem actually explains her routine to Tango after he seemed curious about it. She explains the differences between certain elements, between the short program and the free skate and anything else he wants to know.

In turn, Gem makes him promise to invite her to his next game and explain hockey rules to her.

It’s not like she’s ever cared about the sport before, and that hasn’t really changed. But she wants to see Tango play without having to focus on her own practice and she wants to understand when to cheer - learning from his mistakes.

A few times Gem even invites him around on her morning runs. She’s been doing this for years so she goes easy on him but it’s nice, seeing each other more, off the ice and outside their dates. Even if neither of them actually have called them that out loud yet.

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

On the day of Tango’s next game they meet up shortly beforehand to take a quick walk. The days are getting sunnier and warmer again so they slowly stroll through a nearby park until they need to head to the rink.

Before Tango has to go to the locker room, bulky gym bag in hand, Gem calls out to him. 

“Wait.” She leans the slightest bit up, feeling his beard scratch against her lips as she presses a quick kiss to his cheek. They haven’t done that since their first coffee, nearly two months ago. “For good luck. I’ll wait out here for you once you’re done.” and she turns to find her seat, leaving a mildly stunned Tango behind. Deciding to make it worse for him she calls out, “I’ll go home with the winner tonight.”, she laughs before quickly ducking through the door to find a good spot.

During the warmups on ice Gem keeps smiling over to Tango and even if she can’t see it with his helmet on, she knows by now the way his face scrunches up when he smiles back.

Then during the first period not much of note happens. The one thing Gem does notice now that everyone is here to watch the game, is that she’s practically the only woman under 30 in the entire audience, the only ones younger than her are children, their with family.

During the quick break she hopes to catch a glimpse of Tango again but in the end just settles for getting herself something warm to drink to warm her fingers on.

Things pick up in the second period. Her eyes follow Tango across the ice, admiring the way he keeps a hold of the puck, making it look easy to navigate the stick and other players while focusing on skating. 

Then, when Tango scores a goal, the first one of the entire game, Gem’s cheering alongside everyone else. She’s smiling and waving over to him as he and his team have a short celebration before it keeps going.

The third, and last period is where Gem starts to regret having promised to go home with the winner. The other team scores two goals and she can practically feel Tango deflate all the way over here. Of course he’s seemingly still having fun but her comment may have gotten to him. But it’s not like Gem hasn’t had an emergency plan ready.

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

She’s waiting in the foyer for Tango. 

When he finally comes out of the locker room, his jersey still on, Gem immediately walks over, her arms around his neck. 

“You scored a goal!” She tries to cheer and she’s glad to see Tango smiling.

“Didn’t win though,” the reply comes with a raised eyebrow.

But Gem just shakes her head. “You scored and that’s a win for me. If you’d want to take me home with you.”

“Moving the goalpost closer for me?” Tango teases as he holds the door open, leading her to his car before throwing the bag with his equipment into the back seat.

Gem waits with her reply until they’re both sitting in the car before she teasingly leans over, one hand coming to rest on Tango’s thigh, “You say that like you really don’t want to feel my mouth on you.” 

Maybe it was a good idea she said that before Tango started his car, with how he physically startles. “Gem,” his voice a bit higher than usual. Gem can’t wait to hear what other noises he can make.

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

Gem’s mouth hasn’t left Tango since they closed the door to his house behind him. Despite her curiosity she had only eyes for him in the moment. The tour can wait till tomorrow morning.

She lets him lead the way to the bedroom, where he drops his bag off in a corner before Gem falls onto his bed, pulling him with her. They’re both giggling as he’s sprawled across her. “You’re crushing me”, Gem’s voice is whinier than it needs to be.

“You’re the one who pulled me down on top of you”, he laughs against her neck.

Gem lets Tango explore her, his hands crawling up under her shirt, she can feel the calluses on his fingertips brush over her sensitive sides as his mouth maps her neck, her jaw and eventually her mouth.

Her own hands feel up his arms and Gem can’t help herself but sigh into the kiss. 

Hours could pass like this before Gem decides to finally reward her winner.

The second she starts squirming beneath him, Tango leans up and lets her go, balancing on one arm and his hip alone. Gem uses that to flip them around, Tango now on his back as Gem slides off the bed and onto her knees. She knows exactly how to look up at Tango to fluster him, when he sits up. “Gem, you don’t have to.”

“But I want to. If you let me.” Her smile is innocent, even if her words aren’t.

Taking the strangled noise as confirmation, her hands slowly move up, over his thighs, she can feel the muscles beneath her palms through the fabric, all the way up to the hem of his pants.

Looking up again, looking for permission to keep going, she only sees Tango nod. Gem can’t help her smile, relishing in the feeling that he’s already speechless.

The second her lips are on him, Gem can feel him tense up. With a quick glance she can see his head tilted backwards, obviously trying to keep it together.

