February 6, 2003
Vance stomped up the steps of the townhouse, trying to shake the snow off of his long peacoat before it melted. It was supposed to snow all night long, at least that's what the weathermen said. Half the time they were wrong -- hell, over half the time.
Horatio, curled into an almost perfect circle on the sofa, opened one eye when Vance came in. Oh, it's just you, his expression seemed to say. The copper-penny eye closed again. Cats! The small ones were just as bad as the big ones.
"Well, hello to you too!" Vance slid his viola behind the sofa -- its usual spot -- and hung his coat on the rack. Where the heck was Bell? He'd said he was going to be at the shop late, but he had to be home by now, didn't he? It was after two in the morning.
Unless... no, there wasn't even a hint of spring in the air. Bell would have told him if he felt that the Season was near. And this time, now that he knew what to expect, Vance was going to make sure he took his vitamins and stocked up on lube, Pet Hair Pickup roller refills, and steaks. He made a mental note to get some filets and T-bones at the shop in Haddonfield before they went to his parents' for dinner on Sunday.
"Bell?" Vance tiptoed back to the bedroom, just in case his lover was asleep already. Nope. No Bell there. "Bell?" He raised his voice.
"Out here, angelbaby!"
Vance headed through the kitchen to the greenhouse. He didn't know why Mrs. Vickland had had a greenhouse room added to the top floor of the townhouse -- who knew why eccentric millionaires did anything? -- but it was his favorite thing about the apartment. He'd bought some palms and ti plants for the greenhouse when he first moved in, and when Bell had moved in last year, he'd brought his fern collection with him. They'd since added a few racks of herbs -- oh, and Ajax's enormous cage. The place was now a veritable jungle.
Bell was sitting in the black leather recliner that was the greenhouse's only concession to human occupancy -- with Ajax on his shoulder. Bummer.
"Wow! The snow is really coming down, isn't it?" Vance wended his way through the ferns to get a better look. He didn't even try to go over and give Bell a hello kiss -- not with the White Featherduster From Hell on his shoulder. He wasn't ready for any tribal-style piercings from that sharp beak.
"I think we'll get more than six inches this time." Bell reached out and squeezed his hand. "You smell like snow and smoke. How did things go tonight?"
"We had a better crowd than I expected for a Thursday night." Vance sat on the arm of the recliner, keeping a watchful eye on Ajax. "Maybe they all expected to have off from work or school because of the snow or something. But what really surprised me was how much the crowd seemed to like our jazz improvs on the traditional Gaelic tunes." Greatly daring, Vance reached up to trace the rim of Bell's ear on the side opposite from where Ajax was sitting. The cockatoo just made a small squawk of protest and huffily puffed up his white crest. "We did Si Bheag Si Mhor, Wind in the Barley and the Kesh Jig in the second set and when we went on break a few people came up and said they liked the fiddle tunes on viola. And then we got requests for some reels that I didn't know by name, but after they sang a few bars I realized that I did know them after all, and --"
"Breathe a bit, Vance," Bell suggested, laughing. "I can tell you had a good night by the way you babble. Did you do that Chanter's Tune one that I like?"
"No, we saved that for tomorrow night when you'll be there. The guys say hello to you, by the way. Beagle is going to be visiting you at the shop soon -- he's getting ready to propose to Becky."
Bell rolled his eyes. "I'll believe it when I see it." Ajax cackled softly, his oversized white head bobbing up and down.
"I think he means it this time." Vance wished that Bell would put Ajax back in his cage so he could greet him properly. There had been a couple of guys at the club making out in the shadows during the third set... God, they'd looked hot and desperate for each other, and it made Vance long for Bell in the worst way. Funny though, the way no one at Cameo's really made a fuss about guys kissing each other -- people were there for the music and not much seemed to bother them. "So, how was your night at the store?"
"Very -- productive." Bell pushed at Vance's butt. "Get up and let me put Ajax away, angelbaby. I have something to show you. I was going to wait until Valentine's Day, but I have no willpower."
Vance sprang to his feet, grinning. "Bye-bye, birdie!" He waved to Ajax as Bell lifted the cockatoo from his shoulder, returning him to the cage.
Ajax raised one foot and waved back. "Bye-bye."
