Jason eagerly scanned the yard but he didn’t see Salim anywhere. His heart sank a little in disappointment. They wouldn’t have been able to do anything other than exchange teasing but still, Jason had been looking forward to seeing the older man.
“He’s in the infirmary,” Merwin said as Jason passed him.
“What?” Jason paused to look at the inmate.
“Your boy,” Merwin clarified. “He’s in the infirmary.” Jason felt a swirl of emotions. Merwin knew he was looking for Salim, called the man Jason’s. But before he could dwell too long on that, his mind latched onto the rest of what Merwin said.
“Is he okay? What happened?”
“I didn’t see it happen.” Merwin raised both hands in a placating gesture. “It was his roommate. I don’t know what went down, but Salim got pretty fucked up.”
That was all Jason needed to hear. He hurried to the infirmary where Salim was being tended to by the prison’s nurse. If he wasn’t so worried, Jason might have felt a little flustered seeing Salim’s exposed torso. The man had a stocky build and dark chest hair that led a tempting trail below his waist. But all Jason could see right now were the bruises.
“What happened?” he demanded. The nurse glanced up at his voice.
“Excuse me, officer, but this patient isn’t ready to be interrogated yet.”
“It’s all right,” Salim assured the nurse. His eyes locked onto Jason’s. “I will speak with him.” The nurse pursed his lips but agreed and left the room. The moment he was gone, Jason had Salim’s face tenderly in his hands and was kissing him.
“What happened?” he asked for a third time.
“Prison life, jarhead. My roommate was angry over something and took it out on me. He’s been moved to solitary and they’ll be giving me a new roommate. I’m all right,” he added, caressing Jason’s cheek. Jason thoughtlessly touched the bandage wrapped around Salim’s chest. “Bruised ribs,” the other dismissed.
“You didn’t fight back?”
“I wanted to,” Salim admitted, “but that’s what put me here in the first place. I didn’t want any more time added to my sentence.” Jason didn’t move his hand away from the bandage. All he wanted to do was take an inventory of all Salim’s injuries and soothe them away. He retracted his hand before that thought could go any farther.
“Merwin…” He paused and swallowed. “He called you ‘my boy’.”
“And am I?” Salim’s voice quivered slightly. “Am I… yours?” Jason’s eyes flicked over him. Even bruised and beaten, Salim remained the most beautiful person Jason ever knew.
“Yes. Am I yours, Salim?”
“Face it, jarhead,” Salim teased, “you’ve been mine since the day we met.” Jason couldn’t argue with that. He held Salim as close and tight as he dared.
This is a collection of mini-series I wrote featuring Jason Kolchek and Salim Othman. It will be updated if I start a new mini-series, if I add on to the ones up here, or if they migrate to AO3. As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!
I added a “Completed” note for all finished series, for your reading convenience!
Salim sat in the coffee shop too nervous to drink the tea he ordered. He was waiting for the man who answered his ad asking for a roommate. They talked over the phone a little but this meeting would determine whether they would share a living space. The last person he shared a space with was his son; doing so with a complete stranger was daunting.
The door opened and a man wearing camo pants and a dark shirt came through the door. After looking around the man spotted Salim and approached the table. Salim could see now that the shirt had a white cobra printed on the fabric. What an interesting first impression.
“Salim?” the man asked, and the accented voice got Salim’s attention immediately. He got to his feet and held out a hand.
“Yes. You must be Jason. Sit down, please. I hope you don’t mind I ordered something while I waited.” Jason shrugged, grasping Salim’s hand in a firm shake before sitting.
He looked about ten years Salim’s junior, more slender with a tattoo on the exposed part of his left arm. It looked like an eagle on top of a globe, and some text Salim couldn’t quite read from his angle.
“Hope I didn’t keep ya waitin’ too long,” Jason began. “Work ran a little long.”
“It’s all right,” Salim assured him. “I thought we should go over a few things before we agree to live together. The lease is for a year, so we need to be sure we’ll be able to co-exist for that long.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard. I lived with twenty other guys during basic training. S'long as we divide the chores fairly and pay our share of the rent, I don’t see problems.”
“I was thinking more like when I want to listen to my radio programs, or if you’re all right with me being a smoker. I’m trying to quit but I haven’t completely given up the habit.”
“We’ll make sure the place has a window,” Jason reasoned. “And I may like your radio program.” Salim couldn’t find an argument for that, so he stayed quiet. “How you feel about crude language? I tend to swear a lot.”