Nearly in a comforting way she rests a hand on his hip, but also to slightly pull his jersey up, exposing his soft stomach to her, including the patch of her that trails all the way down to where her other hand comes to rest.

Her pace is slow and she makes sure to get all the spit she can onto him before her hand starts to move in time with her tongue. Above her Tango groans, quiet whispers of her name leaving his lips like a prayer that only serve to spur Gem on more.

His one hand helps him keep balance, the other lands on her shoulder, gently rubbing over her skin with his thumb, as if to ground himself.

Gem is ready to give it her all. She didn’t go into this night with any plans or expectations other than making Tango feel good. Loved.

So when Tango tries to pull back she only stops but doesn’t pull off.

“Gem.”, Tango’s plea is met with a devious lick over his tip, causing him to shiver.

“Gem. I want to taste you.”, he practically begs her, looking down with furrowed brows, the grip on her shoulder tenser now.

Despite him catching her so effortlessly on the ice, Gem had not expected Tango to just lift her onto the back, her back hitting the mattress, her red hair splaying out across the pillows.

Before a single noise escapes her, his lips are on hers, his beard scratching slightly on her cheeks and she can’t wait to feel the same scratch on her thighs.

They only part long enough for Tango to pull Gem’s sweater over her head, his glasses placed onto the nightstand, then his lips crash against her again with an endearing amount of enthusiasm.

She helps him kick off her skirt and underpants in swift motions leaving her only in her bra for now.

The exposed feeling doesn’t last long when Tango firmly plants one hand on her hip, the other trailing lower, stopping just short, earning him a frustrated whine.

“You sure you want this?” Tango asks, making sure. Like he always does, with everything.

“I thought you wanted to return the favor.” Gem’s words are teasing but her voice wavers just a slight bit. “God yes, I want this, Tango”

Not needing any further invitation his hand travels lower, thumb brushing over her clit, already taking in every hitch of her breath, every noise Gem lets through.

At least they are both impatient, as Tango can’t keep the slow pace up. He lowers his head, kissing her stomach, all the way down while his free hand slowly inserts a finger. 

Tango’s mouth finds her clit, tongue brushing over her in slow laps.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she notices the gentle burn of his beard as it scratches the sensitive skin on her thighs but it only adds to the pleasure.

Her body twitches sensitively as Tango works her. “Please, more.” 

The pleasure is already building, as Tango replaces his fingers with his tongue and Gem has to keep herself from wrapping her legs tightly around his head, only to feel more of him.

Instead her hands needily grab at Tango, holding onto the sleeves of his jersey before needing to pull him closer, feel more of him.

Since she can’t move her hips she opts for placing a hand on his head, feeling his warm skin and the soft stubble of the short shaved hair under her palm as she pulls him closer. The muffled groan against her only makes her moan louder.

“Tango. Please”, Gem moans and even the firm hand on her hip can’t stop her from grinding herself down on his tongue as the pleasure crashes over her body.

Gem is still shuddering as Tango’s tongue stills slowly, letting her lead through this.

When the pull of her hand eases on the back of his head, Tango pulls away and Gem can see him take a deep breath. She can also see how the entire lower half of his face is covered in her slick. God she needs this man to bend her over immediately.

But first she greedily leans forward, stealing a kiss from him, tasting herself on his tongue. Tango kisses her back with the force of a starving man. 

“I need you. Please. Fuck me.” Hearing Gem beg so directly kicks Tango into action immediately. 

“How do you want it?” And before Gem can even find the words to reply, she moves onto her hands and knees. Without any further words, Tango understands. He kicks the rest of his pants off, from where they were hanging at his knees, before he is immediately behind Gem, his back pressed against hers.

“Get your legs a bit further apart for me”, he requests and Gem obliges. A moment later she feels him slowly push in, her slick and his spit more than enough.

Both groan and Gem feels Tango push a bit more of his weight onto her back, just for a moment as he adjusts to the feeling of her. He is warm behind her, soft hair on his chest tickling against her back ever so slightly.

“Can I move?” Tango asks,his mouth close enough to her ear so she can feel his breath. Gem can definitely feel his beard against her neck and shoulder. 

“Yeah”, her voice comes out strained with need.

Tango’s thrusts are slow but firm, his one arm wrapping around her waist, as if to hold her closer, while the other supports himself. After a few moments the hand moves from her stomach down to her clit. Gem can hear his breath hitch every time she clenches around him. Her moans only encourage him further.

Every groan in her ear matches his movements and she can already feel his pace picking up, his thrusts getting harder, deeper.

“Not gonna last long like this. Can you-” another groan. “Can you ride me? I wanna see your face when I cum.” His voice is hoarse, maybe from eating her out, maybe from restraint. Either way she can’t say no to him like this, so she nods.

