Before Tate left to go travel around the world, he and Giovanni spent more time together that the Italian man knew he’d not soon forget. How many times were they going to end up in bed like that? Tangled around each other after a night spent together. The sheets of Tate’s bed wrapped around them as they scooted deeper under the comforter. Stiff, cheaper fabric that rubbed against his legs was a far cry from the expensive silk he’d grown so accustomed to, but he would never complain as he awoke and was greeted by the sleeping face of a man he’d decided he’d been in love with for years. He found that his nightmares were rare whenever they fell asleep with limbs draping across each other. He hoped that he offered that same safety to the man lying across from him.
Long, dark lashes fanned out as eyes barely danced behind closed lids. Straight brows would only occasionally furrow together softly before returning to their resting place. Sunlight filtered in through haphazardly pulled blinds. Diminishing almost all shadows that would normally contour and cast sharper angles on a still-sleeping face. It was funny, Gio thought. At that moment Tate looked like he was a kid again. So young and peaceful. He wondered where the years had gone, even though he knew exactly where they’d all disappeared to.
Unable to resist the urge, his hand gently pushed dark locs back and combed through them. Long enough again at that point strands could easily fall and partially cover his most adored view. Afraid to disturb the sleeping beauty across from him, but he continued to brush hair back and let his fingers entangle more and more. Watching the little smile start to grow and spread across the sleeping features made it worth everything. Eyes slowly fluttered open, squinting against the morning sun that made already light brown eyes look like pools of pure gold. The contented sigh which came before a mumbled good morning as those same pools fluttered back closed.
He wasn’t sure when he last saw Tate this blissful. At such peace that it didn’t seem like there was anything else that existed outside of their little bubble. Ever since the death, or really a self sacrifice, of his father he’d grown more than even Gio expected. Starting to try meditation everyday, or at least everyday that Gio was around, and letting go of things slowly. Tate scooted forward, only bringing the two of them closer, and he knew what was wanted. Meeting each other halfway, they brought their lips together for a kiss good morning. It’d become a habit between them. Invading each other’s space happily when they got the chance to do so.
They parted with smiles and he watched as Tate sat up to stretch the rest of his sleep away. Following his movement with his eyes and silently thankful that most nights the man typically slept without a shirt on, he slowly explored the expanse of exposed skin before sitting up himself. Letting his eyes continue to rake over every inch of tattooed skin, that’s when he saw it. The pale scar that reminded him every single time he saw it that this man's heart had, at one point, stopped.
Like a slap across his face, it all hit him at once. When was the last time he’d witnessed Tate be at such utter peace? While he was lying in a hospital bed hooked up to machines that were helping keep him alive. After the open heart surgery to save his life from the bullets that almost killed him. He felt his own heart clench and his throat tighten as it began to burn. Memories came flooding back from that night. Hearing the gunshots and watching as Tate hit the ground. Gio knew that if Tate hadn’t traded places with him that he’d have taken the bullets. He was the intended target, after all. It would have absolutely ended Gio’s life. What would have happened if he died that night? Sentinel’s service would have been cut short. Millions would have died without his contribution to stopping the reactor. His parents would have been forced in front of even more millions, if they had survived, to explain and cover up and have to deal with it all on their own. But then, what if Tate had died instead of pulling through? He and Tana together had saved the majority of NEC in a single night. How would Penelope have handled losing a husband and a son? How would any of the Crawfords have moved forward without their sole provider and caretaker there any longer? He could almost hear Penelope’s voice ringing out in his head, blaming him for the death of her son.
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“Gio?” It most definitely wasn’t Penelope’s voice that pulled him from his thoughts. He blinked, feeling the warmth run down his cheeks from his eyes. Completely unaware of when the tears had welled up there, even more unaware of how long he’d been trapped inside his own head. From the look on Tate’s face, who was now kneeling on the bed while holding either side of Gio’s head, it had been long enough to strike concern. “What’s going on?” He hesitated a moment before settling on a different question that he wanted answered. “What’re you thinking about? Your mind doing its thing again?”