“How much is ‘a lot’?” Salim had to ask. “If we got a swear jar, how soon could we pay for a new television?” That got Jason laughing, and Salim sensed that this roommate situation might work out.
They were taking a much-needed break after judging that where they stood would be safe from the vampires. Jason stuck a hand under the waterfall then took off his hat to run his wet fingers through his hair. The cool water felt good on his sweaty body. He turned to check on Salim and found the Iraqi rubbing his hands.
“You cold or somethin’?” Jason asked him. Salim glanced up and stared for a moment before ducking his head and shaking it. Jason cracked a grin. “Givin’ your mouth some rest, I see.”
“I was just thinking how strange it is to see you without your hat,” Salim informed him. “I thought it might be glued to your head.”
“Like I ain’t heard that one before,” Jason snorted. Salim smiled and Jason returned it, feeling warmth in his chest. “Seriously, what’s up with your hands?”
“I learned the hard way that the vampires burst into flame if exposed to sunlight.”
“Let me see,” Jason insisted. Salim hesitated but something in Jason’s eyes must have moved him, as he held out his hands for the young marine. Jason studied the other soldier’s hands, running his fingers along the injured skin. He only had the most basic medical training so there wasn’t much he could do.
He shouldered off his backpack and looked around until he found some cloth he could use as a makeshift bandage. He stuck the cloth under the waterfall then came back to Salim, methodically wrapping each hand.
“That feels good,” the older man noted. “Thank you, Jason.”
“You ain’t much good as a sword if your hands are too fucked up to even wield one,” Jason said with a shrug. He finished the wrapping and ran his fingers along the bandages to make sure they were secure. “Flex your fingers,” he instructed, and Salim did. “Now make a fist. How’s it feel?”
“Bad,” Salim admitted, “but a little better.” He wiggled his fingers as a demonstration.
“You ain’t FUBAR yet,” Jason agreed, grinning at the other man. The Iraqi responded with a puzzled frown.
“I’m not what?”
“Fucked Up Beyond Any Repair. Or sometimes it’s Beyond All Recognition.”
“I’m guessing that’s an American thing.” He was smiling as he said it, and the way it made his features soften gave Jason that warm feeling again. Jason realized too late he was still holding onto Salim’s hand and let go.
“Think we rested enough. Let’s move on.” He grabbed his hat and settled it back on his head with Salim taking up his weapon again. Jason tugged the brim down a little to hide the tint of red that had risen on his cheeks. He felt Salim’s eyes on him and turned to briefly catch the other looking at him before Salim turned away and headed forward. Jason would swear that the older man was blushing, too.
Jason didn’t bring it up, though. He wasn’t sure he was ready to face what it meant.
The final week of the beginners’ course was always a little nerve-wracking for the students, but it was the first time Jason felt nervous, too. He caught Salim’s eye as the man tuned his guitar and his stomach did a little flip. You ain’t chickening out now, Kolchek, he scolded himself.
Jason had all the students write down their names and he drew them out of his hat to determine who would perform the song next. Some of them fumbled a bit on the notes or weren’t playing at the correct speed, but on the whole they all did a good job.
“You should all be proud of yourselves,” he said when the last one was done. “You learned a lot in these past four weeks. If you enjoyed the class and want to keep goin’, I teach an intermediate course you can sign up for. But no hard feelings if this is all you wanna do. It was a pleasure teaching y'all.”
As the students left they came up to thank him or shake his hand. Some expressed interest in the intermediate course and he gave them the information. Finally it was just him and Salim. Jason’s palms started to sweat and he was glad he had folding chairs to put away to hide his nervousness.
“So you gonna sign up for the intermediate class?”
“I feel obligated to, now that I’m finally developing a little callous from the strings.”
“Lemme see.” Jason took Salim’s hand, brushing his thumb along the man’s fingers. “Yep, you’re getting’ there.” His eyes moved up to Salim’s face and before he was conscious of the decision, he was kissing his boyfriend. It was still unbelievable that a handsome, smart, funny guy like Salim was not only single but had come into Jason’s life. All the snacks in the world wasn’t going to repay Zain for suggesting his father do something like this to meet more people.
“I got somethin’ I wanna give you,” Jason told Salim. “It’s kinda private.”
“I was wondering when you would ask me to your home,” Salim remarked with a little smile. Jason’s face heated up and he swallowed.
“Um. Yeah. So… you wanna come over?”
“Of course I do, jarhead.”
Jason was even more nervous now. He never did this for anyone else he dated. Salim inspired him. Once they were inside, Jason had Salim sit on the couch while he sat on a chair with guitar in hand. Salim’s eyebrows went up with interest.
