[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]
“They make nice companions,” he answered simply, shoulders shrugging as he looked back over one with a small smile. There was a lot of variety in personality to be found in the small creatures he kept, and though he had other electric types, it was the rats he was most fond of. “But again, they won’t bug you if you don’t bug them. Except maybe Dumpling.”[break][break]

They came to the apartment building and he slowed to a stop, arms stretching out. “Ta-daaa. Sorry, it’s not fancy. It’s not a bad place at all, but there’s no elevator, so uh, stairs.” Em pointed at the exterior staircase that would take them to his door. He held up a finger, “Only one flight.”[break][break]

He teetered as he began to climb them, a stray giggle slipping loose as he used the other to steady himself again. “Hehe, oops.” The solidity of him ensured Emerson that yeah, this really was happening. He was there. A quick struggle with his keys finally allowed them entry to the apartment. Cozy and unassuming, maybe a little messy because he hadn’t really expected to bring someone home, but definitely not slobby.[break][break]

“You, uh, want anything? I got more beer, or whatever.” He reached down to the hem of his too big hoodie to pull it up over his head, a little overheated from the lethal combination of warm weather, drinking and thirst. His midriff was exposed briefly before his t-shirt dropped down again. Showing off narrow hipbones and the pale skin of someone who was chronically indoors.

[break][break]

---

Sen Hasegawa  

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]

"I find I'm rather inclined to the type of rodents that fly." He couldn't be sure why he liked bats. Maybe it was because they were like him, mostly nocturnal and prone to screeching when disturbed. If he thought about it, Red was kind of mouse-like, small and quiet.
[break][break]
They came to an apartment complex that he could only assume was the other man's. It wasn't much, but it was nicer than the one he was currently stowed away in. His was a coffin, small and covered in various webs and reeking with different smells. "I like it." Not true, he didn't like anywhere so far. His expectations were quite high in comparison to anything he could capably afford.
[break][break]
"Woah, careful there." He laughed, hand returning to that place to steady him. His fingers lingered there maybe a touch to long before pulling away. He too wasn't all that steady considering. Maybe if he'd had less to drink, he might reconsider what he was doing. The interior was nicer than his own, but he was actually a slob not used to cleaning up after himself. His own pokemon were more insistent a screechy when he entered the building, endlessly hungry.
[break][break]
"No, I'm good." He said with a crooked smirk, knowing exactly what he wanted. His eyes darted across pale skin, exposed only for a moment before vanishing again. Giving the other a second to process the room after removing his hoodie, he slipped forward. His hand pushed red hair from the other's face as he leaned forward to kiss him. That was the point of this all, right? It wasn't insistent or rough, not yet. For now, he'd give the other a chance to decide what he wanted.




[break][break]

---

emerson whitlock

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]
“Bats then? Huh, never really thought about them.” Maybe they’d be nice to keep too, he’d have to look into it. Just…later. He was too busy thinking about the hand that had returned to its rightful place against his back. How it remained there, and could have for as long as the other wished it to. Though of course it didn’t last all that much longer than the first time.[break][break]

Oblivious to the staring, Em nodded partway through taking off the sweater, only to remember his head was covered up by fabric. “Okay, well uh, I got all sorts of stuff if you change your mind!” It was mostly just politeness fueling him. If he was being honest, Em was relieved that the offer was refused. Not out of a reluctance to share, but instead because his mind was elsewhere.[break][break]

Totally and completely in the gutter, that was.[break][break]

Discarding his hoodie to a nearby papasan chair, he finally caught sight of the smirk that had hitched the side of the other’s mouth. Instantly, his face flushed again to register that it was fixated on him. But of course it was. His eyes followed him as he approached, the copper rust shade of them darkening with shared want in the seconds before that electric touch returned, sliding across his face and through his hair.[break][break]

He wasn’t sure what this guy might expect of him. If he’d respond to the kiss with surprise, or maybe shyness, but that wasn’t the reaction Emerson met him with. He wasn’t inexperienced or sheepish about what to do with his mouth or body or hands. Instead he leaned into it fully, humoring the carefulness of it for a moment.[break][break]

Like he was a fragile thing that might snap easily if he didn’t set a gentler pace. But Em wasn’t in the business of tender or careful. Just as quickly as if had begun, he severed the connection, yanking back just enough to look into those blue eyes as his fingers curled firmly against his jaw. “Surely you can do better than that,” he goaded coyly, though it was no more than a playful prod. A smirk of his own curling on his lips.