After a few more thrusts, Gem pushing back into him, Tango pulls out. The second Gem turns around he pulls her close, having her straddle his lap as he sits on the bed.

Before she can lower herself down, he stops her. Tango’s hand moves slowly up and down, stroking himself as he stares at her, his mouth hanging slightly open, his breathing heavy. “Your bra… Please.”

He doesn’t even need to say more, Gem’s hands already opening the clasp and removing the last bit of fabric. Another groan, this one higher in pitch, escapes him, brows furrowed as he reaches out, stopping just short of touching her breast.

Gem laughs. “You can touch me. I want you to touch me”

She makes sure Tango can hear the way her breath hitches when he brushes his thumb over her nipple. “You’re so beautiful.“

Gem leans down to kiss him and finally he pulls her forwards with ease, so she can lower herself down onto his member. Again they both groan as Gem fully lowers herself and their hips meet. 

As if he can’t wait for her to move, his hands guide her, once they find her hips again, even if Gem doesn’t need the help, her daily morning runs have prepared her for this moment.

The feeling of his palms is nice though.

They kiss again, both moaning into it with every move. Gem’s hands wrap around Tango’s shoulders, not letting him pull away the first time, only when he tries again a few seconds later. “‘m close.” His words come out mumbled. “Can I cum inside of you?” The plea is broken by a groan.

Gem takes in his face, his eyes lidded, barely open enough to see her. His lips are parted as he’s breathing heavily, groaning. His eyes rake over her entire body, her hips where they meet his, her soft but trained stomach. The swell of her breasts and the way they bounce with every bit of movement.

“Cum inside me”, half command, half request and she can just see Tango break. The hands on her grip just a bit tighter as she feels him twitch inside her. 

Tango kisses her again, making her swallow all his noises as he spills himself into her.

When they part, both are panting. Gem is smiling, letting herself sink against Tango whose arms wrap around her, pulling her off himself and into the bed.

Endearingly, he peppers her face with kisses while Gem catches her breath. “Cuddles or cleaning up first?” He asks, immediately ready to make sure Gem is comfortable.

“I don’t think I want to move any time soon.” She laughs softly, turning towards Tango, trying to ignore the stickiness between her legs and the way it pools onto the bed.

Tango brushes a strand of hair out of her face before asking, “Anything else? Water? A towel?” But Gem just pulls him closer. 

“I want you to shut up and just cuddle me.” Her words lack any bite with the smile on her face. He pulls her closer, letting her head rest against his chest.

Gem stays the night.

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

It has been a bit over a month since the night of Tango’s game and after grabbing their usual Tuesday coffee, they planned to head to their usual ice rink.

They’ve been doing a lot of small activities like that. Two weeks ago they went and played minigolf, and despite Tango mentioning that he has played golf before, Gem did beat him by a margin.

“More of a different sport than you thought, huh?”, she teases him with a victorious smile.

But today they just want to take it easy, so ice skating it is.

Neither of them can help themselves though when Gem leans in close and quietly challenges him, “I bet you I’m faster. From here to the board.”

Tango’s grey eyes meet her gaze and he smiles, dramatically pulling the cap lower into his face. “You’re on. Loser buys drinks?”

She counts them down and a few seconds later Gem cheers herself on in victory as she breaks only inches away from the wall.

Tango joins her there, just a second or so later. He’s getting better at this. “Might eventually outpace me”, Gem notes but of course he only shakes his head.

“Only if you let me win. Alright, drinks. Coffee?” Tango is smiling and leaves when Gem nods.

Turning around, arms resting on the board, she looks at his back, walking over to the small stall selling fast food and drinks, still in his skates.

There is a fond fluttering in her chest as she watches him. A feeling that hasn’t gone away in the last few months since they got closer.

Tango feels wildly uncomfortable, in his fancy suit that he doesn't really get out of the closet that often. The last time was probably when he and Skizz went to that one really fancy casino two years ago?

It doesn't help that he feels absolutely lost at a function like this but of course he wanted to come. After all, Gem placed second in the regional competition and got invited to this quasi-gala to celebrate all the competitors and her placement.

Taking a few days off work wasn't an issue, and the hotel they're staying at, where the function is hosted, is nice enough that they extended their stay into a long weekend getaway. After checking in yesterday, Tango took Gem out for dinner and they walked through town for a bit. It's their first actual vacation together, if it can be counted as that, Tango noticed on the way back.

The next morning is first lazily spent in bed, Gem flopping down on top of Tango, his hands firmly placed on her hips, rubbing soft circles over the tiniest bit of exposed skin on her waist, his mouth gently mapping her jaw and finding her lips again and again. He could hold her like this the whole weekend, order the overpriced room service and have his hands trail over every part of Gem's body.