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It was astounding that he knew almost immediately. Probably from all their years spent together as best friends. They, at one point, could even finish each other’s sentences. Choosing to speak like that for weeks as kids, driving their parents and teachers mad. Even after so much had grown between them and changed, somehow Tate still knew Gio like the back of his hand. It felt like he’d know Gio even into their next lives. As if he could pick out even the smallest molecule of him among a sea of others. Did he know Tate just as well?
“I— uh, yeah.” He managed, at first. Reaching up and wiping away the few stray tears that continued to roll down his cheeks. His eyes wandered everywhere but the face of the man in front of him. The concerned gaze was intense, persistent, and almost demanded to be met — but he couldn’t. Or, more likely, wouldn’t. Too afraid he’d break down and embarrass himself even more. Unfortunately his eyes landed right back on the scar that’d caused all of this to begin with. “The night you… that you…” He took in a shaky breath, but it didn’t help much as his last words came out barely audible. “You almost died.”
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But Tate had heard him. His posture changed, straightening his back more and gently gripping the sides of Gio’s face harder. How many times had they been over this? Plenty, since it had happened. He was starting to get frustrated with himself, so he could only imagine how Tate felt. Constantly, especially since Isaiah got hurt and Myla disappeared. Every loss, every past injury anyone had endured, it all hit Gio harder after that. Losing the people he loved wasn’t something he believed he could handle. Not when he could hardly handle losing people he didn’t even know.
He had dropped his eyes down to his own lap, staring at his hands that pulled at the comforter which still covered his legs. Feeling the grip to his face go missing made him debate looking up, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. At least, not until he saw a tattooed hand reach for his own and pick it up. Following it as Tate brought it up, then rested Gio’s palm against the left side of his chest. He pressed his own hand against Gio’s, holding it in place. It was warm, but Tate was always slightly warm. That had to be from his powers, since he was practically like his own generator in a way. When he really focused he could feel the gentle thud.
"I'm not dead, Gio." Tate's tone was stern, but still soft. He was trying his hardest to be comforting. There was a patience there that Gio thought only Tate could exude. "I didn't die." This time he squeezed the large, tanned hand that rested against his chest. "I'm right here, with you. Exactly where I wanna be." Another tattooed hand reached out and cupped a jawline with sharp stubble already growing back. "This scar shouldn't be a reminder that I almost died, it should be one that I lived." His smile was small, but reassuring. It reached his eyes easily, eyes that looked right back into hazel ones with so much adoration. It still astounded him just how similar yet different Tate was after he finally began to let go of his hatred.
“So, let me be the one to tell that beautiful mind of yours to shut the fuck up… please.” He couldn’t help it, that line made him snort out a laugh. He tried to hide it, the grin that broke out on his face, but he failed. Especially when Tate snatched his hand away from his face and refused to let him cover the growing smile. “What?”
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“I don’t think that’s how that works, Tay.” Gio began to laugh even more when Tate made a face that silently said ‘really?’ “Don’t give me that look! You know telling my brain to shut the fuck up has literally never worked. In all of my years living with this very brain.”
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“Ah, you’re right. How silly of me.” Tate dropped the hand that was holding Gio’s against his chest, practically tackling the man off the bed as he jumped on him. “We must dissect it! Brain sucker, activated! Gimme that damn brain of yours so I can replace it!”
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The two of them actually did manage to roll off the bed and crash into the floor. Both laughed loudly as they continued to play-fight and wrestle, at least they did until the banging on the floor from Tate’s neighbor under them began. She was yelling something neither of them could fully understand, which only made them both laugh even louder. That’s just the way it had always been between them, at least until they both went their separate ways in school… but it had since begun happening again, them joking around the way they used to.