Bell gave the big white head one final scratch through the bars of the cage. "Goodnight, baby bird." Then he turned to Vance, his lips curving slightly. "Do you want to be fucked here or in bed?"
Vance raised a brow. "Here? Won't we traumatize Ajax? And what makes you so sure I'll want to be fucked?" He usually did, but that was beside the point.
Bell's laughter rumbled in his chest. "Trust me, you'll want to be fucked once you see your Valentine's Day present. As for Ajax, the worst he'll do is serenade us. I'll be back in a minute."
Vance waited until Bell was out of the greenhouse before wagging his finger at Ajax. "Now you behave yourself, birdie. No singing the Darth Vader theme, like last time, or I'll be looking for a nice Aboriginal Australian recipe for cockatoo, ya hear?"
Ajax clucked reprovingly.
"No, I'm not kidding. I'm sure I can find one on the Internet. And failing that, all I'd have to do is forget to lock up your cage when the Season hits Bell, and you'd be sorry."
"Sorry!" Ajax called in a singsong tone.
"Yes, you would be." Vance shook his head at himself, talking to a fucking parrot as though it could understand. Sometimes, though, he swore that Ajax really could understand. Why else would he be so jealous?
"What did you threaten Ajax with this time?" Bell asked automatically when he returned. He was accustomed to the rivalry between his lover and his cockatoo. Now that an uneasy truce had been achieved, their contention was an ongoing source of amusement.
"The usual -- recipes." Vance crooked an arm around Bell's neck and pulled him close, making a happy noise when Bell pushed his tongue deep into the kiss. Oh yes. This was more like it. He could feel Bell's erection, hard against his hip. Nice.
"I made something just for you," Bell whispered, licking his ear. "That's why I was working late -- I didn't want any comments from Nest or Terr."
"Ohh, now that makes me awfully suspicious! It must be something naughty." Vance slid his hand down and molded it around the bulge at Bell's crotch. "You already made a cock ring -- hmm, what else could you make that would be naughty?"
Bell poked the box against his ribs. "Why don't you take a look? You'll see why I couldn't wait until Valentine's Day."
Vance distanced himself from Bell just enough to take the box. It was a gold and red foil-wrapped box in Gualterio's signature style, but it was larger than a ring box. He pulled off the red velvet ribbon and lifted the lid.
"Holy fucking shit!" Inside the box lay a large tube of hammered silver, maybe five inches long, studded all along its length with smooth cabochons of amethyst and rose quartz.
Bell chuckled evilly. "Was I right?"
"About what?" Vance ran his fingers over the rows of polished gems.
"That you want to be fucked." Bell's hands were busy on Vance's zipper.
"Oh yeah!" His brain could scarcely process the words he wanted to get out. "Um, this thing is -- um, you're going to slide this on your cock before you fuck me?"
"That's the idea. I saw something on that sex toy site you had bookmarked -- I believe it had the unlikely name of Meatcannon.com -- that inspired me." Bell pulled Vance's jeans and briefs down together, nuzzling briefly at his lover's groin, just grazing the graceful curve of taut cock.
Groaning, Vance held onto Bell's shoulders and stepped out of his pants. "Geezu! You went to the Meatcannon site?" Compared to some sites, of course, Meatcannon was mild, but it did have loads of interesting toys. "That's so -- self-indulgent of you."
"I wasn't looking for porn," Bell assured him with mock-disdain. "You're the one who bookmarked the site, not me." He licked at the tip of Vance's dick with almost dainty precision, smiling in satisfaction at the sounds his lover made. "So what do you think? It's made to fit me, with several inches unadorned so I can still feel your heat. But will I fit inside you wearing this stimulator ring?"
"Is that what it's called?" Vance took the silver tube out of the box. It felt cool and heavy in his hand, and he tried to imagine what it would feel like on Bell's cock, sliding into him. He shivered and his knees wanted to buckle. "Let's find out if you fit. God, Bell, this is so beautiful -- you must have spent hours and hours making it. Thank you."
"You're welcome and I love you. Now help me get naked." That was his Bell -- right to the point when it counted.
Chuckling breathlessly, Vance concentrated on undressing Bell. "You think anyone can see us?" he asked belatedly. Bell was already licking and nipping at his neck, his hand leisurely pumping his prick. Vance strained into that touch that wasn't quite enough.
