New Rules

Chapter Two

Hang on, hang on just a little bit more… hang on till... a flash of red hot fire shot down Orli’s spine into his groin. He bit at the inside of his cheek as his fists twisted ever-tighter handfuls of sheet. Fuck it! He would hang on, just a bit more…

Elijah slipped his lips up to the top of Orli’s cock and suckled at the head, small slurping movements like a baby at a teat. Suckling: only word for it.

And it broke Orli apart.

Just like it always did.

Orli clamped down on the pressure and prayed for a little more time. "You little bugger, that’s not fair." Breathing was so bloody difficult. Through sheer will he forced his hips back down onto the bed. "You know I can’t take that."

"Take what? This?" Elijah squirmed down to lie flat on his belly between open thighs and blew, a cold, long, long stream of breath right at the base of Orli’s saliva slicked cock.

"Shit, bugger, bloody hell," Orli bit harder at his cheek.

"You shouldn’t swear, it’s not nice." Hooking his hands under Orli’s thighs, Elijah lifted them slightly and pushed them a little further up, a little further open. Another of Orli’s favourites. Mischievous eyes went up to Orli’s face as firm lips suddenly, fiercely, sucked a path down. All the way back down. Right to the root.

Orli howled and instinctively hooked his legs over Elijah’s shoulders, pinning him down. Elijah simply buried his face further into Orli’s groin, letting his teeth oh so carefully scrape against flesh on their upward journey, as his fingers pushed towards dark, dirty places.

The bolt of red fire ignored every one of Orli’s intentions to make it last and -- he not so much gave into the inevitabble, as lost any sort of control he might have claimed to have had. His hips pushed up, his back arched, his knees clamped hard onto Elijah’s ears even as he thought about not being too rough… Stupid idea. It wasn’t his fault if Elijah pushed him so far that he couldn’t even remember his name, let alone what he should be doing.

His hands tangled into the tiny bit of Elijah’s hair still showing and he came with a force that left his bones aching for some cohesion.

Bloody wonderful.

With a silly, girlie, ‘Oh my,’ he flopped back onto the bed, like a puddle of worn out, sated goo, and smiled up at the ceiling.

Elijah wiped his mouth on the inside of Orli’s thigh and then propped himself on an elbow to look up. "All right?" he smiled, knowing damned well it was more than all right.

"Suppose so," Orli suddenly laughed out loud, a long burst of joy. "Oh Christ, I’m so much more than all right." He reached a hand down under Elijah’s armpit and yanked him up unceremoniously, till head was firmly in place on chest. "But you are an evil little bugger, you shouldn’t destroy me so completely. It can’t be healthy."

"I don’t do anything special," Elijah said reasonably. "You’re just very easy to please."

"I…" Orli spluttered. "You…" Then he thought about it. "You’re right, you don’t do anything wild. And you know I’d hate it if you started doing tricks on me. Anyway I’ve had a lot more exotic but… " He gave up and smiled, the creases at the corners of his eyes matching those at his mouth. "Oh sod it! It’s just you, it’s the fact that it’s you that does it to me. But you should go easy on me, I’m nearly twenty seven now, I’m getting old and my heart might not be able to take it."

"You’ll survive, old or not. Besides, I have to destroy you." Elijah smiled an evil, wicked little smile, at Orli. "I like watching you lose all that steely self control. That’s got to be good for you, all that pent up emotion coming out with a sound like a dam bursting. It’s bloody good fun to watch."

"Oh shut up! I can’t help it if I’m a bit noisy," Orli laughed again. "Although I do find it hard to look the neighbours straight in the face, and," he ran his fingers slowly through Elijah’s hair. "You’re right, it is good for me. Rose said I still didn’t let myself feel anything, not since Shane died. You got through that, broke down my defences long before we started sleeping together, and I started to live again. What’s a bit of noise compared to being able to feel?"

"So I’m good for you?" Elijah wouldn’t look at Orli’s face.

"Course you’re bloody good for me. Best thing that’s happened to me in a long time. Only good thing if I’m honest."

"Sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Good," Elijah said, and then was silent although the air prickled with unsaid words.

For a while they lay there, comfortable and easy, Orli’s fingers in Elijah’s hair, Elijah mapping out the plains and shapes of Orli’s chest.

