[attr="class","jayden"] you deserve better.

[break][break] he turns, then. his expression is unreadable. "you said that last time too."

[break][break] a pause first, as he looks at CIAN MAHER. jayden is searching for something — but he isn't sure what.

[break][break] "you too. you —" he swallows. he thinks about what cian told him earlier, how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. how she's betrayed him. "you deserve someone too, cian."

[attr="class","noodles"]CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]"i meant it then, too."

you deserve someone too.

does he?

"maybe."

he shakes his head, meeting jayden's gaze.

"maybe not."

[attr="class","noodles"]jayden cross

[attr="class","jayden"] maybe not.

[break][break] cian is deflecting. jayden recognizes it, because it's something that he does too.

[break][break] something is bubbling under his skin, and he isn't sure what it is. maybe it's the alchohol, maybe it's their proximity. he reaches forward, fingers touching CIAN MAHER 's cheek.

[break][break] "you do," he says, voice soft.

[break][break]

[attr="class","noodles"]CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]cian stills under his touch, whatever anxieties and concerns quickly placating. he leans into it, seeking whatever warmth comes from it only to find out it's not enough, and so what comes next is only natural.

he kisses him, slow, passionate, as if stretching out a moment.

[attr="class","noodles"]jayden cross

[attr="class","jayden"] surprise flickers in his crystalline gaze moments before CIAN MAHER dips his head. their lips touch, and jayden finds himself leaning into the other, fingers twisting in the soft fabric of the other's shirt.

[break][break] it's the kiss that never happened during the hoenn star tournament, with water crashing and floodgates opening.

[break][break] that kiss would have been different — fierce, angry, and tangled with emotions that jayden had no idea how to interact with. it would've been a kiss that was meant to speak, to push forward the feelings for Chu-e Choi that he'd never been able to say outloud.

[break][break] this — however — was different.

[break][break] this kiss was about yielding. slow, passionate, drawn-out. the quiet of the bedroom, the silence all-encompassing.

[break][break] jayden leans back.

[break][break] he yields.

[attr="class","noodles"]CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]jayden leans, and cian follows, gently lowering the other onto his back as a hand reaches up for his face. his other hand keeps him propped up, supporting his weight as he hovers over jayden.

and then his hand slides down, brushing over fabric and skin, slow as if to ask gauge a reaction.

[attr="class","noodles"]jayden cross

[attr="class","jayden"] "ah —"

[break][break] he's pressed back against the mattress, the springs hard against his back, and the sound that is released from surprises even him. his alchohol addled brain has little time to adjust, a slight shiver running through him as CIAN MAHER 's fingers run across his abs.

[break][break] he sucks in a breath. sharp.

[break][break] jayden stares up at the other, his violet gaze smoldering and unreadable, before he leans up and brings their lips together again, teeth grazing against his bottom lip, asking for entry.

[break][break]

[attr="class","noodles"]CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]entry is given, reciprocated, as soft moans sound through the quiet sanctity of the room, disturbing what little peace exists. his hand continues to travel, roaming low to tug at jayden's pants.

[attr="class","noodles"]jayden cross

[attr="class","jayden"] he allows it.

[break][break] not long after, other clothes are discarded, and the quiet intimacy of their moment only grows with each passing second, as their passion and intensity is doubled. jayden allows himself - maybe in his drunken stupor - to do whatever it is that cian wants of him. whether it be kisses or bruises — he'll allow it.

[break][break] his life is one of pain and suffering.

[break][break] this is the one thing that he'll let be the exception to the rule.

[attr="class","noodles"]CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]after, cian lays on his bed, finding comfort in the softness of the sheets and the warmth of the person beside him.

tilting his head over, he chuckles, shifting closer.

"feeling better?"

[attr="class","noodles"]jayden cross

[attr="class","jayden"] when it's over, it's over.

[break][break] but this — the closeness, the intimacy, the quiet — brings a security like no other. it's something that jayden rarely ever lets himself feel, if only for a minute.

[break][break] head curled under the other's head, he leans back slightly as the other shifts closer. he pauses, considering the question.

[break][break] how does he feel? sluggish. tired. content?

[break][break] "yeah," he finally says. a pause, before violet eyes lift up to meet cian's. "thank you."

[break][break] his words are genuine.

[attr="class","noodles"]CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]"of course."

their gaze is interrupted only momentarily by the quick kiss on jayden's forehead. it's an absentminded gesture.

"let me know if anyone ever hurts you again."

[attr="class","noodles"]jayden cross

[attr="class","jayden"] the lips brush against his forehead, and jayden pays no mind to it.

[break][break] his violet gaze is still focused on the other's face.

[break][break] a pause.

[break][break] "and what if it's you that's hurt?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","noodles"]CIAN MAHER