Tate laughed more than Gio had ever really seen him laugh. He smiled brighter, too. They both went about their usual morning routines together, clambering around each other as they both tried to use the tiny sink to brush their teeth. Tate went to make breakfast while he let Gio shower, then they sat beside each other and watched the streets below the apartment while they ate together. Gio did the dishes while Tate went to shower afterwards, but sometimes they would do them together. Before neither of them really thought they’d ever be in a domestic situation like this. Neither ever had the time, and they still really didn’t. One busy raising four kids on his own and the other with podcasts, interviews, donor dinners, and anything else his manager thought would look good for his public image. It was a miracle that they’d ever found any time for… whatever this was that they were doing.
Then, it hit Gio. What exactly was this? They’d never really had the time to even discuss it. Were they just going to spend the rest of their lives sneaking around to each other’s homes? Avoiding paparazzi because the famed Giovanni Capitani was always the next week’s hottest topic — everyone wanted to know if he was still single or seeing someone. The last thing Tate needed were cameras shoved in his face and articles being written on gossip forums about who exactly he was to Gio. Especially when he wasn’t so sure what exactly he was to Tate, even.
But that wasn’t fair, was it? No, not at all. It was clear neither of them were seeing other people, still. Neither of them were spending intimate time like this together with anyone else. That made them exclusive, just without the words being spoken. Gio knew that. If he didn’t know anything else, at least he knew that. But still… didn’t people that were together go out on dates? Outside of sitting on top of Tate’s rooftop, they hadn’t really had a single proper date. What kind of non-boyfriend was he to have never once even asked the man he was positively head over heels for out on a date?
There his mind was going, yet again. Overthinking, spiraling, and just absolutely refusing to shut up for even a moment. He had no idea why it was in overdrive lately. He’d even been able to drop down on his medication’s dosage when he quit football. His anxiety lessened whenever his stress did, but it’d been bad. It was strange, Tate was possibly the biggest part of his support system — and yet he’d spent more time overthinking everything when it came to him than he probably had anything else in his entire life. He was just so scared of messing everything up between them again. He would argue that he had much more to lose if they both parted this time, because now Tate was just so much more than a best friend.
When he felt the arms wrap around his waist he nearly dropped the plate he’d been holding for the past ten minutes. A face pressed between his shoulder blades, nuzzling there as a content sigh sounded from behind him. Something just completely possessed him as he felt the arms around him tighten, as if he were going to drift away without them there to keep him grounded.
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“We should go out on a date.”
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It was so abrupt that it even caught him off guard. He sat the plate down into the sink, turning around to face those honey-brown eyes this time. They blinked at him in slight confusion. Water droplets clung to the tips of dark hair, threatening to get a t-shirt that was two times too large wet. “Yeah, a date. Like, anywhere you want to go. I’ll need to go back to the penthouse to change, but I can pick you up in an hour or two or… whenever.”
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Still processing what was being said, obviously, but eventually a chin came to rest on his chest. Head tilted up, still watching him, he could feel the chuckle reverberate through the shorter body. “A date, huh? Wherever I want?” Gio could only nod in response, but the arms around him squeezed even tighter. “So, Paris?” That made him laugh, and yet Tate spoke again before he could say — totally. If that’s really where Tate wanted to go. “Let’s go to the arcade or something. It’s been years since we went there. We can get food somewhere… you pick.”
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“Hey, I’m the one that asked you on the date. You pick where we eat, too.” Gio huffed, glancing down at Tate. Though as soon as he saw that smug little smirk, he began to regret his words. He knew exactly what was coming.
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“Cool, then let’s come back here and I can eat you.”
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He felt all the blood rush to cheeks as he let out a loud groan. How exactly was he supposed to hit Tate with any comeback when all it took was the smallest amount of teasing and he got so embarrassed? Suddenly he was missing his false Capitani self. He almost couldn’t fake that same confidence anymore… almost. “Actually, the arcade is closer to my place. So I guess we can have dinner there—”
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“Great, so I get to fuck you with a view? Sounds like a plan to me.”
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Yep, that backfired. “Tate!”