[break][break]

---

Sen Hasegawa  

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]

This guy just kept surprising him.
[break][break]
It was a good sort of surprise though. More than good.
[break][break]
The other man leaned back into him and there was no sheepishness there. He didn't shy away or submit under the touch, but pressed against it. Challenged it, even. Sen wasn't sure what he was expecting from the red-head but certainly not this. Turned out there was truth in the saying about judging a book by its cover, this time he was definitely incorrect.
[break][break]
“Surely you can do better than that.” Isn't someone a tease.
[break][break]
That challenge brought out a breathy laugh, splitting apart just long enough to shake his head and fail to retort anything in turn. It was unnecessary anyways. This time when he kissed him, he didn't hold back. One hand tangled in long red hair while the other traveled down the length of his back to pull him in closer. Maybe it was insulting to believe that the other was delicate, though that hadn't been his preconception. He just didn't seem the type, but he was quickly corrected. It was just the permission he needed.
[break][break]
His height made him double over to reach the shorter man. Within a matter of seconds, he'd grown impatient with the uncomfortable position and picked the other man up without warning before pushing him back into the wall. "That better?" He scoffed in return.




[break][break]

---

emerson whitlock

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]
Despite his lippiness, Emerson definitely wouldn’t say he was disappointed. He just had the sense that the other was holding back, and that was unneeded with him. In fact, seeming to have surprised him was satisfying in its own way.[break][break]

Emerson studied the guy as he reacted to the taunt, rust red eyes brightening against the flush in his face and swallowing up every tic and micro expression in the other’s. Em’s lips curled in a smile as he laughed, seconds before distraction pulled them under again. And he certainly did not disappoint. Breath exhaled heavily from his lungs as fingers knotted in his hair. Culminating in a needy sound as shivers followed the trail down his back.[break][break]

As he leaned down, Em lifted up on his toes to alleviate some of the distance. His hands traveled to hook around the back of his neck, only to be followed by a startled noise muffled between them as he was abruptly lifted off of his toes. Hoisted up, he relished the feeling of his back thumping against the wall as his legs quickly locked around the other’s waist.[break][break]

That better?[break][break]

Droopy, dazed eyes narrowed at him as he posed his question. Emerson’s head tilted a bit, lips parted as his chest rose and fell quickly. “Do you always talk this much?” he retorted as his hands slipped down to curl into the fabric of the other’s shirt to drag him close again, mouth hungrily traveling up his neck.

[break][break]

---

Sen Hasegawa  

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]

Slow down wasn't in Sen's mental vocabulary, especially not in times like this. He was a goal-oriented person most of the time (despite how seemingly lazy he could be), but it extended into the bedroom. Red was a lot wilder than he anticipated, considering how shy he'd seemingly been at first. He almost might have felt played if he didn't enjoy the unexpected outcome.
[break][break]
That started little sound sent a shiver down his spine, the way it pressed hungrily against his mouth. His hands felt greedy, his mouth even more so. Suddenly he felt like he was in a rush, without the dam holding him back. "Yes, I do. Now shut up." He retorted with an edge of cocky laughter and a none-too-subtle grind of his hips, pressing the other harder against the wall before pulling away. "Bedroom?" He asked simply, already heading in a direction. The wide, concerned eyes of rodents watched them as they passed, which was pretty hilarious too.
[break][break]
It wasn't until he made it to the bedroom that he rather rudely deposited the slighter man onto it. Barely a breath between the action and then he was yanking off his shirt. Clearly the guy could handle it, right? Maybe not without complaint, but Sen liked that too.



