New Rules

Chapter Six

"Sooo," Elijah drew the word out to epic proportions as he licked a wet trail from Orli’s chin to his ear. "You don’t think I’m a complete girl then?"

"What?" Orli was rather preoccupied

"You don’t think I’m a girl or a plonker?"

"You are a lot of things," Orli sighed into the touch, arching his back just a little, not wanting to tip Elijah off his lap. "But a girl isn’t one of them." No point asking what Elijah was talking about, best to just go with the flow.

"You sure?" Elijah tightened his legs round the back of the kitchen chair and his arms round Orli’s shoulders, plastering as much of his naked flesh against Orli’s as he could. "I mean I wouldn’t want to put you off." He bit, sharp and hard, at Orli’s collar bone, not bothering to soothe it before adding three more bites along the angled edge.

"You’re not a girl," Orli’s head fell back, his breathing more laboured. "Believe me I wouldn’t be having this reaction if you were."

Suddenly Elijah’s head shot up. "Have you ever done it with a girl?"

"Huh?" Orli pushed his hips up, rubbing them forcefully against the underside of Elijah’s legs where he sat astride him. If he just tipped Elijah back a little more he might be able to get his cock to rub against… but no. That would mean pulling chest away from chest and, more importantly, lips away from lips.

"Sex," Elijah pulled Orli’s head carefully back up so he could look him in the eye. You had to be careful; sex on a chair was never easy at the best of times and he really didn’t want to fall off. "You ever had it with a girl? You know, those things with breasts and skirts."

"Don’t talk about them now, it’s putting me off."

"Nothing puts you off," Elijah laughed, hitching himself up and over the hard, hard crest of Orli’s cock, eliciting a most pleasing groan. He did it again to show his approval. "Come on, tell me. Ever done it with a girly?"

"I tried a couple of times, back in school when I wanted to be like everyone else," Orli knew it was pointless to argue. Elijah would just go on and on till he got the information he wanted.

"What happened?"

"It was all a bit too soft and wet for my liking."

Elijah’s laugh was high and uninhibited, just how Orli liked to hear it. "You were too soft or she was?" Elijah screwed his hips down again, this time as a reward.

"Both."

Elijah thought about this for a minute as he found an interesting rhythm with his hips and a warm spot to lick. It didn’t last anywhere near long enough for Orli’s liking before Elijah was talking again. "So, did you manage it? Did you actually follow through and fuck her?"

"Yeah, just about," Orli slid his hands round onto the curve just below Elijah’s waist, fingers splayed out wide gripping the supple flesh, holding on tight, desperate to encourage the movement. "But let’s say it wasn’t a great success and no one wanted a repeat performance."

"What happened?"

"Happened?" Orli tried hard to follow the conversation, but it was really hard when Elijah’s hands were kneading at his arse and his tongue was licking around his ear. "Nothing happened. We avoided each other in embarrassed silence for a while and I went back to fantasising about the rugby changing rooms."

Elijah stilled completely. "Rugby players? Is that your type then, all big and manly with muscles?"

"I must admit I wouldn’t say no to the odd muscle."

"I don’t have any muscles," Elijah’s voice was soft and serious and Orli realised what had happened as soon as he heard it.

"Elijah you have all the muscles I need," Orli’s hand curled around Elijah’s cock. "And in all the right places."

"But…"

"No, no buts," Orli quickly squeezed Elijah’s biceps and then his thigh muscles. "You’re not exactly a wimp and even if you were, so what? I want you; you have to get that through your thick head."

"Sure?" But Elijah looked confident.

"Yeah and we’ve been together long enough for you to believe in me. You should be convinced about it by now because I can’t watch everything I say."

"I don’t want you to."

"Good ‘cos I don’t freak out every time you ogle that girl at the bus stop."

"I do not!" Elijah sat bolt upright, squashing Orli’s cock unexpectedly, but in such a nice way.

"Well maybe not ogle, but you certainly look and anyway, I have more to worry about since I haven’t got breasts or a skirt."

"Oh for Christ sake, don’t be daft, there’s nothing for you to be bothered about," Elijah dismissed his concerns.