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“Giovanni!” Tate retorted, snickering against Gio’s chest. “Not my fault you have one of the greatest views in all of New Elysium right beside your bed. Mr. Richman Fancypants.” Gio buried his face in his hands, groaning again.
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“I’ve ruined you. I’ve turned you into a sex fiend. I’ll never live it down, will I?” He glanced down at Tate between his fingers, seeing the devious smirk that said it all. No, he never would. There had been a time when having sex in a ninety-third floor penthouse wouldn’t have appealed to Tate just because the word ‘sex’ was involved. Things had really changed a lot.
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That’s how, exactly thirty minutes later, Gio was standing in front of his mirror inside his closet and trying to decide what exactly to wear. He felt like he’d been in this exact situation so many times that it wasn’t even comical any longer. His mother was on a business trip halfway around the world, styling some celebrity’s hair for a red carpet event in another country. His father was in Italy visiting family for the next few days. That left Gio alone — with approximately five chefs that alternated out, three cleaners, a doorman, nine security guards, and his manager that often just popped by without a word for a surprise visit. So, really, he wasn’t that alone. However, he was so keenly aware of how hopeless he was at dressing himself for certain events as he kept holding up different shirts and jackets together to his torso. He was beyond thankful when the last cleaner, an older woman named Liza, came through his room and offered her opinion on the matter.
Of course, she had to say that he just looked so handsome in anything. But then, once he made it clear that he was anxious, she helped him pick out his entire outfit and styled his hair differently. She squeezed his cheeks and talked about how he was such a sight for sore eyes, how happy she was to have watched him grow into the beautiful young man he was now. He realized that a lot of his family’s employees had raised him just as much as his parents had — in some cases even more than they had. As he left Liza, one of the chefs, and the doorman on duty watched like three happy parents seeing their own child off for prom. All wishing him well, and hoping his date went well.
It didn’t give him much time to overthink, thankfully. He waved at the guard at the gate to the underground parking lot, realizing that he was also someone that had been part of his life for so many years. Helping him sneak in and out so often, while being sure Gio got back home safely always. The entire time he spent driving he was thinking about that, about them. He pulled up to find Tate standing outside on the sidewalk, patiently waiting. His phone in his hand, probably about to text Gio. The way his face lit up when he realized it was one of Gio’s SUVs made it all worth it.
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Upon climbing into the large vehicle it was confirmed that he hadn’t been waiting that long. He’d just walked outside, in fact, and was about to send Gio a text to let him know he was out there. Even though the weather was nice enough to walk anywhere they needed to go, Gio just didn’t want to take a chance. The tinted windows of his SUV meant less chance of him getting spotted anywhere. There was, of course, the chance someone recognized him while they were out at the arcade, but he’d deal with that when it happened. All he was worried about at that moment was making sure they both had fun.
One of the first things that Tate noticed was how Gio’s hair was styled differently. His compliments about it made the taller man feel like he was a little kid again, swatting at Tate’s hands as he attempted to mess it up at a traffic light. Then he had to tease Gio for wearing a 'dressy shirt' out to an arcade. But truthfully, even Tate had dressed nicer than normal for the occasion. Normally he only saw the man in clothes way too big for him or his suit while he was out patrolling the city. It was nice, as clearly they were both excited about going out.
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“You know I’ve never been on a date before, right?” Tate’s words spurred Gio out of concentration while trying to find a decent parking spot. He practically slammed on the brakes, looking over at his friend with a look of disbelief. After being wrenched forward in his seat, only his seatbelt saving him from smacking his face on the dashboard, Tate began to laugh. “I’m serious!”
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Still not fully believing what he was hearing, Gio eventually parked properly and then just stared at Tate for a moment. “I keep forgetting that you’ve only ever dated two people before.” He let out a small laugh, shaking his head afterwards. “Oh, my god. I cannot mess this up. I should have taken you to a restaurant or something first. I-”
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Cut off by the other man leaning over and kissing him, Gio let out a sigh and leaned into it. Every little worry he was starting to have began to melt away. The doubts about this being a good idea, about it even being good enough, were squashed before they began to fully develop. “G, this is perfect.” The smile that curved those plump lips up said it all. Tate was truly and genuinely happy. “Let’s go win some shitty prizes that I can rub in Tana’s face. Yanno she got banned from here, right? She punched a hole through one of the machines.”