[break][break]

---

emerson whitlock

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]

The uptick in pace was preferred. Regardless of his social anxieties, Emerson didn’t care to be treated with carefulness. At least not in this context. So it was only an added benefit that this guy could take a cue and not continue to insist on a gentleness that seemed by outward appearances to fit someone shy and uncertain. Like the screens Em often hid behind, though, he wasn’t uncertain in this. The lack of attached strings offered a degree of confidence.[break][break]

Biting down on his own bottom lip did little to stifle the whine that crept up his throat as hips rocked against his own. His face flushed dark with color as he exhaled heavily. Body arching off the wall even as force pushed him against it. “No, you shut up,” he grumbled back petulantly, suddenly annoyed at the reaction that the slide of the other’s hands produced. A shivery anticipation that he was reluctant to admit to, despite the fact that he still nodded quickly in response as he scrambled to let his arms cling around his neck. “Last on the left.”[break][break]

Used to their continual presence, Em didn’t pick up on the persistence stare of little mice before they scurried back to their nests. He was too busy caving to the haze of want that clouded his mind until he was dizzy with it. Not anticipating the sudden toss, he bounced against the mattress of his bed with a grunt of complaint. “Rude.” He pointedly ignored the realization that he’d been maneuvered with obvious ease.[break][break]

Quick to shimmy out of his own clothes, he fell back. Red hair pooled around his face. None too shy, his eyes followed the other in a blatant stare. And then, unable to keep his mouth shut—“Sure take your sweet time, huh?” Not that that was too much of a bad thing, necessarily.

[break][break]

---

Sen Hasegawa  

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]

The little sounds that the other man produced were intoxicating in their own way. He told him to shut up, but he wanted the opposite. He wanted to drive every sound to the surface, milk every cry out until he felt satisfied by the chorus. He'd think about the small details later, right then it was only instinct.
[break][break]
There was no room for other thoughts beyond the driving need to get on with it. "You don't seem to bothered by it actually, or am I wrong?" He teased, not quite lessening on any rude behavior. He was never a gentle lover and the other clearly hadn't wanted his gentleness either, which suited him just fine.
[break][break]
"The way you're looking at me? How could I resist?" He laughed at that, throwing his clothes aside carelessly before climbing back up over the other. His hand fixed to the smaller man's jaw, pressing kisses to his skin and mouth. The other pulled at slight hip bones rough enough to bruise. He hoped that there were marks left over, a signature of him being there.
[break][break]

---

emerson whitlock

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]

“Eh,” his shoulder rose and fell at the question asked, though the other was right—he wasn’t bothered. The bite that seemed to exist easily between them was enjoyable. It was sort of boring when he ran his mouth and the person he was tangled up with didn’t bark back.[break][break]

The thrill was in the push and pull. It made the experience more satisfying, and this guy didn’t disappoint. In fact, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d been this pleased by someone before even getting off.[break][break]

Of course, then he opened his mouth to let words come out and the redhead couldn’t leave it alone.[break][break]

Em rolled his eyes and pointedly looked away from him. Bleary eyes fixated on the lamp on his bedside table, more of a shape than something tangible in the dim dark. It was a stubbornness that didn’t last long as his stare darted back, drawn by the sound of laughter and the press of warm hands.[break][break]

The loose clamp of fingers against his jaw forced him to look up, meeting bright blue before he tilted away, and Em gave exactly what was wanted. Whimpers and sighs as legs hooked around hips again, hands scrabbling at loose sheets before climbing up his arms and over his shoulders.[break][break]

True to form, he couldn’t not goad him—even if he was near the point of being reduced to politeness if it was demanded of him. “That the best you got, babe?” It was only then that he remembered he didn’t actually have a name to use. Something that would be useful right about now.