But this isn't what they're here for, and as perfect of a plan as it sounds, their peace has to come to an end when Gem needs to start getting ready. Tango debates still staying wrapped up in the comfortable sheets, but seeing Gem smile at him while she leans against the doorframe of the bathroom, her sleep shirt, one of Tango's old, worn soft ones, and a pair of shorts that leaves her legs exposed is already enough to convince him to get up. Still, Gem asks, "care to join me?"

Tango would be a fool to say no, already half way there, taking the hand Gem is reaching out now, letting her pull him into the small room. Their clothes are discarded quickly, Tango's hands now finally getting their wish of feeling all of Gem, as they move towards the shower, letting it cover them in hot water and steam.

He pulls Gem's body against himself, the fit familiar against his own shape. Under the guise of washing her off, he brushes over her shoulder, her chest and arms before resting his hands on her hips again, kissing her.

Of course his own arousal stirs, it has since they woke up, not helped by Gem on top of him and even less so by feeling her naked body now. Tango sighs into the kiss, grinding his groin against her, letting the sensation wash over him.

His hands travel lower, now on her perfect ass, pulling her even closer against himself, getting a breathy little noise out of Gem. Unable to stop himself from smiling into the kiss he enjoys all the sensations, the way her curves fill his palms, the water streaming down onto them and down his back, and the way Gem is pressed against his chest, leaving no space between them.

A gentle nibble on her lip, "I want you." Actually there's nothing else he'd rather have right now.

Of course, Gem is smiling, while grinding her body against his, the friction making this experience all the more heavenly.

Her words though, are a harsh reminder of reality. "We don't have a lot of time," she contemplates. "When we get back? Wanna take my time."

Tango would never say no to her.

Despite that, neither stop the slow grinding, making out under the stream of water. His patience is fraying under every teasing touch of Gem's fingers on his body, along his sides of the inside of his arm.

When her arms wrap around his neck, Tango takes that as the go ahead to lift her up just enough, back against the glass wall of the shower. Despite the water he can feel how wet Gem is, his hips moving in short thrusts, just letting himself feel her without pushing in. That can wait until after the celebration, even if it kills him a little to not just angle himself differently and push in, just to feel her.

Restraining himself, instead just focusing on the easy glide, the warmth of her core and the way her lips part for him, letting his tongue explore, is more than he could ever ask for.

It's difficult eventually pulling back, but there is the slightest shiver to Gem. Looking at her, Tango realizes the hot water has been steadily hitting pretty much only his back, leaving Gem's body to cool off.

He mumbles a quick, "sorry" against her lips and lets her down, feet planted safely on the shower floor and immediately swapping places with her.

The rest of the shower Tango peppers kisses along her shoulder, letting Gem instruct him when to use which hair product, all while getting to feel her hands on himself. The occasional brush over his head, a squeeze of his hand.

Any shower with Gem takes about 4 times longer than it would alone but it is worth every second.

Being a gentleman, Tango gets out first, quickly drying himself off while Gem gets to enjoy the heat a bit more, then getting two towels ready for her - one for her hair and one for her body. He's learning, has been for the past few months.

After putting his glasses back on, he wraps her up, gives her a quick kiss on her hairline and slips out of the room, leaving her to get ready in peace.

Tango doesn't need too long to get ready, unpacking his shirt, pants, tie and jacket. After a moment of struggling with his tie it all sits just fine.

While Gem takes her sweet time getting ready in the bathroom, he scrolls through his phone, the tiny bit of social media he uses and the results of a hockey game he was mildly interested in.

Once Gem calls him over to hand her a small purple bag, and another time to bring her the dress she packed. Both times Tango's eyes drink in the sight of his girlfriend, just wrapped in one of those fuzzy hotel towels.

Eventually Gem emerges, Tango has lost track of how long he's been sitting in the chair, ready and waiting but he could never complain, not even jokingly, when he sees her like this. "Wow. You look... Beautiful" it feels like the understatement of the century but Tango has never been the best with words.

It's a black dress, hugging her figure perfectly, her cleavage exposed just enough to leave Tango wanting to peel it off her. But his eyes keep darting down to her leg, her left leg being nearly fully exposed, all the way to her upper thigh.

"Can we just stay in?" He asks, with a cheeky smile on his face when he hears Gem's laugh.

"You'll get to peel me out of this soon enough."

She steps closer, one hand coming up to straighten his tie, then further up to rest on his cheek in an affectionate gesture. Tango doesn't understand how he's gotten this lucky but he stopped questioning it for the most part at least a month ago.

His lips find hers briefly. "I'd hope so."

Reluctantly, Tango takes a step back, "Shall we get it over with then?" There's a hint of a chuckle in his voice. He's glad he can be here with Gem even if an evening like this might be really really low on his list of perfect ways to spend a night.

"Wait, I've got something for you before we go." Gem lets go of him entirely, cramming through her small suitcase for a few moments before presenting Tango with a small jewelry box that makes his heart stop.

As if to read his mind, Gem laughs. "I'm not proposing, don't worry. It's a gift."