“All right, bear with me, it’s kinda rough,” Jason warned. He cleared his throat and began to play, singing the words he wrote.
“I’m finding it hard to breathe My racing heart can’t keep up. If I were to see you every day, It still wouldn’t be enough.
I don’t wanna wake up If this is all a dream. Out of all the people in the world You somehow came to me.
Darlin’ my words get clumsy But my actions are true I hope it’s enough To show how I feel about you Darlin’ I must confess This is all brand new But I hope you know I’m falling in love with you.”
He let the last chord linger in the air for a few seconds. Salim was staring at him, open-mouthed. Jason clutched onto the guitar as his heart pounded in his ears. Salim finally stirred out of his shock and rose to cross the distance. He pried Jason’s fingers off the guitar and set the instrument aside.
“You wrote that?” he confirmed; Jason nodded. “It was beautiful. But just so you know, I was falling in love with you already.” The declaration shot through Jason’s body. He couldn’t make his tongue work for a response, but Salim solved that problem by putting it to a different use.
(Jason’s lyrics are original and written by me. Hope you like them!)
Salim was usually the first to get home from work. The day had gone by slowly, letting his mind wander. When he finally got to his house he was feeling restless and full of unexpected energy. It took far too long for Jason to come through the door. Salim greeted him with a kiss as he always did, but this time he made the contact linger, biting down gently into the soft flesh of Jason’s lower lip.
“That’s quite the ‘welcome home’, darlin’,” Jason hummed.
“I thought about you all day,” Salim admitted, now pressing kisses along Jason’s jaw. He could feel stubble beginning to grow there. Salim rested his hands on his partner’s hips, tugging him closer so he could feel the ex-marine’s body against his own.
“Salim,” Jason began, but whatever else he wanted to say was stopped with another kiss. Salim knew he should at least let his partner get a little farther inside the house, but now that he had Jason in his arms, he wasn’t inclined to let space get between them.
He heated the kiss more with a brush of his tongue along the corner of Jason’s lip. The younger man sucked in a breath and turned to get him full on the mouth, answering the brush with one of his own. The pleasure of it warmed Salim’s body. His hands moved a little lower to get a good grip onto Jason’s firm ass.
“Fuck, Salim,” the other grunted. “What the fuck happened at work to make you so horny?”
“Nothing,” Salim responded, squeezing again. “It was very slow and boring. It gave me a lot of time to think about other things.”
“Wish I could say I was sorry you had a slow day.” Jason’s hands started to move along his chest. Salim opted for a T-shirt to make it easier for Jason to take off. “Mmm, yeah, I can hear those thoughts tickin’ away.”
“I want you to bend me over the couch.” That got Jason’s eyebrows to shoot up.
“Well,” he said, after recovering. “Since you asked so nicely…”
Their foreplay was more rushed than usual; Salim was a little impatient to have Jason inside him. Finally he was bent over, hands gripping the arm rest of the couch as Jason’s cock pounded into him. Salim lost himself in the feel of it, moaning with abandon and gasping out encouragements in Arabic. They’d been partners long enough he knew Jason would understand.
Jason kept his hands firm on Salim’s hips but his mouth was everywhere: Salim’s shoulders, on the back of his neck, down his spine, on his jaw and cheek. Salim twisted his head to catch kisses on his mouth between gulps of air.
“It feels so good, jarhead,” he praised. He felt his partner shift the angle just a little. “Ahh, Jason.”
“That the spot?” Jason guessed, thrusting in again as if he already knew the answer. Salim arched back to take him in. “I love you,” Jason declared. “And I love I ain’t the only one between us who wants to fuck the minute I get home from work.”
“I love you too, Jason.” Salim swallowed, his fingers tightening on the arm rest. “Please, my cock. I need to cum.”
Jason’s hand was there at once to pump him in time with the thrusts. He struck Salim’s prostrate again and somehow timed it with a stroke up to Salim’s balls, sending him hurdling to his orgasm. The pleasure burned through him but left him aware enough to feel it when Jason came inside him a few thrusts later. Jason eased off after a gentle grind against Salim. Salim sagged against the couch.
“You wanna know what I was thinkin’ about while at work?” Jason asked him. Salim turned his head to look at his lover. Maybe he was still riding high form his orgasm, but the look on Jason’s face had him shuddering in desire.
“What?”