"Can I suck you?" Orli asked softly, kissing intricate patterns on the top of Elijah’s head.

"If you want."

Orli sighed. "No mate, not if I want, I’ve already had enough of what I want for one night. What would you like me to do?"

"Well, if you put it like that…" But Elijah stopped.

"Just say it."

Elijah smiled at him, shy and excited at the same time. Even a hint of nervousness pinking his cheeks. "Can we do that thing when we sit up and I lay back on you, you reach round and…" The pinkness grew.

"And I stroke your cock till you explode all over the pair of us?" Orli suggested.

"Yeah, something like that," Elijah said as an excited, wistful sigh. "You stroke me, I explode and I feel…" Pink turned to red.

"Safe?"

"Yeah," and now Elijah couldn’t quite meet Orli’s gaze.

Orli took pity on him, pulling them both up against the headboard and scrambling round till they were in Elijah’s favourite position; cuddled up, pressed tight against each other, the back of Elijah’s head on Orli’s chest, Orli’s bent up knees protecting his sides, Orli’s arms wrapped round him firm and comforting, hands… Oh yeah, this was Elijah’s favourite position.

"It means a lot to you, doesn’t it? Feeling safe," Orli whispered into Elijah’s ear.

"Yeah," he leaned back and relaxed into Orli’s body, his long neck glowing white in the dim light, eyes closed, long lashes dark on his cheek. "It’s new and it’s nice and… Am I really a little bugger?"

"Course you are," Orli’s hands began the rhythm that was just starting to become familiar. "My little bugger."

Elijah snorted a laugh and then gave into the pleasure, letting his legs flop out to rest against Orli’s.

With the fingers of one hand Orli cupped Elijah’s scrotum, lifting it slightly, letting the heaviness fill his hand as he squeezed ever so gently, rubbing and rolling the single mass inside with his thumb. He rubbed his lips against the curve where shoulder rose up into neck as Elijah sighed and sunk back a little more, his full weight resting on Orli.

Orli was still learning but it seemed to be surprisingly simple, Elijah liked to be stroked, almost petted or gentled. All right, he liked hard and dirty as well – times when they would thrust so fiercely it was right on the borderlines of painful. And sometimes Elijah got off on being covered in both their sweat and come as well as lube and any other stuff that could be smeared around, hell they both did. Times when Elijah’s eyes would burn fiercely bright as he fought to hold Orli down while he thrust and then came with a roar.

But it had taken a while to discover that Elijah came hardest, most intensely, when it was quiet, soft and more personal. When he had the courage to let himself open up and relax, when it was all about them. And that was more than fine with Orli.

Times like this one.

Orli’s other hand stroked up the inside of Elijah’s thigh, making the hairs bristle, till he reached the crease. Running his fingers in the fold between leg and pelvis he gently eased Elijah’s leg out a little more so he could reach round.

As his hand began to work on Elijah’s cock, a firm grip but a sluggish and unhurried pace, he licked at the curve of Elijah’s ear. "Sometimes I feel like I’ve missed you. All those years I didn’t know you, I missed you."

Elijah thought about saying something clever, but there was the feel of butterfly hands on his skin making him float away on little bolts of pleasure whilst holding him tethered fast to the security of Orli. This wasn’t a time for clever, it was a time for honesty.

"I was looking for you so hard, even though I didn’t know you existed."

"Well now you’ve found me and I’m not letting go."

"Please… don’t," Elijah whispered silently, and Orli took him the rest of the way with a sweetly insistent grip.

Suddenly Elijah’s back arched, his mouth fell open in a sigh and his fingers grabbed at the curves of Orli’s knees. Helpless in the waves of all enveloping heat, he trusted to Orli to hold him close, and pressed back with his body and out with his legs into the security of Orli’s thighs. Elijah let himself float along with the current that took him higher, sweeter, further until he let himself go with a rush of air from his lungs.

Orli shss’ed him quiet, patting gently at his arm with one hand while he licked the other clean of come.

Elijah almost purred in embarrassed contentment then he stretched out and snuggled back down, with no intention of moving. He liked it here. He liked it just like this.

But there were things he had to say. "I’m sorry about today."