She's still laughing while opening the cover to reveal a brooch in the shape of a deer.

Like her costume for this season on the ice.

There is something so sweet about this that makes Tango reach out and gently touch it.

"I love it. Thank you." His tone is as genuine as it can get while Gem moves to attach it to his jacket.

The idea that they're matching, that everyone in attendance will know he's there with Gem just because of this is getting an almost nervous laugh out of Tango.

Everyone there will have seen Gem skate and give it her very best, deer antlers on her head and now he's here with her. Matching.

Before he can get lost inside his own head, Gem takes his arm and pulls ever so gently, "You look very handsome.” A smile on her lips, a kiss to his scruffy cheek before she tugs on him again. “Come on, let's go."

There's a long table with drinks and a few quick but fancy looking snacks one one side and another one on the other side, reserved for eating once dinner arrives. A few people are seated already but most are in between, talking. Some are laughing, sharing stories, and congratulating each other.

Tango knows no one, not even having talked much to the people Gem is often with. Under any other circumstances Tango would avoid going here, unable to imagine a worse way to spend an expensive weekend away, except maybe meeting her parents for the first time. But this may be cutting it close.

Because now Tango is painfully aware of how this looks. Gem, beautiful and talented, silver medalist of the regional competition and her 14 years older boyfriend Tango.

He swallows hard and Gem gives his arm, still interlocked with hers, a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

The plan for the evening is immediately clear, Tango will stick by her side, make some polite conversation and then, as soon as they can, as soon as Gem gets her fill of celebrations, head back upstairs.

With a flute of champagne in hand, Gem introduces him to a few people, not even batting an eye when she mentions he's her boyfriend. Tango remains nice and polite, if a little tense but one or two of the people in attendance give him a certain look.

Either Gem doesn't notice, or more likely, doesn't care, and as the evening progresses and one glass turns into two, Tango eases up.

The conversation with one of the people he's seen at the rink and with Gem quite a few times, Cleo, he thinks, gets interrupted at the call for dinner. They find their seats and it's nice to have something to focus on.

But said focus quickly shifts away from the wine glass in his hand, and the delicious looking steak in front of him, to Gem's leg, firmly pressed against him below the table.

The gesture that might be intended as affectionate changes quickly into something else when Tango feels a soft touch on his knee. A moment later, Gem apparently equally as impatient as Tango himself, the hand slides up higher on his thigh.

The white table cloth covers the activity perfectly and Tango is hoping that his poker face holds up especially when he feels the faint touch of Gem's fingers on the inside of his thigh.

His leg that was bouncing on its own just a moment ago is now completely still, savoring every bit of contact, even if it feels like it burns him.

When Gem's hand travels just a bit too high up, he tenses up, voice just a bit higher in pitch with a muttered warning, "Gem."

The younger woman meanwhile, hand still dangerously close to his crotch, smiles all innocently, as if nothing was happening. "Hm, you alright, Tango? Or don't like the food?"

For a moment he just focuses on acting normal and not like a wreck at what might as well just be a banquet. But there is no escape, Gem having seemingly set her mind to driving him insane exactly now.

At least he isn't the only one affected apparently - Gem leans more against his side, close enough so he can smell her shampoo. The touch feels electric, her hands never leaving his legs even when she talks to the person beside her.

Tango can’t even focus on just listening to their conversation, much less contributing. The best he can do is actually eat his dinner while trying not to get lost in the feeling of Gem’s hand casually brushing over his crotch.

He flinches at the first initial touch there, then looks around in a brief moment of panic to check if anyone noticed, as if that makes it any less conspicuous.

Gem isn’t even looking over at him, still busy with her own plate and having polite conversation about a certain jump or something, Tango isn’t quite sure.

When the gentle touch of her fingertips turns into something more, applying more pressure, leaving Tango to bite his tongue to hold back the noise that threatens to escape him.

His hand catches Gem’s wrist, keeping her from making it worse but some backwards part of his brain also doesn’t remove it entirely.

This at least gets Gem to look at him but Tango doesn’t even know what to say because he doesn’t want her to stop. But between the slight discomfort of his clothes, the way his pants now sit a little too tight and the dozens of strangers around them scramble his thoughts too much.

But Gem knows what she’s doing to him, with her knowing smile.

She does take mercy on him and instead just rests her hand on his inner thigh now for the rest of dinner leaving Tango to at least finish his food. He’d much rather skip it and head back to their room, but it would be a slight travesty because it is really good food and he doesn’t want to cut the evening short.

Once they’re finished, everyone goes right back to mingling, but instead of joining them, Gem uses the opportunity to lead Tango out of there. They don’t take the main exit of the venue, instead Gem opens a door off to the side into a quiet hallway, looking around as she pulls Tango with her.