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“Why does that absolutely not surprise me at all?” Gio chuckled, unbuckling his seatbelt and stepping out of the large vehicle. “These games really aren’t that hard once you understand all of their tricks.”
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“We’re talking about Tana, dude. The girl that chucked her phone off the roof because it froze rather than just restart it? Yeah, technology isn’t something either of us really understand.” Tate laughed loudly, shoving his hands inside his pockets as he stepped up on the sidewalk beside Gio. “Not like you, at least.”
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The way he said that last line was filled with so much admiration. Glancing over at the shorter man revealed that he was absolutely beaming while looking up at Gio. It left the other nearly stumbling over his own two feet, caught completely off guard by the look. Well, now he definitely had to win at least every single game inside the arcade once. Even if he had to completely dismantle the machines and put them back together to do it — now he had something that he needed to prove.
Lately he’d found himself wanting to impress Tate every chance he got. In any way he could, for that matter. Plus, this was Tate’s first date. The first one he’d ever been on, and the first one they’d ever experienced together. That meant he had to make it memorable. So, he held the door and paid for their tickets. Loaded the arcade’s currency onto their little cards and took Tate around to every single machine that was open. He even analyzed one of the claw machines closely, calculating the exact position he needed to have the claw in to win anything.
They wound up having to carry around thirteen stuffed animals, most of which they gave away to some of the kids running around inside. Though the real hilarious part was the thousands of tickets they won. An unstoppable pair as they bounced around to every machine they could, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. A manager came out when they both scanned their cards to count how many tickets they had won, telling them they could only pick a single large prize and then needed to leave immediately. Angry that they’d gotten enough to claim half of the most expensive prizes as their own, but not bold enough to accuse them of something like cheating.
Tate, of course, picked out one of the super huge stuffed animals. A very large, very fat cat. Calico colored with a bow tied around its neck. Just a giant ball with little nubs for legs. It could be used as an oversized bean bag, which only made it heavier. It took three people just to get the thing down and they handed it over to Tate, who heaved it up as if it weighed nothing with a single arm. That act alone probably terrified the manager enough to stop him from trying to say they’d cheated. Somehow they managed to not get banned for life, which was almost as impressive of a feat as watching Tate shove the massive prize he’d won into the back of the SUV. It took up most of the trunk, but once it was in and they slammed the back shut they completely pushed it out of their minds.
After the arcade they went to go get food — which could have been from absolutely anywhere. Tate could have picked the most expensive restaurant in New Elysium and Gio would have taken him there, but instead he chose Chinese drive-thru takeout. He wasn’t going to argue, so he took them to the drive-thru and then drove back to his penthouse. At first he assumed that Tate was going to take the huge stuffed cat home, but then he ran around to the back of the SUV and yanked the thing out. The look on the doorman’s face as he let both of them into the Capitani’s personal elevator left them both in hysterics on the ride up.
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Rather than eat in the kitchen or dining room, the pair made their way back into Gio’s bedroom. Tate got to plop down the large cat in a corner, collapsing onto the thing afterwards. He waited patiently for Gio to find his own seat, a computer chair that he rolled over, and then they both began divvying up the food. It didn’t normally take either of them very long to eat, ever, but this time they spent most of their time just talking.
Gio truthfully had no idea when exactly, amid their conversation, that they’d discarded the food cartons off to the side and moved to his bed. Just kissing to begin with. Tate was sitting on Gio’s lap and facing him. That was one of their usual positions, it seemed. He’d gotten far more confident with his hands, knowing the places to put them to get the reactions he wanted out of Tate. A throaty groan, a quiet gasp, or a full out moan — all of which he ate up and swallowed whole. Anticipating the hand that snaked down between his legs, but when he opened his eyes he noticed brows furrowed.
