return_to_nola | Samuel--Home

The front door rattled when Oliver kicked it shut behind him. Belatedly, he remembered that this particular pair of shoes loved leaving prints on the plain white paint, but oh well, what's done is done, and his hands were full.

"Hey, Sam," he called into the apartment at large. Oliver assumed Samuel was home because he was emailed a detailed spreadsheet listing Sam's upcoming work schedule on the first of every month. Also, his bedroom light was on. "A new coffee place just opened down the street and they're giving out free coffee."

Carefully, he started setting down the six huge lattes he'd poached from the frazzled barista who'd been distracted by trying to create legible foam art. The lid on one was loose, sending a splash of coffee on the counter, but even still, Oliver put his hands on his hips and looked down on his bounty like a proud father.

Six! This might be enough to get him through the overnight shift at the tattoo parlor.

But then, with a pang of conscience, he called out, "I guess you can have one of mine."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

nola_quicksilver

"Because why would I give something so much care if I don't own it? I mean, I own my body." Why couldn't Samuel follow simple logic?

From:

nola_cyclops

Okay, this was a poor analogy. “I don’t care about your body!” Sam said snappishly, frayed by his own impatience.

From:

nola_quicksilver

"I don't know, you seem really interested in its upkeep."

From:

nola_cyclops

Oliver was the worst. "It was an analogy for -- you can keep it however you want, but that's not going to make this a nicer apartment to live in."

From:

nola_quicksilver

"It might if I walked around naked more often." Oliver widened his eyes for effect. "Is that what you want?"

From:

nola_cyclops

"I'm trying to talk to you about cho-- why would that be what I want?" Sam wanted no smudges on the paint and no spills on the counter! That wasn't even nudity-adjacent!

From:

nola_quicksilver

"You're the one who keeps bringing up how incredibly attractive I am, so it's an easy leap." Oliver moved to pull his shirt over his head. "I mean, if it'll make you happy—"

In other words, please, please let this be enough for him to go back in his room and get off my back.

From:

nola_cyclops

"I never called you attractive--" No, Sam had definitely never called Oliver attractive. Not once. And he could not believe Oliver right now, who was so desperate to avoid taking some accountability for the state of their home that he was taking his shirt off! Obviously trying to get some kind of reaction from Sam! It was just pathetic, really. He rolled his eyes, but once they had finished their revolution, they landed squarely on Oliver's bare chest.

Huh.

"So you do know what a clean surface looks like," Sam retorted, but he knew it was a weak retort. He wasn't going to even get to show Oliver his chore wheel tonight, was he?

From:

nola_quicksilver

"You definitely said something about how hot and perfect I look all the time. I remember it like it was five minutes ago."

While Oliver wasn't heavily tattooed, favoring quality over quantity, he was used to people taking a good look at the ink he did have hiding under his clothes—bright, dynamic, and highly illustrative pieces with lots of splashes of blue and green—that he didn't give a second thought to Sam staring a little.

"And yes, I do know what a clean surface look like. The entire counter is one, except for that one tiny coffee splash."

From:

nola_cyclops

"Do you know how annoying you are?" Sam could feel himself losing this argument and he was furious at himself for it. And okay, sure, whatever, Oliver was objectively perfect looking. But that had nothing to do with the way he completely ignored spills and stains and correct places for various household objects. His attractive lines and surprisingly -- emotional? -- ink was not relevant to this conversation or to Sam's life. Okay? Okay.

From:

nola_quicksilver

Oliver smiled sweetly and picked up a latte, taking a sip before he answered, "Yeah, my mom tells me that all the time."

From:

nola_cyclops

"My condolences to your entire family." Sam reached up with one hand to rub at one of his temples -- a headache was coming.

From:

nola_quicksilver

"Headache? Caffeine helps." Oliver offered him a latte. The one he'd been drinking from.

From:

nola_cyclops

Sam made a face, but he did reach for a latte -- just not the one Oliver was offering. He leaned against the counter and took a long sip, closing his eyes, just for a second. He would get back to the chores in a minute. Less than a minute. Behind his closed eyes, he saw splashes of inked-on color.

From:

nola_quicksilver

"Yeah, my mom used to make that face all the time too." Oliver slung a comforting arm around Sam's shoulders and squeezed him a little. "You'll learn to like me, like she did."

From:

nola_cyclops

"I doubt it." It was fairly obvious that Sam and Oliver were a complete personality mismatch; Sam had never seen Oliver create a spreadsheet even once. After his response though, Sam paused -- he hadn't expected Oliver to even suggest that they might like each other at some point. He glanced at Oliver, still ridiculously half-dressed, almost apologetic for being so dismissive.

From:

nola_quicksilver

"Okay, you'll just keep me around for my body. That works too," Oliver said, cheerful now that it looked like Sam wasn't going to throw a mop at him or something. "And for the apartment—the lease is in my name."

From:

nola_cyclops

"Oh my god are you just trying to get me to admit that your body is good? Your body is great! Congratulations!" Sam pulled away, gesturing a little too grandly with his latte hand. And yet -- and yet, Oliver!! -- he didn't spill a drop. "It might be in your name but I'm house proud, and that's not going to change."

From:

nola_quicksilver

"God, what's your problem? I thought we were bonding!" Oliver yelled back. His hand strayed to his belt buckle. "What, do I need to take my pants off too?"

From:

nola_cyclops

"No one needs to take anything off!" Sam tried his best to not shout but he was kind of staring at Oliver's hands on his belt. "Is that how you want to bond?!" Honestly, Sam didn't know what he wanted the answer to be or what to do with this entire situation or why he had even asked.

From:

nola_quicksilver

"Without clothes on?" Oliver yelled back. "Sure, okay!"

Wait, what?

From:

nola_cyclops

Wait, what? "Are you propositioning me?"

That was a counter-productive move if you wanted someone to be less annoyed about incidental mess!!

From:

nola_quicksilver

"I don't know, maybe?" This was probably one of those Oliver, think before you act things, but he was kind of intrigued by where this was going. "Take your shirt off and I'll give you a definite answer."

From:

nola_cyclops

That maybe was a very real answer and Sam didn't know what to do with it. "Are you serious? I'm not taking my shirt off," he said automatically, but he did put down his latte and run his hand through his hair in a way that to Sam had, completely unconsciously, always felt indulgent.

From:

nola_quicksilver

"Well, then how can I tell you for sure?" Oliver said impatiently. Nice chests were important for this kind of thing, obviously! He waved a hand and added, "And yes, I've seen your gorgeous thick hair, it's very nice. You don't have to pose for me, temptress."