They make it about five steps before they physically cannot keep their hands off each other, Tango’s hand snaking up Gem’s arm, pulling her back against him, nearly causing her to trip in her heels.

“Sorry,” He apologizes while leaning in to kiss her, Gem chuckling.

“Don’t apologize, just-” She cuts her own sentence off with a needy kiss, meeting his lips. Hers open easily for Tango letting him feel the warmth of her mouth, the slightest buzz from the alcohol making him focus only on Gem for at least a moment before his conscience sets in again. 

Unable to shake the worry, he breaks the kiss. “Someone could walk by.”

Enough of the catering staff, Tango thinks, has walked by here earlier. Or any of the other guests taking the wrong exit.

“No one will.” Gem tries to reassure him but she can see that Tango isn’t convinced enough.

With her hands still on his jacket, unwilling to let go, Gem looks around and guides them to a room close by. They both stand still for a few moments, making sure they don’t accidentally crash some other party, before trying the door handle. It’s open and before Tango can question whether this is a good idea or not, they’re inside, the door falling shut behind them.

It’s a meeting room, tables, chairs, a projector and a white board in the room. No one will need this room in the next few hours.

This is enough for the anxiety in his system to get replaced with pure want.

Gem has been looking absolutely stunning all evening and every time she was talking to someone, laughing, Tango physically couldn’t take his eyes off her.

The only thing better than Gem in this dress might be the thought of getting her out of it.

Moving in tandem they reach one of the wooden tables, Tango guiding her to sit on top of it, lips moving from her lips to her jaw and throat. The noise Gem makes, this breathy little laugh just makes Tango want her more.

Her arms wrap around his neck, using it to pull his body closer while sliding to the very edge of the table, legs now wrapping around his middle.

She’s been driving him insane with every touch all evening and this might just be too much.

Nearly whimpering, he whispers her name against her skin, only to have Gem’s cute giggle in his ear in response.

Never having been more motivated, he tries to draw more noises out from her, his beard rubbing against the soft skin of her neck as he lowers his head to press a kiss to her shoulder.

Hands on her hips they work together in needy movements of grinding Gem against him, the arousal from earlier even more noticeable now.

This time Tango doesn’t have to hold back his groan.

“Want to taste you. Can I?” The words are raspy and filled with a desperation that has been building since they woke up this morning. “Please?”

Seeing Gem’s smile is enough for Tango to immediately get onto his knees, feeling the rough carpet through the fabric but his world narrows down to the view of Gem’s thighs in front of him.

Her legs are already exposed on one side and ever so carefully he bunches up the longer end and pushes them up, leaving Gem exposed up to her hips.

Making sure Gem can feel every brush of his beard as he trails his lips up, Tango uses one hand on her other thigh to part her legs further.

Gem easily works with him, unable to hide her own eagerness from Tango as her legs come to rest on his shoulders, urging him just the last bit closer.

Finally he arrives at what they both want, but instead of getting rid of the last remaining piece of fabric Tango brushes his thumb against her through it, before replacing it with open mouthed kisses. There is already a hint of Gem’s taste on her panties and it was definitely already damp beforehand.

Above him, he can hear Gem take in a sharp breath. Normally Tango might enjoy taking his time some more but they shouldn’t take longer for this than necessary, before anyone notices Gem’s brief absence.

While his mouth already presses against her with eager movements, Tango’s hand moves up to her waist, fingers now hooked and slowly working her underwear down, leaning back only as long as necessary.

After the briefest of moments of appreciating the sight in front of him, Tango knows he has to get his lips on there again. 

Gem’s moan is only adding fuel to his every lap, gently sucking on her sweet spot until he feels the legs around him clench.

He doesn’t stop until he hears Gem whine his name; With Gem’s hands on his head urging him closer, or trying to gain distance when it got too much, Tango has been learning every bit of her.

Giving her a quick respite, he rests his head on her thigh, looking up to see Gem’s flushed face, while feeling a hand cradle his cheek.

“I’ve been waiting for this all day,” he smiles, which earns him a breathless laugh.

“I can tell.”

That’s enough to make Tango want to keep going immediately. Before Gem pulls her hand away, she goes to remove his glasses, careful not to smudge them, having learned the hard way how grumpy Tango can get about that minor annoyance. 

She doesn’t even have time to fully fold them up and place them besides her when Tango’s finger starts playing with her opening, his lips already on her again.

With his eyes closed, just taking in her heavy breathing and moaning, the hand on the back of his head, the flood of taste in his mouth, Tango gets lost in it.

He doesn’t know how long he spends like this before pushing in a second finger, curling them just enough to make Gem whine again.

Pulling them out feels mean, and he’s practically able to picture Gem’s little pout without even needing to look up, but he makes up for it with his mouth.

With one firm pull, she angles her just the slightest bit differently so he can fully get his mouth on her, tasting every bit of slick.

Now his thumb returns to play with her clit, as much as he can manage with how Gem is trembling and pushing against him eagerly.