Orli pulled Elijah more firmly onto his lap, Elijah’s legs automatically tightening around the chair and Orli. "That’s the whole point. Even if you look -- shut up, you do -- I know you’re mine and you should know it works both ways."

"You’re mine," Elijah smiled as he thought about this and rubbed at Orli’s nipple. "I kinda like that."

"Good," Orli ran his fingers tantalisingly around Elijah’s groin. "Can we get back to the sex now?"

"I should think so," Elijah hunched over, licking from one nipple to the other where he bit, just hard enough. "Just as long as you don’t think I’m a girl."

"Why the fuck should I think you’re a girl?"

"’Cos,"

"’Cos what?" The last word came out as a wobble as Orli arched up to Elijah’s biting teeth.

"Well it is a bit girly, isn’t it?" Elijah started up a tempting rhythm over Orli’s cock as he licked up his neck. "Sending you all those little drawings. You must have loads by now."

"Hey," Orli reluctantly let go of Elijah’s backside and caught hold of his head. "Don’t you dare denigrate those drawings, I love ‘em."

"Really? You don’t think I’m a complete plonker for sending them to you at work?"

"Nah, I think they’re gorgeous," Orli pressed his lips gently to Elijah’s, slowly licking around the edge of sharp teeth before pushing his tongue into the deep, warm and now wonderfully familiar mouth. He rubbed the tips of their noses together and smiled. "But I do think you’re an arse for worrying about it."

"Thought you liked my arse?" Elijah smiled, grinding the body part in question down in ever decreasing circles.

"I do," Orli cupped the back of Elijah’s head with one hand as the other trailed down the knobbles of his spine. "I like your mouth as well." Tipping his chin forward a millimetre he caught Elijah’s lip between his teeth before angling his head so they could fit together in perfect synchronization.

Kissing Elijah such a perfect, perfect pleasure.

Kissing Orli, so much better than Elijah could have ever imagined.

Elijah slid forward pressing his chest against Orli’s, squeezing out any gaps until there wasn’t a breath between them. He wrapped his arms around the back of Orli’s neck and hitched his legs up until every possible inch of his skin was in contact and he had his man trapped.

"Are you sure, about the pictures? I mean I do feel a bit of a idiot for sending them."

"’Lijah I love them," Orli let his hands float up and down Elijah’s spine. "I like looking up from some bit of boring paper work and seeing them pinned up on my notice board. They remind me of you, of us. It’s good."

"I’m glad," Elijah ran his open mouth across the skin on Orli’s cheek and bit gently at his ear lobe. "I’d hate you to think I was too girly or a plonker."

"You’re not too girly or a plonker," Orli kissed, tiny butterfly kisses, up the length of Elijah’s neck, over his Adam’s apple and back to his lips. "You’re... oh fuck it, I wasn’t gonna say it but you’re… all right."

"Say it again," Elijah whispered.

"What? You’re all right."

"Nah, you know. Go on, say it just one more time."

When Orli looked up Elijah’s eyes were closed, his face angled into Orli’s. Orli knew exactly what he wanted to hear. "I love you," he said softly and was repaid with a tiny sigh.

He tangled his fingers deep into Elijah’s hair and tilted his head till he could look into his face. "Hey, look at me." Reluctantly Elijah opened his eyes. "I’ll say it as many times as you want to hear it, till you get sick to death of it."

"Never happen," Elijah smiled. "And I love you too."

"I know," Orli smiled back. "And now we really do sound girly, just don’t..."

"Just don’t say it down the pub in front of your mates?"

"Maybe not too loud," Orli laughed and then pushed up for a kiss, sliding his tongue along Elijah’s, pulling him in an impossible fraction closer. "But really, you can shout it from the roof tops if you want and make the whole world jealous."

Elijah smiled and tightened his thighs and began to rub himself in earnest, up and over, grinding round and down in perfect little circles that followed the rhythm of their tongues. Orli’s breath hitched but then he suddenly caught Elijah’s hips, stilling him and easing him back a little.

"What?" Elijah tried to push forward again.

"Hold still, let me…" Orli wriggled his hand in between their bodies, catching Elijah’s cock in a grip that already contained his own.

"Oh," Elijah stuttered.

"Better?" Orli licked across Elijah’s lips.