[break][break]

---

Sen Hasegawa  

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]
"Didn't think so." He snorted, feeling cocky. Though he couldn't help himself in this case. The man practically demanded his brattier side to come out. Though he decided to keep quiet for the most part, prove to him that he was far more than just talk. The silence and his attention was rewarded, by sweet sounds that were a little too intoxicating at the moment.
[break][break]
Things were far from perfect. His life was shit, but he could pretend that things were normal. That he was still who he'd always been before it fell apart. "No, far from it, but I think I'll play with you for a little while longer." He said, mouth leaving the other to trail down his body. Not quite stopping past his abdomen. He was at least hellbent to draw a little more sound out of him before he gave him what he wanted.



[break][break]

---

emerson whitlock

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]

Something about that statement, so bluntly given, sent a thrill dancing down his spine. He could feel the spike of his pulse, the hitch in his breath that was about as much of a response as he was able to give as his thoughts fogged over with need. For all of the lip Em had given, when the other hit the right spot as he trailed away, Em provided all the right results that had been wanted. And then some, maybe.[break][break]

[break][break]

The light slanting through the cracks in the blinds was far too bright. Emerson whined as he rolled over, warm in his spot and fully expecting to land in a cooler, untouched sliver of mattress. Of course, instead, he bumped in an equally warm body. Oh. Right. His company had stayed through the night.[break][break]

He was by no means making an attempt to cuddle, but it seemed his feet had stuck out from under the blanket in his sleep, and now his toes were cold. That meant that a shiver seized up under his skin despite his prior warmth and it was necessary to huddle close.[break][break]

And definitely stick his ice cube toes against the other’s shins.[break][break]

Em was groggy, his head ached from the cocktails he’d had. Tangled red strands of hair hung in his face before he haphazardly pushed them away. But the buzz and pleasant ache from the night prior remained on his bones. He let his eyes shut again, not quite ready to get up yet.

[break][break]

---

Sen Hasegawa  

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]


I am death, He felt as he was pulled from sleep by ice-cold pressed to his leg. He was still lazy to reaction, not quite pulling away but still mumbling a grumbled curse at the inhumane act. It wasn't in Sen's nature to stick around till morning. This was a drunken mistake, not that it hadn't been fun. He just didn't like to stick around long enough for them to mistake this for being an actual relationship.
[break][break]
The alcohol after-effects certainly didn't help him in removing himself from the warm confines of the mattress. Even with the shock to the system that were Redhead's toes. "Your feet are cold." He grumbled, feeling himself wake up to the point that there was no chance of return. He wouldn't want to anyways. That was a level of comfort he wasn't ready to open up to without the assistance of a qualified therapist.
[break][break]
"Fuck, feel like shit."


[break][break]

---

emerson whitlock

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠

[attr="class","star1"]

[attr="class","star2"]

“Oh. You’re awake. Hi.” It definitely wasn’t the most affectionate sort of response. One eye cracked open to look at the still nameless man. He didn’t remove his feet, though. A yawn slipped loose as his eye stubbornly shut again. “You n me both,” he grumbled, mouth smacking once as he realized how dry it was.[break][break]
A hand darted out from under the duvet, fumbling toward the top of the bedside table. Traveling until his fingers closed around a bottle before his wrist curled and he lobbed back toward the other haphazardly. “Here. Advil.” Then it was the moment he dreaded—Emerson pushed himself up, and slipped out from under the covers, skin crawling with a rush of goosebumps from the sudden cold. [break][break]
He wanted to sink back down and sleep it off, but his throat felt like a desert and he could at least be sort of polite. Even if he wasn’t about to make any pretenses about what this was, or linger too long on the fact that the guy had slept through the night without waking up to sneak away. Even more so that Em hadn’t pushed him to go.[break][break]
If anything, it felt like the opportunity to make use of before they both went on with their lives. He wasn’t about to say no to that, despite the fact that a quick look at himself in a hallway mirror as he shuffled on belied the fact that they’d already worked each other over pretty thoroughly.[break][break]
He came back with water in a couple glasses, dragging a hand across his eyes after he set one down and handed the other over in offering. He was quick to flop back down after that, rolling under the comforter with another shiver. “Gotta say, surprised you’re still here.”

[break][break]

---

Sen Hasegawa  

[attr="class","star3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