Part 16
Alex woke slowly, stretching himself out on the bed. Sleepily, he reached
over, frowning when he encountered only cold sheets. He sat up, looking
around.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he checked the time, not surprised to find
it was almost noon. It had been a late night, and they hadn't gotten home
until almost 3:00 in the morning. They'd had barely enough energy for a few
almost chaste kisses before succumbing to exhaustion, curling around each
other like puppies as they slept.
Alex stumbled from the room, heading for the kitchen to procure some
caffeine. An strong hand headed him off, leading him over to a table that
held steaming waffles toped with butter and syrup, a dish of fresh
strawberries, and a glass of ice-cold milk. Mumbling his heartfelt thanks,
Alex proceeded to practically inhale the food. By the end of the meal, he
had achieved full consciousness, and he gave Wil an abashed grin. "Sorry
about the zombie act," he apologized.
Wil grinned, shrugging in response. "S'ok. I woke up earlier, thought I'd
fix you some breakfast. Good?"
Alex wiped his mouth, licking the crumbs and sticky syrup off his fingers.
"Very. You made these?" He looked dumbfounded at Wil's nod. "I didn't even
know we owned a waffle iron."
Laughing, Wil replied, "We don't. I borrowed it from Mellie; she gave me the
recipe for the waffles, too."
"That woman is an absolute saint." Alex managed to refrain from licking the
plate, but it was a close call. "Remind me to let you cook any time."
Wil smiled bashfully and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Go wash up. I
thought we could have a quiet day before we start work tonight."
"Yeah, good idea." Alex put his dishes in the sink, then headed for the
bathroom. After a quick shower and change of clothes, he went back in the
living room, where he found Wil lying on the couch, reading. With a soft
laugh, he made himself comfortable in the chair, hands reaching for a pencil
and mostly blank sheet of paper on the coffee table. Eyeing the blonde
vampire, he hesitantly began to apply pencil to paper.
This continued for a while, the 'scritch-scritch' of pencil on paper breaking
the comfortable quiet of the room.
Eventually, Wil glanced up, curious. "What are you doing?"
Alex flushed, hastily covering the paper. "Um...nothing."
Wil raised an eyebrow. "Alex," he said in a coaxing tone. "Show me?"
Alex hesitated, but couldn't say no to the blatant look of pleading on Wil's
face. With a sigh, he handed the paper over, waiting for the laughter that
would soon follow.
Wil gaped at the picture. "You...drew me?"
Alex shrugged, embarrassed. "Ok, I know it's not that good, but I was
just...doodling, and--"
"You drew me." Wil gazed up at him, eyes shining.
Mouth snapping shut, Alex fidgeted slightly under that adoring look.
Wil smiled and pulled him close, kissing him. "I love it," he breathed.
"Promise me you'll draw more?"
"Oh, well I..." He melted. "Yeah. Sure. Of course I will."
"Good." Wil stroked the paper, that devastating smile still playing about
his lips.
Desperate to change the subject, Alex cleared his throat. "So...what are you
reading."
"Hmm?" Wil looked up at him, questioning.
"The book? What is it?"
"Oh." Wil reclaimed his seat after carefully placing the drawing on the
table so it wouldn't get crumpled. "It's, um, it's a book Jenna loaned me."
Now it was the vampire's turn to look embarrassed. "It's kind of...cute. I
guess."
"What's it called?"
"Solo's Journey," Wil admitted.
"What? Why are you acting like that? Is it porn or something?" Alex
snuggled up beside Wil, trying to sneak a glance at the book.
"No! It's...it's about, well, cats."
Alex looked doubtful. "Cats?"
Defensive now, Wil narrowed his eyes. "Yes, cats. Y'know, four feet, tail,
furry, they meow and purr a lot?"
Alex whacked him on the leg. "I *know* what a cat is, dummy! Why are you
reading about them?"
"'Cause I want to. Sod off." Pouting, Wil huddled away from Alex, shooting
the human an icy glare.
"Wil..." Alex sighed, stroking Wil's leg gently. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean
to insult you." Will just sniffed, and Alex bit his lip, feeling somewhat
ashamed. Then he brightened. "Is it good?"
"Yeah," Wil muttered shortly, eyes firmly fixed on the book.
Alex wiggled closer, slipping his arm around Wil's waist as he lay his head
down on the vampire's chest. "Read to me?"
Wil hesitated.
"Please? You've got such a sexy voice."
With a sigh, Wil relaxed, an arm coming up to hold Alex to him. In a quiet
voice, he turned the pages back and slowly began to read. "Even in
his...sleep, d-deep within the hid...hidden thickets, Solo could sense that
som...something was wrong." Wil squirmed, bringing the book closer to his
face as he squinted at the small print. "As he r-roused himself to the
surface of...wakeful...wakefulness--"
"Wil?"