"It’ll do," Elijah rested his elbows more securely on Orli’s shoulders and pushed into the hold. He felt the pink stain of pleasure grow on his chest as he slid repeatedly against Orli. The feel of their two cocks together was something that he would never get used to and never, ever tire of.

Elijah could feel the pulse in the small of his back, a fireball of white sparks, but then the firm grasp was suddenly gone. Before he had a chance to moan Orli was spitting into his hand.

Oh even better! Slip sliding friction that was tight and wet and… just this side of heaven.

Orli squeezed his fingers round his too big handful, his grip slithering just a little in the wetness, and he pulled at the tip of Elijah’s cock, squashing it into his own. Elijah caught his breath, sat up a fraction, and came all over them.

Orli wasn’t far behind. The feel of Elijah’s warm stickiness running over and into the slit on the head of his cock was too much to be ignored.

He heaved out a huge breath, twisted underneath Elijah, buried his face against any skin he could and came; slow, hard and equally sticky. A glow of red hot heat that warmed inside and out. A minute later he’s caught his breath enough to laugh. "God we’re a mess."

"A nice mess," Elijah said, still twitching. "Our mess," he peeled himself backwards looking at the cooling puddle. "Not so girly now, are we?"

"Nah, we’re just about…. Right."

+

Orli had said he needed to practice his dealing-with-people-without-fucking-them skills and by Christ Elijah was doing his best. So maybe, just maybe, the idea of getting the new couple, Rose and Stuart, round for something to eat wasn’t a bad one after all.

Not that he’d want to fuck Stuart, although, when Elijah thought about it, he had to admit he’d had worse. A lot worse. Mr Baldy man turned out to be all right, if about three sizes bigger than the clothes he squeezed into. And it wasn’t exactly Elijah’s fault if the guy sat staring at him; that’s what a girl had to expect if she met her date at a straight/gay club.

No Stuart was okay, apart from his annoying donkey impersonation of a laugh and his habit of constantly talking about old sci-fi programmes. He made Rose smile and that was what mattered. Plus he was good practice.

Elijah had been very dubious when Orli first suggested it, but an hour soaking in the bath and thinking had left him feeling differently. At some point he was going to have to face the world again with his new set of rules, the start of the university year wasn’t that far away now. Here, in the safety of the steam filled bathroom, Elijah could admit to himself that it scared him shitless.

His temp job hadn’t really helped. After the five minute interview with a chain-smoking Turkish guy who was on the phone half the time, he hadn’t really seen anyone else except the old Jamaican woman who showed him what to do. There was never anyone in any of the offices he cleaned early in the morning and Claudette just patted him on the head when she passed slowly by. Claudette did everything slowly, she moved like a great galleon in full sail and laden down with cargo, very slowly.

University was something altogether different. It was a breeze when you fucked your way to popularity with staff and students alike. But the thought of meeting all those new faces, who knew each other already, that was a different kettle of fish and one he wasn’t sure he was ready for.

Rose and Mr Baldy man would be good practice, he could handle them. That’s why it had seemed like such a good idea at the time to suggest he cooked. Orli had raised a disbelieving eyebrow but said whatever Elijah wanted was good by him.

Orli was also sensible enough to keep his mouth shut and trot off quietly to fetch a Chinese when Elijah had thrown the marinaded chicken thing in the bin, and declared all cookbook writers to be wankers. Homemade starters and pudding with a takeaway for main course wasn’t that odd really.

And it hadn’t gone too badly, all things considered, Elijah thought. He’d dragged the table and chairs into the living room not because he wanted anyone to think he was doing the whole middle class Homes and Gardens dinner party thing. No, it was a purely practical way of hiding the mess in the kitchen.

Rose had, as always, been easy to talk to and her drooling at little less obvious as she glowed quietly under Stuart’s gaze. Unusually for her she had worn a low cut top and her more than ample bosom was only just contained inside it. It wasn’t only Stuart’s eyes that had popped out on stalks when she laughed excitedly after a couple of glasses of cheap red wine, both Orli and Elijah had felt their mouths drop open and their eyes boggle.

Stuart was easy going as well. He also wasn’t stupid. He looked at both Orli and Elijah with longing but with sure realisation that they were both completely out of his league, even if he hadn’t been on the straight side of bi. Then he turned and looked at Rose and a sort of contentment with his lot came over his face. Rose recognised it and squeezed his hand as she reached for more wine.