It all culminates when the trembling turns into the tensing of muscles, her hand pushing against the back of his head. Gem definitely isn’t quiet as she cums and hopefully no poor soul is walking through the empty hallway outside the door to hear them.

Tango lets her ride it out for as long as she needs to, lapping up every bit of her that he can until Gem’s hand starts pushing him away.

He licks his lips before grinning up at her, any teasing remark dying on his tongue as he sees her in the low light the hallway provides, the flush undeniable in her face, the slightest sheen of sweat on her skin.

“Good?” Is all he manages to ask, before taking his fingers to his lips and quickly cleaning them, knowing that Gem is staring at him while catching her breath.

She doesn’t give him a direct reply, instead tugging on his jacket to get Tango to come up to her, eagerly kissing him the moment he’s close enough.

Tango’s legs and his lower back ache from kneeling for who knows how long but every second of this is worth it.

Every noise, the feeling of Gem tugging more at his jacket until he fully shrugs it off.

Gem pulls away from the kiss, biting her lip, “My turn now. Sit down.”

Early on he would’ve maybe protested, or at least tell her she doesn’t need to, that he can wait until they get upstairs, but it’s not like it would make any difference. If Gem has made her mind up about something like this, there is very little that can stop her.

In the few seconds that Tango needs to take her place, leaning against the table, rather than sitting on it, Gem fully shrugs her panties off from where they were hanging low at her knees. As she bends down to get them over her shoes, with her dress still bunched up, he gets a more than lovely view of her ass that has him biting his lips.

Tango has been hard in his pants pretty much the entire time, the evidence more than visible in his pants.

When Gem turns around she’s still grinning with the same cheeky expression as before, lowering herself down with one hand on his thigh, the other firmly planted on his erection, a mirror to Tango just moments before.

“Hey, handsome,” Gem giggles, head on Tango’s thigh while palming him.

His voice is right between a shaky laugh and a whine, “Gem. Please.” With how hard his heart is hammering inside his chest, Tango is sure Gem can not only feel what she’s doing to him but also hear it, so why hold back any pleas at this point.

For a moment he can see Gem consider, but maybe she’s aware of how long ago they’ve been gone, because her hand finds his belt, working precisely to unbuckle it.

Meanwhile Tango’s own hand finds her hair, careful not to ruin the work she put into it while gently dragging his fingers through the soft strands to ground himself.

Gem works quickly on removing his pants, just low enough to leave him exposed. 

Before he can do or think anything, Gem’s hand is wrapped around his shaft, angling him just so that she can drip some spit right onto him.

The sight alone is enough to make anyone weak but the moment he can feel the wet sensation on him, Tango’s legs actually give out. His hand lets go of her hair, instead needing to steady himself more on the table.

To Gem apparently this sight is more than enough of a reward, the delighted smile on her face not stopping when she starts pumping her hand.

Tango switches between looking down, looking away and pressing his eyes close, but nothing helps him shake the image of this woman on her knees in front of him.

He can already feel himself leak. While Gem just started, he’s been eager to feel her all day.

Thankfully she doesn’t make him wait much longer, instead spreading her spit evenly across him with every stroke. 

To keep himself from bucking towards her too much, he grabs the corner of the table, focusing on the tight grip, not wanting to spill almost immediately.

It only gets harder when Gem’s lip brushes against his tip, not entirely giving him what he wants, just the idea of it, waiting for Tango to be the one to push for it.

His voice is higher than he’d like, breathless as he calls for her, “Gem.”

The desperation wins out just a moment later, his hip moving on its own, forwards, so he can feel the wet warmth of her mouth and the pressure of her lips wrapped tightly around him.

The rest of Gem’s hand keeps jerking him off, not moving to take more into her mouth than his head but every thrust is accompanied by curious movements of her tongue.

This is all enough to already make Tango feel his impending orgasm.

With barely enough willpower he taps against Gem’s shoulder and immediately she pulls back, looking up at the man panting above her, barely able to hold it together.

Her eyes are already asking if he’s alright, which only makes Tango’s heart pound faster.

“Too much, too fast,” his hand comes to rest on her head again now that he doesn’t have to hold on for dear life anymore. He brushes a strand of red hair out of her face and gently tucks it behind her ear.

Of course this earns him a laugh, and he can already feel the tease coming, “Need a break old man?”

It doesn’t sting, not when it comes from Gem, but regardless he’s shaking his head in disapproval but there is an incredibly fond smile on his lips. Mindful of Gem’s glasses, he moves his hand to hold her cheek. “Watch it.” His tone isn’t as sharp as he’s pretending it to be. Then, softer, he adds, “Just wanna make sure I can still feel you.”