“I’ll show you after dinner tonight.” Salim shuddered again, wetting his lips in anticipation. There were certainly some up sides to having a slow day at work.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Jason’s hands on him when he got off the horse that day at the stables. He had gone into those arms without hesitation and had been pleasantly surprised when Jason held his weight. The way Jason looked at him just before releasing his grip on Salim’s hips…
So of course Salim came back to the stables for another riding lesson. He arrived at the gate and saw Jason on one of the horses galloping around an obstacle course. Salim watched in awe as the horse jumped over a vault and weaved through some poles in the ground. Jason finished the course and eased the horse to a stop. Salim applauded, drawing his friend’s attention.
“That was amazing!”
“Thanks.” Jason smiled at him before getting off the horse. He patted it on its side and headed over to Salim. “We’re practicin’ for the horse trials. It’s this three-day event with different shit to showcase the horse’s talents.”
“And the rider,” Salim added.
“Eh, they do most of the work,” Jason shrugged.
“So which horse are you showcasing?”
“Michelangelo.” Salim raised both eyebrows; he didn’t realize children knew classic painters. Jason must have guessed his thoughts, because he added: “After the ninja turtle. Personally Raphael’s my favorite. Such a bad-ass.”
“I’ll take your word on it.” He never heard of these ninja turtles. Were they all named after painters? “When is it? I’ll have to come watch.”
“It ain’t for another month. By then me and Mikey will have kicked this course’s ass.” Salim cracked a grin at that. “Anyway, you here for another lesson? I can get Ruthie saddled up.”
“I did come for a lesson,” Salim admitted, “but I don’t want to make you do more work. You look like you’ve been busy all day.”
“It ain’t exactly work to teach you, Salim,” Jason assured him. “Come on in and we’ll rub down Mikey together.” He opened the gate and Salim stepped in. Jason took Michelangelo’s reins and brought the horse back in his stall.
He talked through all the steps involved in rubbing down a horse after an intense work-out. Salim tried to follow along as best he could. He took the brush and started on the horse’s flank. Jason was on the other side doing the same.
“How’s Zain doin’ with his classes?”
“He loves them. He’s always coming home to tell me stories that he’s learned about in class.”
“He get to the one with the golden fleece yet?” That caught Salim by surprise. “Jason and the Argonauts is one of my favorite movies,” Jason explained. “I musta worn the tape out, I seen it so many times.” Salim made a mental note of the title so he could check it out later.
They talked for a bit more as they finished rubbing down the horse. When they were done, Jason declared that Mikey deserved a treat since he performed so well. Salim was expecting sugar cubes but instead Jason got out slices of watermelon.
“You wanna feed him?” Jason offered. Salim opened his palm for the slices, feeling a little shiver go through him when he felt Jason’s fingers on his skin. A shiver that turned into heat as Jason guided his hands under the horse’s face and didn’t let go. Salim tried to stay calm and not blush too badly at their closeness.
How had it come to this? Yes, Jason was an attractive man, but Salim had put aside that attraction when their friendship started to grow. Now it was coming back and getting stronger. Salim was a little disappointed when Mikey ate all the watermelon and Jason stepped back.
“So.” Jason cleared his throat. “I’m supposed to have someone around while I practice. Y'know, safety reasons. So if you wanted, you could drop by while Mikey and I get ready for the trials.”
“All right,” Salim agreed, hoping he didn’t sound too eager. There was a softness to Jason’s smile that had his heart fluttering. Maybe what he was feeling wasn’t one way.
Salim really missed his baths at home. When he got home from a long day, he would run some hot water and lay there listening to his favorite radio station. For those few minutes he was alone and relaxed. The prison showers gave him no relaxation and he was surrounded by his fellow inmates.
He suppressed a sigh as the familiar sounds of Merwin fucking Joey started echoing in the communal showers. Thankfully he didn’t always shower at the same time as them but when he did, he had to hear their noises. Some of the other prisoners watched or cheered Merwin on. Salim just tried to ignore it and finish washing.
Sound traveled and the grunting, moaning, slapping of skin on skin was hard to block out. His thoughts drifted and an unexpected image formed in his mind: Jason, naked and wet from the shower, his dark hair freed from the hat he always wore. Salim heard Jason moan before and could replay the sounds to himself now.
Desire shot through him and he thoughtlessly grasped onto the base of his cock. If only it was Jason’s hand instead gripping him like this, stroking slowly and deliberately as he kissed along Salim’s jaw and throat. The other hand would caress Salim’s side, getting handfuls and humming in pleasure. Salim could feel his cock stiffening as he let the images play in his mind.