"What?" Orli was half asleep already, although his hands continued to stroke and pet.

"With your parents. I knew it was going to be bad but, well..."

"’S not your fault. Anyway, I reckon you can win them over, easy."

Elijah went very still, drawing his legs together and crossing his arms over his chest. Even thought they were still glued together, Orli felt as though Elijah had pulled away. He opened his eyes. "What’s the matter?"

"Nothing," Elijah tried to sit up but Orli caught his arm and held him in place.

"Tell me. No secrets, remember?"

Elijah stayed silent as he lay back down. Only it didn’t feel as easy or relaxed any more.

"Hey," Orli nudged him. "What is it? Tell me."

Elijah didn’t want to say, he just wanted to clamp his mouth shut and hold it all in because that’s what life had taught him was the best thing to do. You shouldn’t say stuff when it was bad, and right at that moment he felt angry with Orli. That had to be bad, and it sure as hell was the last thing he wanted to be.

Only he knew Orli wouldn’t let it rest, wouldn’t let him hide it away where no one could see. Instead he’d push and push and… and maybe it was for the best. Maybe it could make them stronger if they talked everything through, like Orli always said, but it still felt wrong and stupid and… went against everything he’d learnt over the years.

But Orli made him do a lot of things he didn’t want to do. Like going to Sunday dinner at Orli’s parents and facing himself.

Shut up and bury it or say it? He folded his hands tighter, tucking his hands in his armpits. "You’re right, I could easily win them round, just a few long looks and a shake of my arse. But I’m not allowed to do that anymore because you’ve changed the rules."

"I thought we’d talked about that," Orli tried to pull Elijah round so he could look at him, but Elijah wasn’t having it. "I told you I’m proud of you."

"Yeah?" Elijah frowned. "And that’s supposed to make everything all right. You won’t let me use my big guns and I don’t know how else to fight."

Orli could feel Elijah’s anger now, hidden deep but there. He just prayed it came from fear. "It’s not I won’t let you or I’ve changed the rules. I just think…" Choose your words carefully now, you know how Elijah can react. "You deserve better than that."

"I deserve better?" This time Elijah did pull away, sitting up and turning round to face Orli. "Have you any idea how hard this is? I don’t think about how I react, I just run on instinct. Only now I’m not allowed and I have no fucking idea what I should do. How is taking away everything I know better for me?"

Orli tried really hard to follow this but he was half asleep and the air was full of the smell of sex and as Elijah had swivelled round he had bent one leg under him. One naked leg whose knobbly knee was now pointing at Orli, all rounded bones and hard angles. If you followed that knee along it showed off the sweetly tensed muscle to perfection. And then at the other end of the thigh, in purest contrast to the white, creased sheets, was a dark mass of tightly curled hair.

Orli always said they needed to talk, they’d never survive if they didn’t, but couldn’t they for once concentrate on the sex? Or at least talk when Elijah wasn’t quite so exquisitely naked.

"Are you listening to me?" Elijah demanded. At least Orli’s distraction had got rid of the fear from Elijah’s voice.

"Yeah, course I am." Orli didn’t think it would be a good idea to stroke along that thigh right now, no matter how much he wanted to. "You find it hard not hitting on people."

"Orli! Don’t be so fucking dismissive. This isn’t easy."

It finally registered with Orli that Elijah was really angry.

"I know, I…" Orli stopped and made a conscious effort to look away. Can’t think and look at the same time. He pulled himself further up against the headboard and crossed his legs. Now all he had to do was concentrate on Elijah’s face instead of thighs and knees and red should-be-hard flesh. "I know it’s hard, and I didn’t mean to be dismissive, It’s just I’m used to you. I know you attract anything with a pulse and automatically hit on people."

Elijah opened his mouth ready. Orli thought something pretty appalling was going to come out of it, so he cut in first. "I realise you do in unconsciously, that it’s become normal for you. Hell, you still do it to me and you’ve got me wrapped round your little finger."

"I have not!" Elijah was horrified at the suggestion. "I don’t control you or, or, or… anything!" Even he couldn’t think of anything bad enough.

"Of course you can’t control me," Orli said calmly. "But we all know I love you so much I can’t stop."