The only fly in the ointment had been Orli who had been… Elijah searched for the right word to describe it. Stroppy. Orli had been stroppy right from the start of the evening, hardly joining in the conversation, moaning about stuff and staring into space. Yeah, that was the right word, Orli had been stroppy since… Awareness slowly registered with Elijah; the niggling that had been at the back of his subconscious mind, twitched and grew until he finally faced it. Something had been wrong with Orli for a while.

Not a major something, more an air around him that was different, that was… Elijah couldn’t pin it down, but it was there and it unnerved him and made his skin itch. Orli’s mood seemed heavier, darker and Elijah didn’t understand why.

A couple of times Elijah had found Orli sitting completely still, his face blank, staring off into nothing. After the first few times, when Elijah had practically jumped on Orli trying to make him laugh, he had stood and watched from the doorway, feeling like an intruder.

He felt like one now as he sat, twisting his wine glass round and round between his fingers, and watched Orli stare unseeingly at a patch of wall opposite. But Elijah didn’t like the feeling and he also didn’t like feeling helpless. He needed to do something.

"Hey," he said softly. "You okay?" He reached out and stroked across Orli’s wrist when the other man didn’t appear to hear him.

Elijah pulled back sharply as though he’d been burnt when Orli actually flinched under his touch. "Jesus, sorry," he could hear the sarcasm in his own voice and that really wasn’t what he meant.

Orli looked at him, his eyes unreadable, and Elijah got a little scared.

"I didn’t mean anything, only you looked a bit lost. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why shouldn’t I be?" Orli’s eyes flicked over to where Rose and Stuart were giggling, low and breathy, their heads close together. "We have such amazingly stimulating company."

"Don’t have a go at them, I think they’re kinda cute," Elijah couldn’t help but smile.

"Cute? I suppose so. If you think fat and stupid is cute."

"Orlando, that isn’t fair," Elijah said shocked.

Orli pushed his chair back, the legs scraping nosily across the floor. "Since when has life been fair? You of all people should know that," and he stalked out of the room.

It was all quiet for a moment, then the bathroom door banged closed and Elijah felt two sets of eyes turn on him. "I…" he got up as well, pinking under the pressure. "I’ll make coffee or something…" he escaped to the safety of the kitchen.

After flicking the switch on the kettle Elijah searched among the mess for a couple of clean mugs. He got the milk out and stood it next to them ready, and then just stopped. What the fuck had just happened? What had he done wrong?

This was one time he couldn’t afford to cock it up.

"I’ll have two sugars in my coffee," Rose said softly as she moved up next to Elijah and took the teaspoon from his hand. "Sod the diet."

"Yeah, sure," Elijah shook himself and turned to root in a cupboard for the sugar pot. When he turned back Rose had finished making the coffee and she handed him a mug and smiled. For a moment they drank in silence, the near scalding liquid pooling in his belly.

He looked up and Rose’s eyes were on him, warm and compassionate. "Don’t worry about Orli," she said. "The best thing you can do when he’s like this is to just ignore him."

Elijah stared back, his eyes hooded as he chewed at his bottom lip. It felt disloyal to be talking about Orli to someone else, anyway he didn’t want to do it. Orli was his, he wasn’t about to share.

"Honestly, it’ll pass," Rose said. "He’s only getting worked up because of Friday, after that he’ll be fine again."

A ball of anger had suddenly formed in Elijah’s belly and he clamped his mouth shut tight to stop it spewing out. How dare she know things about Orli that… He turned his back on Rose, tipping the rest of his coffee down the sink.

He knew she was a friend of Orli’s, knew that she had been for years before he’d come along, but how dare she know things that he didn’t. Stupid and irrational, but how dare she.

And hell would freeze over before he’d ask her.

"Elijah?" Rose touched his shoulder lightly. "It’ll be okay, he’ll get back to normal really quickly. Don’t worry."

Elijah pushed away from her hand, moving to collect up dirty plates for the dishwasher. "I’m not worried."

"But…"

"I don’t have anything to be worried about," Elijah interrupted emphatically, his face sealed shut.