It was an expression of clear concern. That’s what caused the dark and straight brows to furrow. When the kiss broke and Tate pulled back, he scanned over Gio’s face for a moment. Face flushed, lips swollen, and half lidded eyes full of lust. But something wasn’t quite right. He glanced down at his own lap, letting out an annoyed grunt as he realized exactly what it was. Everything had been fine, he thought. He’d shoved all his little insecurities back behind everything, covering them up long enough to thoroughly enjoy what was going on — and yet he wasn’t even partially erect. His hands immediately left Tate and covered his face, hiding how frustrated and ashamed he was.
Terrified that he was about to be accused of the same things he had been in the past. That, maybe, he wasn’t really that into it. That, maybe, he just didn’t find Tate that attractive after all. That if he wasn’t in the mindset to do this then he should have just spoken up, because clearly his penis was speaking loudly enough for him. Except he had been enjoying it. He did find Tate attractive, beyond measure in fact. He’d been excited to end such a good night together filled with pleasure, hoping to make the entire evening thoroughly memorable for both of them. And there he sat, with the most beautiful man he’d ever met who was completely into him and wanted him — but he couldn’t even get hard. This was the first time he’d struggled with this when it came to Tate. All the other times they’d done anything together this hadn’t been an issue.
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“I’m so sorry, Tay. This is so embarrassing. I promise, it’s not you. It’s entirely me and not you at all. I want to do it, I just-.. I–” and then he began rambling. All of the words spilling out of him as he felt the weight in his lap disappear. Tate had stood up, leaving his lap entirely empty and his brain kicking into overdrive.
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“Giovanni,” Tate started, cutting him off. “It’s okay. I’m not upset.” He felt hands clasp his wrists, pulling his hands away from his face. “Hey, I mean it.” Then he was practically forced to look up at those golden honey eyes. Nothing ever really escaped them. So observant, always. “Let’s talk about it.”
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He wasn’t entirely sure where to start. But, he decided to just let himself blurt out the first thing he could think of. “I feel like I’m messing up tonight.” Well, alright… That wasn’t exactly what he’d expected himself to say, and yet here they were. He’d said it. He watched as Tate’s expression softened and then he had to glance away. Unable to keep holding eye contact with someone who was always so intense.
A hand reached out and gently cupped his jaw. A thumb stroked his cheek, rubbing at the stubble that he’d still not gotten a chance to shave. He chanced it, looking back up at Tate. It got him a small smile in return as that thumb slowly reached his lips and rubbed over them.
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“Every moment I get to spend with you is one I adore, G.” Tate held a finger up to his lips when he started to speak, clicking his tongue disapprovingly. “And today was amazing. Just because you’re not hard when I am doesn’t mean tonight is ruined.” The quiet chuckle made him smile slightly. “You took me out on an amazing date, my first date ever, and now you’re worried about this?” He watched in awe as Tate dropped to his knees, settling in between Gio’s legs and resting his head against one of his inner thighs. “Let me take care of you now, big guy. No stressing about it. We go at whatever pace we need to.”
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Truly, in his wildest dreams, did this only happen. In fact, he wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t accidentally fallen asleep after dinner at this point. Watching as Tate nuzzled his face against his thigh, smiling up at him as he waited for proper consent before continuing. He knew that he’d probably never loved another person as much as he loved Tate. He reached out and tangled his fingers in those soft, straight strands. Normally Tate commanded that he be vocal, to actually use his words. It was his own way of making Gio more confident in his own voice. This time, however, he let a simple nod slide.