"I don’t want you to just love me, I want you to…"

"To what?" Orli’s voice was as soft as his eyes. "To be proud of you? To see how hard you’re trying? I am and I do. Perhaps I just don’t tell you enough." When he reached out and ran a hand down from Elijah’s elbow to link their fingers it wasn’t done was any sexual intent, it was done because he cared.

"I’m proud that you tried so hard with my parents today even if you did lose it. And I’ll be prouder still when you try even harder next week. Don’t think I don’t know how difficult it is not to take the easy route but… fuck Elijah, you do it for me. You’re fighting to change for my sake and that makes me feel like the king of the world."

"But I don’t know what to do or to say," Elijah threw his hands out in a gesture of hopeless confusion, pulling away from Orli’s fingers. "I hate feeling like that, I like being able to play people."

"But you do deserve better…"

"What’s better than being in control?" Elijah asked incredulously.

"Leaving yourself open enough to feel?"

"I…" Elijah stopped. He chewed at his lip, the colour pooling away with the intensity of the pressure, and Orli hoped there wouldn’t be blood. Elijah shrugged, almost twisting in his own skin as he fought to sort out how he felt before he attempted to explain himself. "It’s so hard," he said softly. "I feel awkward and out of my depth and so bloody powerless."

"And yet you’re trying because you know it can be better."

"Maybe the cost is too high?" Elijah looked up wide-eyed and questioning.

"Is it?" Orli looked straight back at him, no smile on his face, no artifice, no trickery. The only thing he offered was himself.

"No," Elijah shook his head with growing confidence. "No, you’re worth it."

"We’re worth it," Orli said seriously.

"Yeah we are," Elijah heaved out a huge breath. "It’s just sometimes it’s all so bloody difficult that I forget what matters."

"Well don’t. We both have to fight for what’s important and I couldn’t give a toss if a few people get hurt along the way."

"Even if one of those people is your father?"

Orli screwed up his face in indecision, but gave up and shrugged. "I know I should care but, no, not really."

"That’s really nasty of you," Elijah had to smile. Orli had won him round again and Elijah felt his anger drain away. "He’s your dad after all."

"And you’re my…" My what? What did he say? Orli wanted to say ‘my future,’ but that sounded so slushy, Elijah might think he’d gone soft in the head. But what else could he say? And then he realised he’d left it too late and Elijah had tensed again, withdrawing into himself.

"What am I Orlando? Your bed warmer? Your fuck buddy?"

"Christ no," Orli took both of his hands. "You’re my boyfriend." God, he hated that word, it sounded so childish and nowhere near enough to cover how he felt. Oh sod it. Let Elijah think he’d gone soft. "You’re the rest of my life, my future."

"You’ve been reading those cheap romance novels!" Elijah’s eyes filled with laughter, but not before Orli had seen the hint of delight at the back of them.

"Oh shut up," Orli said pulling them both down and under the duvet. He reached up to turn off the light as Elijah snuggled up closer. After a few minutes of silence he asked, "You okay?"

He felt Elijah’s nod. "Yeah, I just got, I dunno. I guess I get scared that I won’t be able to do it or I’ll cock everything up again."

"You can only try. I can’t ask anymore than that," Orli brushed his hand down Elijah’s back. "And you will cock up, but it won’t matter, not in the long run. ‘Cos I’ll love you anyway."

Elijah swung a leg possessively over Orli’s thigh.

+

"What the fuck?" Orli asked no one in particular as he delved into the back of what his mum called the airing cupboard. Junk cupboard more like. He’d only gone looking for some clean towels and here was his suit, carefully folded and hidden in a black plastic bin liner. He looked at the suit. "Aren’t you meant to be at the dry cleaners?" Surely he’d taken it in last week, maybe even the week before. If he couldn’t quite remember doing it, he could sure as hell remembered intending to do it. And then it hit him.

"Elijah!" he shouted up the hall so loudly that Elijah actually came running.

"What?" Elijah stood, dvd in hand, looking for the emergency.

"Didn’t I ask you to take my suit into the dry cleaners?"

"Arh, well," Elijah looked at his feet. Then up at the ceiling, then at a brown stain that he thought was probably mud on the wall.

He shifted about a bit putting the dvd back in the box.

"’Lijah?"