Rose shrugged. "Fine, if you don’t want to talk to me I won’t stick my nose in," she picked up her bag from the corner. "Thank you for a lovely evening, Stuart and I have really enjoyed ourselves."

She moved off down the hall, standing in the doorway to the living room while she chivvied Stuart along. Then pushing him ahead, she walked towards the front door of the flat. As she passed the bathroom door she banged on it loudly. "We’re going Orli," She shouted through the wood. "Thanks for inviting us and I’ll see you at work."

Just as Elijah was going to shut the door behind them, Rose stopped and turned back. "Thanks for tonight, I had a great time and you went to so much effort. It made me feel like I was part of a real couple for the first time." She smiled almost shyly and then suddenly bobbed forward to kiss Elijah on the cheek. "If you ever need me, I can be your friend as well."

She was gone before Elijah even had a chance to think what to say.

+

Elijah went back to the kitchen and started to clear up. How had he managed to make so much mess? He stopped when he heard the bathroom door open, but Orli’s footsteps went straight to the to bedroom.

Ten minutes later the place wasn’t much clearer and he’d had enough. Pausing to turn off the lights in the living room, he headed to bed.

Orli was sitting up against the headboard, the room in semi-darkness, Elijah’s side of the duvet turned down invitingly.

"’Lijah I," "Orli what…" They both started and stopped talking at the same time, and Elijah felt the tension in his face ease in response to Orli’s smile.

"Let me go first?" Orli smiled again. "I’m sorry I was such a twat. I didn’t mean to spoil things after you’d worked so hard. Forgive me?"

Elijah hesitated for a moment, there were so many things he wanted to know.

"Please?" Orli gave his best pout, his head ducking so he could look up through his eyelashes as he patted the bed next to him. "Get in, you look like a frozen chicken standing there," the pout gave way to a laugh.

Elijah dropped his jeans, kicked off his socks and trainers, and climbed in. Automatically Orli pulled him close, his hand sneaking under the worn cotton of Elijah’s t shirt.

"You gonna take this off? I want to feel your skin," Orli started to push the material up, but Elijah’s hand gently stopped him.

"Are you all right?" It was no good, Elijah had to ask. "You haven’t been right for a while, what’s the matter…"

Orli cut him off with a kiss; soft warm lips pushing his apart and Elijah couldn’t stop his eyes closing. Orli’s tongue danced along the edge of his teeth and without thinking Elijah pushed up, wanting it to go deeper.

Orli pulled back just a fraction, kissing the tip of Elijah’s nose and his cheeks until Elijah opened his eyes again.

"I’m a twat and an idiot and a wanker and I’m sorry." He kissed Elijah again, not deeply but soft and tender and guaranteed to turn a man’s bones to mush. "Take no notice of me, I can’t help being a prat at times," he smiled, his lips no more than a few millimetres from Elijah’s skin. "Forgive me?"

Elijah couldn’t help but nod. "Of course but," he was stopped again with a kiss.

Orli’s hand went up to cup the side of Elijah’s face, his thumb stroking across freshly kissed skin. "Please, if you want to help then do me a favour and don’t ask, not now. Now is just about you and me and being safe and warm in our bed. Okay?"

Elijah looked up into loving, tender eyes, but there was something hidden at the back of them. He nodded, much as he didn’t want to, and saw relief flood through them.

They made love, slowly and carefully, taking their time to explore all they wanted to. After, when they lay spooned together, Elijah waited for Orli to talk. As the silence grew longer it became increasingly impossible for him to ask about Friday and the fact that Orli hadn’t wanted to tell him began to prickle under his skin.

In the end it was Elijah who fell asleep first, while Orli stared into the darkness, his fingers running through Elijah’s hair.

+

Next morning and Orli was carrying on as normal, no mention of the previous night. When Elijah tried to ask he was brushed off with a, ‘not now,’ and so he waited. Three days later he was still waiting and getting more and more nervous about Orli’s outward bounciness but underlying….

And that was what really bugged Elijah, he didn’t know quite what was wrong with Orli. He was quiet and stroppy, withdrawn and argumentative, isolated and desperate for contact. Then Elijah came up with a single word that fit everything, Orli was sad.

Elijah didn’t know why and he didn’t know what to do about it.

Seven