"In this snowstorm? Behind all these potted palms? I doubt it." Reaching into one of the plants, Bell retrieved a tube of lube and snapped the lid open. "Of course, I suppose there might be someone across the way who's staring at our greenhouse. With binoculars."
"Very funny." Vance anointed Bell with just enough lube to get the silver sleeve on, then he stood back and admired the effect. Oh. His own prick gave a little leap. "Shit, Bell, it's gorgeous on you -- you're gorgeous anyway, but with that silver cock armor on? That's what it looks like -- cock armor -- and the pink and purple stones just kind of draw my focus to the part of your cock that isn't encased in silver and make me want to -- " Vance pushed Bell into the recliner and followed him down, his mouth wrapping around the inches of hard heat that protruded from the sleeve. He dipped his tongue into the slit, drawing out a taste of salty fluid. Bell growled with delight and his fingers tangled in Vance's long curls.
"Careful, angelbaby. I want to come inside you, but not this way." He grappled with Vance a bit, dragging him up so that he could taste the heat of his mouth again. "Mmm, love it when your brain goes south, Vance."
"My brain has lived somewhere in equatorial Brazil since I met you," Vance said around Bell's tongue. Straddling Bell's thighs, he leaned back and gazed into half-lidded green-gold eyes, then down at gem-studded silver. "Not that it's a bad thing. Where's the lube? Yikes! Jeeesus, that stuff's cold!"
"I'm sorry." Bell didn't sound terribly remorseful and Vance didn't much care after Bell's fingers slipped inside him, spreading the lubricant. His breath caught in an almost-hiccup when those hot fingers stroked against his gland. Then Bell was lifting him with hands on his buttocks and bringing him down, held open for impalement. Oh God. He wished he could see it. Next time he'd have a few mirrors handy.
Bell was watching as the plump head breached Vance, letting him sink down onto the silver sleeve. Vance couldn't see it, but oh, he felt it! He felt the cabochons right away, each little row of rounded studs as they passed through the ring of muscle, the difference in texture jolting him to the core. Bell must have seen it on his face; he smiled.
"How does it feel?"
"You just barely fit with the sleeve on -- and I can feel each row of stones when they go in -- it's wild." Vance let out a gasping laugh. "It also seems far too pretty to be hidden up my ass."
"We'll put it on display on the mantel when it's not in use." Bell thrust his hips up, making Vance groan and clutch his shoulders. "Ah, that's more like it." He thrust up again, his hands on Vance's hips, establishing a slow but forceful rhythm that beat against Vance's sweet spot with each meeting of their bodies. Then he extended his thumbs to rub the underside of Vance's straining cock.
"All our friends will want one." Vance was only half-joking.
He ground down onto the knobby gems and hard metal, reveling in the stretch, the extra sensation. And Bell kept pushing him higher, adjusting the angle of penetration until it was perfect, until Vance shouted his joy. Shouted Bell's name. Gave into the crushing pleasure. Pulsed wet heat between them.
Vance gasped and shuddered, clenching in his climax against the base of Bell's cock, pulling Bell with him into orgasm. Bell growled and bucked, pouring molten heat into him, and they came to rest clutching each other, stunned and drained.
"That was -- that was -- fucking devastating," Vance panted against Bell's neck. "You've got to feel what it's like sometime. Can't even describe it. I think you've made dents in my prostate."
Bell chuckled weakly. "I wasn't sure I could come with this on. All the feeling was focused in the tip of my cock, and rubbing at the ridge underneath, and the silver warmed up nicely." He laughed again. "I'm not making any sense, am I?" He kissed the top of Vance's head and then brought his face up for a real kiss, deep and sweet.
"Who needs to make sense?" Vance teased the corner of Bell's mouth with his tongue. He felt happy and boneless and relaxed in every muscle. And the silver cock-sleeve was holding Bell warm inside him. "I just want to curl up here with you and watch the snow fall until we're ready for another go."
The world outside the greenhouse was white and swirled with crystalline snowglobe flakes. Even Ajax was quiet, watching the mesmerizing motion of snowfall.
Bell folded his arms around Vance, sighing contentedly. "Perfect idea, angelbaby. Perfect."