to Berlin with love.

[runningred]

 From here

Jay opens the door into a quiet back alley that could belong to any city - the lingering scent of garbage and the miss-matched colours where graffiti has been washed off or painted over. In the mid-afternoon chill of early spring, he takes Emcee's hand and leads him out into the street, pocketing the key. The sunlight is thin but warm and picks out the green swell of buds in the branches. The tree lined avenue is quiet this time of day. Not lacking in people but without rush, a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Comments

[runningred]

Jay nuzzles Emcee's neck and takes his hand. The bed is just as soft and comfortable as it looks. Jay sprawls out, pulling Emcee to join him. Boyfriend pillow mode activated.

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee crawls onto the bed and flops down beside him. It is indeed a glorious bed, but really, a bed is only as good as whoever's in it with you.

After a moment, he rolls over and folds his arms over Jay's chest, resting his cheek on them.

"This place really is wonderful," he murmurs.

[runningred]

"I'm glad you like it." Jay smiles, absently massaging Emcee's shoulder. "I just hope it's everything you need."

[i_am_your_host]

"Mmm," he hums, noncommittally.

He closes his eyes as Jay massages his shoulder.

"Just need a bigger bed," he adds, stifling a giggle.

[runningred]

"A bigger bed can be arranged." Jay shrugs. "Or just make the sort of friends who don't mind keeping close."

[i_am_your_host]

"Mm. I've never had a problem with that. I can't count all the times I've woken up tangled in someone else's arms and legs. Sometimes from different people."

[runningred]

"Nothing wrong with that. Keeps the bed warm on a cold night." He nuzzles Emcee's hair, planting small kisses on his temple.

[i_am_your_host]

"That is true."

He exhales a sigh, his fingertips curling against Jay's chest in little strokes.

He then blinks open his eyes. "Is there an alarm clock here? You're so comfortable that I just might doze off again and I don't want to oversleep."

[runningred]

Jay finds his phone in the tangle of clothes on the floor and sets an alarm. "Done." He kisses Emcee again and pulls a comforter up around them. "Sleep, beautiful. I might do the same."

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee is still kind of amazed at what one can do with those little pocket phones.

Once Jay is settled back down again and they're both under the covers, Emcee reclaims his spot on his chest and closes his eyes, an arm encircling his middle.

"It's going to be a long night, darling," he murmurs in anticipation of the party. He has a feeling that it will be a good one.

[runningred]

"But a good one, I hope." He hugs Emcee close, rubbing his back in slow, easy strokes. "Sleep well, beautiful."

He lets himself relax into an easy doze, breathing in Emcee's scent. This feels really good - just enjoying Emcee's company. He knows Emcee doesn't usually get this sort of relaxed affection, more does he but it's good. It feels refreshing.

[i_am_your_host]

He breathes out a drowsy little hum in response before he falls asleep, a deep, crashing sort of sleep that comes from being unused to so much activity during the daytime. His nocturnal nature had been put to the test without artificial stimulants, and that sort of thing takes a physical toll.

But right now he's just happy to have somewhere to nap comfortably. And someone to nap with. And it is refreshing.

An hour before midnight, the alarm goes off. It's an incessant beeping that drills itself into Emcee's head and wakes him with sheer annoyance. He picks his head up and stares at the device.

"Oh, good god, turn it off--!"

[runningred]

Jay picks it up and slides a thumb over the smooth surface without opening his eyes. He drops the silent phone back on the table and gives Emcee an apologetic hug.

[i_am_your_host]

Emcee can't help but laugh. He plops his head back down on Jay's chest and sighs.

"I must say, the sound of an electronic alarm clock is just as awful as the ones you have to wind up."

[runningred]

"At least the one on the phone you can change to something less evil." He mutters, stoking Emcee's back. "But I'll sleep through anything too gentle."

[i_am_your_host]

"Mm, I'm the same," he agrees, stretching under Jay's touch, before sliding up onto his knees. He looks toward the wide windows at the nighttime sky, and a familiar restlessness begins to seep into his limbs. These are his peak hours, so he's wide awake now.

"I'm going to eat a little something before getting ready. Do you want anything? There are frozen meals in the refrigerator, or we can finish the pizza."

[runningred]

"Coffee will do me so help yourself to whatever you feel like." He yawns, a bit slower to wake up.

[i_am_your_host]

"Coffee at midnight, how adventurous of you," he says with a smirk.

He leans down to peck him on the chin as he yawns, then slips off the bed. He considers putting clothes on, but why be clothed when he's in his own home? Or at least, a place that could be his home. He's still distancing himself a little from the idea.

Padding into the kitchen, he faces down the fancy coffee maker.

Oh, dear. Right. So.

He doesn't want to drag Jay out of bed to ask him to show him how to use it, so he does his best through sheer determination. And guesswork. And pressing lots of buttons. Do people just not boil their coffee on the stove anymore? Eventually he does get it to make appropriate gurgling sounds and to produce a stream of brown liquid into the carafe, so hooray for technological victories.

[runningred]

Jay pads in a few minutes later, clad in just a pair of boxers and led by the smell. "You didn't have to do that, I could have made my own."

At least that's what his mouth says. His hand say gimme. Bat related caffeine addiction is something of an issue.

[i_am_your_host]

"But I wanted to try it," Emcee insists brightly with a grin as he opens some cupboards in search of mugs. "No sense having all these fancy toys around and not learning how to use them." He hands Jay an empty mug for when the coffee finishes brewing.

"But I will ask you this: how long should I heat up a slice of pizza in the microwave oven?"

[runningred]

Jay pours himself to coffee, drinking it black and bitter, sighing happily. Life's blood!

He leans over the counter and shows Emcee how to set the timer and where the menu has a setting for pizza.

[i_am_your_host]

"Huh. There's a button for everything these days," Emcee muses with amusement. He slides a slice of pizza onto a plate and into the microwave, setting the timer as instructed.

Then he darts away to find his clothes, patting Jay on the ass when he passes.

[runningred]

Jay grins at the little pat and leans in the bench, letting the coffee do it's work. By the time Emcee's dressed, Jay looks almost human again, leaning on the window as he talks softly on the phone.

When Emcee comes back, he signs off and hangs up, pocketing his phone.

[i_am_your_host]

When Emcee returns, in trousers and sleeveless undershirt, with his hair neatly parted yet still playfully touseled, he only casts a brief glance at Jay by the window before heading straight for the microwave. His pizza is done warming up, and he carefully removes it to let it cool. It's remarkably hot for having spent such a short time in there.

While it cools, he pours himself a glass of gin and lights up a cigarette.

"Ahh, fuck, darling," he exhales with a plume of smoke, "I'm actually quite excited right now. I just want to fucking let loose tonight, don't you? I feel as if everything has been building up to this moment."

[runningred]

Jay grins and comes over to kiss Emcee soundly. "That's what I like to hear." He looks Emcee up and down. "Well, you look perfect. I'm going to have to come up with something to wear. I think I saw some spare clothes in one of the guest rooms."

Technically, that's a lie seeing he originally set this place up as a crash pad, he knows there's several changes of his clothes in one of the wardrobe. Along with back up IDs, emergency cash and a few back up weapons hidden in a false wall