Hands replaced his face, roughly rubbing up thighs and groping at sensitive skin through trousers. He couldn’t look away as Tate leaned forward and rested his cheek right against his crotch, looking right up at Gio through thick lashes. “God, you’re so beautiful.” That comment rewarded him with a bright smile. Eventually, a face was once again replaced with a hand. He carefully palmed at Gio in hopes to get the reaction he wanted. Focusing on that feeling, on the way those beautiful eyes continued to watch him closely, and finally he was starting to get hard. He could tell by the clear excitement as Tate’s hands pounced onto his belt buckle that he’d felt it, too.
Overly eager, he didn’t even ask for the pants to come off. He quickly pulled him free from his boxers, only partially hard but at least it was something, and wrapped his hand around what he could to pump it. That was apparently very effective, as it twitched and began to grow even more. Tate looked up at the bigger man as he heard a moan escape him, grinning to himself.
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“See? There’s nothing wrong with you. Sometimes you just take a lil extra work, and that’s fine.” He didn’t even give Gio a chance to reply to him after that, leaning forward and licking from base to tip in one long stripe. Any words he was going to say were completely caught in his throat and dissipated from his mind, only focused on the warmth he felt as Tate carefully wrapped his lips around the head and gave a few testing bobs.
This was another first for Tate. He’d never given anyone a blowjob before, nor had he ever received one. That inexperience was nothing to hold him back, but it was clear in his movements that he wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing. Gio held his hair back, pushing it behind his ears and trying not to laugh at the look of pure concentration on Tate’s face.
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“You’re doing great,” Gio encouraged as he tried his own hand at praise. “It’s okay if your teeth scrape me a bit, I don’t mind. Just try not to do it too roughly.” He stroked Tate’s cheek, breathing in deeply through his nose as Tate looked right up at him. “You don’t have to force yourself, either. Only go as far as you’re comfortable with.” That was like a challenge that he hadn’t meant for it to be. Suddenly Tate pushed down, swallowing half of him in one swift motion. His eyes squeezed closed, but he pulled back shortly afterwards and coughed to clear his throat. “Okay,” Gio breathed out loudly, chuckling. “If you do much more of that, I won’t last very long.”
With a raised brow, Tate wiped his mouth and then went right back in. Pushing himself even farther down, but this time he pulled up before going back down again. Unable to fit all of Gio into his mouth, he wrapped a hand around the base to compensate and began to stroke and twist in sync with his mouth and tongue. It was the best he’d ever felt because it was Tate doing it. His hands gripped hair, balling up and not paying attention to if he was accidentally tugging strands too roughly. His heart skipped a beat as it fully sunk in that this feeling was Tate’s mouth. It wasn’t anyone else on their knees for him, it was the man that he most definitely was in love with. Even moaning his name felt right.
“Hey, T, I’m… I’m close.” He warned. Expecting Tate to pull away and finish him off just by stroking. However, he was shocked as the man simply glanced up at him and then picked up his pace. If Tate was determined to do something then there was no stopping him, so Gio simply tilted his head back and let go.
His orgasm was intense, but as soon as he looked back down at Tate and watched him licking his own hand off he couldn’t help but collapse backwards onto the bed. “Holy shit, Tate.” He gasped out, managing to slip himself back into his boxers and pants just as Tate crawled on top of him and also collapsed. “That was… so hot.”
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“What was? All of it?” Tate asked, resting his head against Gio’s chest.
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“Well, yeah- but, you just… licking your hand, I mean.” He was clearly embarrassed. That didn’t mean that Tate was going to miss out on his chance to tease him.
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“How else was I supposed to clean myself up? Go wash off? And waste a single drop?” As soon as Gio let out a groan and reached up to cover his face, Tate chuckled victoriously. “Don’t think tonight’s over yet, big guy. Once we recharge it’s my turn to get off.”
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Gio scoffed, but there was a wide smile hiding under his hand. “Yes, sir.”
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Though the young couple have decided that they are both just that, a couple, neither of them have still spoken the confirmation aloud. This is something that, in Tate’s absence, Giovanni will continue to think about until the man returns. Will he ever actually ask the other man if they are in a relationship? Or will their assumptions bring the downfall of what is just beginning to really blossom into something bright and beautiful?
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