This is enough to make Gem get up, hand on his chest now. Tango half expects this to end in a kiss, then getting dressed and heading back to the party, but then Gem’s fingers work on loosening his tie, discarding it next to Tango where his glasses are folded up. Next she works on undoing the top two buttons, exposing the flush that spreads from his chest.

Gem’s hand keeps pushing against his chest until Tango hops onto the table, pulling Gem with him. Straddling his lap with her knees on either side, she pulls her dress up more before settling down. Immediately, Tango can feel her wet folds against himself.

With how hard he is, Tango easily slides into Gem, both gasping at the sensation. She feels absolutely perfect.

After giving her a moment to adjust, he feels Gem’s hips grind against his and with the angle they’re in, Tango helps her with firm hands on her hips. Together they find a rhythm, slow, feeling every movement in its entirety.

The need to kiss her again turns into an open mouthed exploration as they lose themselves in each other.

If this wasn’t some hastily found empty meeting room, this could be incredibly romantic.

Feeling every clench around him and swallowing every sound Gem makes has Tango approach the edge again at rapid speeds.

He pulls back, a string of spit still connecting their lips, “Close again,” he admits.

“Cum inside me.” It’s a suggestion, one that Tango was never meant to resist.

He only lasts a few thrusts more, his entire body tensing up as he holds Gem close, burying his face in her hair while he spills inside her.

Gem moves a few more times, her face nestled against Tango’s neck now. When coming to a stop, she punctuates everything with a kiss right there.

For a few moments neither of them moves. Tango can feel himself go soft inside her, a mess now running down Gem’s thigh and onto his own. The only noise is their breathing and the very faint steps of someone walking down the hall.

There is this infectious smile on Gem’s face that pulls Tango along with it. They’re both messy with spit and cum, giddy with the whole rush of it. How can Tango not kiss her now?

But eventually Gem starts to get up and Tango helps her until he’s sure she’s steady in her heels. 

He hadn’t even noticed when she placed her purse on one of the desks, fishing out a few tissues before handing Tango the rest of the package. “Damage control, huh?” He jokes lamely, as he takes them, still glad to see Gem smile even at that.

Tango wipes his face, his beard having caught most of the slick mess, then his hands and thighs so he at least doesn’t have to feel it run down his legs when he finally pulls his pants up again and rights his shirt.

When he looks up again, Gem is dropping her tissues in one of the bins nearby, her dress now fixed.

The fondness in his expression keeps him distracted long enough not to realize that Gem is packing his tie into her small purse before she shoots him another grin while biting her lip.

“Gem, I need that. Or do you want everyone to know what we snuck off for?” Tango couldn’t sound any less scolding right now.

She steps closer, hands on the collar of his shirt, adjusting it for him before handing him his glasses. “You look good like this though.” And just like that, all protest dies. Let the people think, it’s going to be fine.

“Lets at least get cleaned up before we go back?” That’s all he can reason for.

They both head to nearby bathrooms, getting at least a little bit cleaned up. Tango washes his face and drinks some of the water, suddenly feeling dehydrated.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he debates at least buttoning his shirt up again, knowing full well that Gem won’t return the tie until they are back in their hotel room. Quickly though, he disregards that idea, thinking back to Gem’s smile.

Tango is back first at the function so he busies himself with a drink in his hand, waiting around until the door opens again, Gem stepping into the room, unnoticed and making her way towards him.

“Hi,” he smiles fondly at her, once she’s close enough.

They get interrupted by someone tapping Gem’s shoulder, Tango only half listening, eyes still only on his partner, as she gets a congratulatory bouquet handed because apparently they missed some part of the celebration.

Tango wraps an arm loosely around Gem’s waist, just wanting to have her close.

They only stay for a little longer before it’s socially acceptable to bid their goodbyes and head back for the night.

Once the door closes behind them, Tango helps Gem settle on the bed as she complains about her heels killing her before going down on his knees to help her out of them, a hand trailing up her calf.

As soon as they are discarded he moves up, taking the long fabric of the dress with him as his palms travel up. “This is what I’ve been looking forward to all day. Getting you out of this.” He murmurs.

“Only if I get to return the favor.” Gem drives a hard bargain but how could he ever say no to her?

A hand reaches to the open back of her dress, a detail he hasn’t appreciated enough today, as he helps her lift it over her head, leaving her in just her underwear in jewellery.

Tango doesn’t get much of a chance to drink in the sight as Gem gets up and takes his jacket off, letting it fall to the floor around them. Her hands work slowly on every button until the white fabric hangs open on Tango’s frame.

Before he can even think of a joke, soft hands trail underneath it, along his sides and up his chest until it eventually joins the other garment on the floor.

For the second time today, Gem undoes his belt. Using his hands on her waist to steady himself, Tango kicks off his own shoes, leaving it just for Gem to pull his pants down until he can step out of them.

Now both just left in the minimum amount of clothes, Tango steps forwards, until Gem falls backwards onto the bed, taking him with her.