Jaw clenched, Wil set the book aside. "Yeah?" he asked shortly.
Concerned, Alex stroked a sharp cheekbone. "Is there something wrong with
your eyes?"
Wil turned his face away, but the insistent fingers tilted it back. He
heaved another sigh. "It's just...I can see fine when I'm all 'rrrr',
y'know? But like this...things are kinda fuzzy up close."
"Maybe you should get some reading glasses."
Wil snorted. "Yeah, an' look like a bleedin ponce! No thanks!"
"Well, you know, you'd only have to wear them here. No one else would see
you in them. And then you'd be able to read without straining your eyes."
"I...I'll think about it, ok?"
"Sure." Alex laid his head back down. "If it's easier, why don't you change
and read to me? I still want to hear your voice."
Rolling his eyes, Wil let his vampire features settle into place. With his
sight now sharp and clear, he picked up the book and started again. "Even in
his sleep, deep within..."
~~~~~~~~~~
Frankie glanced up at the knock on his office door. "Ah, you’re here!
Excellent." Hefting his bulk upright, he led Alex on a quick tour of the
establishment.
Alex took everything in eagerly and quickly. He blushed as a few of the
dancers who'd come in early greeted him with fervent hugs and murmured
thanks. It seemed as though the temporary bar help was ecstatic over being
replaced.
"Now, I'd like you to come in around 6:30 or so to start gettin' things ready
for the evening crowd. Bar opens at 7:30 precisely, closes at 1:00 in the
morning. You get two half-hour breaks, and no drinking on the job. What you
do on your own time, though, is your business. I don't care if you mingle
with the customers or other employees, but by the looks of your boyfriend,
I'd say that's pretty much the last thing on your mind."
Frankie shot him an appreciative leer. "You know, it sure as hell ain't
gonna hurt business none havin' a coupla pretty boys like you working here.
Ought to draw as good a crowd as my dancers do." He eyed Alex speculatively.
"Hey, you ever think about--"
"No." He shook his head decisively. "*Way* no. No offense."
"Eh. Too bad. You look like you could put on a mean show." He shrugged
though. "Anyway, I just have a few papers for you to sign, I'll need your
boyfriend to sign his too when he gets in. Payday is every Tuesday, any tips
you make are yours. No uniform, but try to dress...sexy. Draws the
customers in."
"Dress sexy. Right."
"Good. Now, closing. All you have to do is wipe down the bar, put
everything there away. Make sure it's clean. Usually the bouncers and other
muscle take care of cleaning the rest of the place. Cash out the till, turn
the money in to me. You'll almost always be out of here by 2:00. Shipments
come in on the first Saturday of the month, I'll need you in early that day,
noon will be fine. Place is closed on Sundays, give everyone a break before
starting the next week. If you need a night off for some reason, try to let
me know a couple of days in advance."
Alex nodded, absorbing all this. He signed the papers that were handed to
him, filling in the requisite information needed.
"Great. Well then, familiarize yourself with the bar, get things ready to
go. And Alex? Good luck!" Frankie gave him a wide grin, then lumbered back
to his office.
Alex glanced out the window, calculating the time until sundown, and how long
it would take for Wil to arrive. Then he shook himself and began to get the
bar set up.
He didn't realize how much time had passed when he felt a tap on his
shoulder. He turned to find Jon sitting on the top of the counter, legs
swinging.
"Oh man, you came back! Thank all the gods that ever existed!" Leaping
down, he pulled Alex into a hug. "Man, you are a total lifesaver. Never
leave. *Promise* me you won't go away and leave me with this evil job again."
"Um..." Alex patted Jon's back awkwardly. "Sure. Need money, not planning
on going any time soon."
"Good. Great. God, I love you!" He threw his arms around Alex again,
kissing his cheek.
A warning growl sounded from behind them, and Jon pulled back, glancing at
the newcomer. He quickly yanked his hands away. "Not groping, just
thanking! I *so* don't poach on someone else's territory." He walked over
to Wil, who continued to glower at him. "Oh, give it a rest, sugar. You're
the only thing that boy sees. Be good to him, yeah?" He kissed Wil's cheek
as well, then bounced off to the dressing rooms.
Wil stalked over to Alex, grabbing his head for a claiming kiss, sucking on
plush lips until they were swollen, marking the other man as his. "Gonna
have to slap a 'Do not touch' sticker on your ass, looks like."
Alex laughed. "But then what would *you* do, Wil?"
Wil smirked. "I'm a rebel. I rarely do what I'm told."
"Mmmm." Alex stole another kiss while Wil freely groped his ass. "I think I
like bad boys." He gasped at the sharp pinch. "Then again, maybe it's just
you."
"Damn right, mate." He petted those curved cheeks again, then paused
thoughtully. "How about 'Property of Wil'?"
Part 17
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