"Well, I meant to, but I sort of," he wriggled some more. "Forgot."

"You forgot to take it to the cleaners?"

"Yeah," Elijah seemed to like the sound of that explanation. "I forgot to take it in."

"But you remembered to shove in it the back of the cupboard?"

"Arh, well," he did the whole staring at everywhere except Orli thing again.

"Why did you fold it up?"

That question was easy. "So it wouldn’t get too creased. I didn’t want to ruin it," Elijah said to a spot on the wall just under Orli’s left elbow.

"Let me get this right," Orli folded his hands across his chest. A bad sign. "You forgot to take it to the cleaners but then you folded it and hid it at the back of the cupboard. When you remembered about it why didn’t you just take it in then?"

"Arh, well," Elijah ground to a halt.

"Are you pissed off ‘cos I asked you to take it?"

"No!" Elijah exclaimed. "Course I don’t mind. It’s not like I’ve got much else to do."

"So, why didn’t you take it in?"

"Arh, well." Elijah shifted, shoulders rounding, head ducking like a naughty schoolboy caught by the headmaster cheating in a test.

"What’s the matter?" Orli asked just this side of reasonable. "Why didn’t you take it?"

Elijah stopped squirming, raised his head and only just failed to look Orli in the eye. "Because I didn’t have enough money."

"But I left you a tenner on the table with the suit, didn’t I?"

"I know, but I…" If Orli had thought that Elijah could wriggle before, this was a whole new ball game.

"Elijah, what the fuck is going on?" Orli had had enough.

"I’m sorry, really I am. I didn’t mean to, I just…" Elijah stopped.

"You what?"

Elijah huffed out a breath, straightened his shoulders and… didn’t quite make it. "I’m sorry."

"For what?"

"I’m just sorry, I really am. I’ll make it up to you and I promise I’ll take the suit in as soon as I can and… I’m sorry," the rambling came to an end.

Orli was annoyed, not seriously, but enough to not let it go. "Why can’t you take it now? I gave you the money."

"Oh fuck," Elijah didn’t know whether to stand his ground or start squirming again. "Look, I’m sorry. I cocked up. Again. It’s a habit I have, I really am sorry."

"But I need the suit for my appraisal meeting at work."

"Yeah I know. I’m sorry."

"Stop saying you’re sorry," Orli’s annoyance was growing. "What happened to the money I left you?"

"Arh, well."

"For Christ sake, stop saying that as well and just tell me what happened!" Orli’s temper snapped.

Elijah stood dead still and lifted his head, a hint of defiance in his eye. But only a hint. "I’m sorry, I forgot to take your suit in and I spent the money." He rushed on before Orli could interrupt. "When I remembered I tried to take back what I’d bought but they wouldn’t let me ‘cos I’d used it and I didn’t have anymore money. I promise I’ll do it as soon as I get my next benefit cheque, but I’m broke till then. Sorry."

Orli stood, open-mouthed. "You’re that broke?"

"Well… yeah. My invalidity benefit has stopped and I don’t get the student money till I start and I…" he looked at Orli for the first time, shrugged a shoulder and smiled. "I’m kinda between incomes at the moment."

"Why didn’t you say? I can lend you some," Orli reached for his wallet. "What did you spend the money on? More beer or did we actually get some food for once?"

Elijah looked back at the brown spider-shaped stain. "Arh, well."

"Elijah?"

"I sort of, kinda… Oh fuck it Orli, I’m sorry. I spent the money on something really stupid just for me," Elijah scratched his head and looked up again. "I know it was really selfish but I didn’t realise I had nothing left and I’m sorry."

"Bloody well stop saying sorry," Orli could feel the irritation prickling harder. "What did you buy?"

"Does it matter?" Elijah asked.

Orli knew it didn’t really but… "Yeah. Tell me."

"I bought," Elijah blew out another long breath, twisted round, hugged himself, ducked his head and finally looked at Orli. "I got some coloured pencils."

"You what?" Orli asked, eyebrows reaching his hairline. "My suit still has cum stains on the legs and you bought pencils?" He was too indignant to even swear, his voice going up at least two octaves on the last word.

"Yeah, I know," Elijah didn’t back off. "I know how bad it sounds, and it is, but they were reduced by a hell of a lot and I…" He gave up. How did you explain pencils? "Sorry."

"Why pencils?" Orli demanded.

"To draw with."

That stopped Orli short. Obvious really, what else would you do with pencils? He calmed down a little. "Are they special ones or the sort of thing kids have?"

"Nah, these are just ordinary ones, but a good make and you can smudge them with your finger if you want; you know, kinda blending them in to get a softer effect," Elijah stopped for a moment, mouth still slightly open, head cocked to one side. "And now I sound like a complete twat, don’t I?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Orli admitted. "Are you into art?"

"No," Elijah took a step backwards, his hands coming up in front of him as if to use the dvd box as a shield. "I er… I just liked the look of them."

"But you used them, you said so. What did you draw?"

"Nothing," he took another step back. "I was only testing them out."

"You don’t test pencils," Orli moved closer. "Come on, let me see. What did you draw?"

Elijah could feel a hot blush glowing on his cheeks and a small sense of panic forming in his belly. "It was just scribble, nothing worth looking at. Honest."

"Oh go on, let me look. You can’t be worse than I am," Orli kept advancing.

"No, I…" the panic grew. "It’s crap, not worth wasting time over."

Orli stopped moving, his annoyance dissipating as he looked at Elijah’s face. "Hey, what’s the matter?" He reached out a hand, not quite touching. "You don’t have to show me if you don’t want to. But you should know you don’t have to hide anything with me."

Elijah stopped as well. Orli was right, he didn’t have to hide things anymore. At least, not from Orli. Another deep breath. "I’ve never shown anyone anything I’ve done before. Well, apart from my mum and she said it was rubbish. She’s right of course, it is, but I like drawing, although I haven’t done it for years. It’s just I got bored, there’s nothing to do all day, and now I feel better I…"

"You don’t have to justify yourself. If you want to draw, then draw."

"With your dry cleaning money?" Elijah grinned.

"What are a few cum stains between friends?" Orli grinned back. "Do you wanna show me?"

Elijah gave his bottom lip a good hard chew as he though. Then, all of a sudden, he turned on his heel and went to where his bag was dumped by the front door. Rooting through it, he pulled out a tattered, cheap looking reporter’s notebook. After another moment’s hesitation he gave it to Orli but didn’t quite manage to let go of the edge.

"I walked back from the shops through the park and it was warm so I ended up stopping on one of those manky old benches. I know there’s not much in there except broken swings and empty fag packets, but if you look closely enough some of the plants are quite pretty. I started drawing them, then of course, when I remembered your suit, it was too late. Sorry."

Orli ignored the repeated apology as he eased the notebook from between Elijah’s fingers. Inside, on the thin lined pages were dozens of drawing of flowers, shrubbery and foliage. All carefully coloured, all easily recognisable.

"These are really good," Orli said flipping the pages over.

"Nah, they’re not, just bits of scribble really," Elijah dismissed them.

Orli twisted the page round: From this angle the subtle mixtures of greens gave the plant a slightly surreal edge. The drawing wasn’t like those you’d find in an old botany text book, anatomically correct but a little lifeless. This may not have been quite so accurate but it was full of life, even with a hint of drama.

"This is good," Orli repeated.

"You think?"

"Yeah," Orli skimmed through the pages again. "They’re all good. You should have gone to art school."

"Yeah right," Elijah snorted, taking the book from Orli and attempting to hide it back in his bag. "Like my mum would have let me do that. I only made it to university because I didn’t tell her what I was studying for the first year."

Orli took the book from protesting hands and looked through it once more. "I might not know much about art but your mum knows even less. You’re good." He tried to smooth down the curled edge of one sheet with his thumb.

Elijah stood and watched him, wondering at his own good fortune. Orli had every right to moan at him, he’d done wrong and everyone else would have gone mad. But Orli was different.

The cheap paper wouldn’t lay flat and the notebook was almost full. "What you need is some decent paper," Orli dug into his back pocket for his wallet.

Elijah slid in close to Orli, resting his head against a curved shoulder as his fingers hooked into Orli’s waistband. "No, what I need is a job till university starts."

"You don’t have to. I can give you some money."

"No, I don’t think so. I need money and something to do and to get on with my life and… I need a job."

Three