He now thought of Jason’s cock in his hand. He ran his thumb up and down the rigid length trying to guess how Jason’s would compare. Salim shuddered and wiped off the bit of precum that was starting to form at his tip. The slapping noises were getting harder, faster, and Salim ached for those noises to be his and Jason’s bodies striking together. How would it feel to have a cock pounding into him like that?
His hand worked to match the pace of the slaps, now putting himself bent over as Merwin bent over Joey so many times. Jason’s hand would grip onto him firmly, pumping and squeezing as his cock buried in deep every thrust.
Salim swallowed down the cry that wanted to slip out when he came. He pumped himself a few more times to be sure he was done. Better than a bath, certainly, but now there was a problem.
Salim had fantasized about Jason naked, wet, kissing and fucking him, and now the idea would not be able to leave his mind.
He and Jason had been messaging each other every day for the past week. He already had a folder dedicated to all the pictures Jason sent him. Some of them were of Jason’s drawings, some of views from his favorite camping spots, and some of the young man himself. Salim reciprocated, and got a flutter in his heart every time Jason responded with a heart or a positive comment.
[See, Baba?] Zain boasted. [That dating app worked!]
[I don’t think we’re dating,] Salim argued. He did try to flirt a few times but it was difficult to tell if it came across when he couldn’t see Jason’s facial reaction. And sometimes it did seem like Jason was flirting back, but again Salim wasn’t sure.
[The first thing you do in the morning is check to see if Jason messaged you,] Zain pointed out. He started ticking off examples on his fingers. [You always send him a message when it’s morning in America, you get a huge smile on your face when you two get into a conversation, you bring him up all the time… You’re definitely dating, Baba.]
Salim felt his face heat up in a blush. [It’s hard to tell when I don’t even see him. I’ve never even heard his voice.] Zain rolled his eyes.
[So ask for his number and call him.]
It was such an obvious solution Salim felt foolish for not thinking of it. He got the number and didn’t even have to wait a full ring for Jason to answer.
“Hey, stranger.” The voice on the other end had a low drawl to it.
“Hello, Jason.” He swallowed and wiped some of the sweat off his hands. This was ridiculous: he was forty with a teenage son! He shouldn’t be so nervous talking to someone over the phone! “Ah, so, how is your day so far?”
“Well, I got a handsome man on the phone, so it’s a whole lot better now.”
“Oh.” The fluttering in his heart nearly exploded. Jason had been complimentary to him before, but actually hearing it out loud was something else. “That’s an interesting coincidence, as I have a handsome man on the phone, too.”
“He got an accent? I hear some people really go for accents.”
“ ‘Some people’,” Salim echoed. He was feeling more confident now as they fell into their usual rhythm. “Are you one of those people?”
“You don’t say. I prefer American accents, personally. Especially those that sound like they’re out of a cowboy movie.”
“You seen many cowboy movies?” Jason asked him.
“I took Zain to one when he was young. We enjoyed it.”
“We should watch one,” Jason decided. “How 'bout The Magnificent Seven?” Salim hadn’t heard of it, but he would happily watch whatever Jason wanted. He took a breath, hesitating only a moment before asking.
“Are… are you asking me out on a date, Jason?” The silence on the other end was excruciating.
“I, um… yeah. I mean, sure. I like you and… yep. A date.”
“Very eloquent,” Salim teased him. How? You’re in America and I’m in Iraq. He didn’t want to ask that and ruin the good mood. “I like you, too,” he confessed instead.
“Glad to hear.” Some of Jason’s confidence was coming back in his voice. “How’s Friday?” Salim agreed on it. “Okay, so… Friday.”
“Magnificent.” That got a snort from Jason.
“Shoulda known you’d make such a dad joke.”
“You laughed,” Salim pointed out.
“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Jason retorted, and this time Salim laughed. Friday. He repeated it in his mind. He had no idea how they were going to do this, but it was set: he was going on his first date with Jason.
Salim entered the mess hall to find Nick, Rachel, Clarice, and Merwin seated but without any food in front of them. He drew closer and his nose caught the sweet scent of baking coming from the kitchen. Nick caught his eye and waved him over.
“Sit here,” the young man invited. “They’re almost done.”
“What’s happening?” Salim asked as he seated himself.
“Best day of the fuckin’ year,” Merwin answered. “Pi day.” That didn’t really answer Salim’s question so he turned toward Nick hoping for more.
“It’s a math thing. And every year Eric and Joey celebrate it by baking pies.” Salim wasn’t entirely sure what pies had to do with math at first, but then he realized: the value of pie, three point one four. And today was March the fourteenth.
“Oh, that’s clever.” He scanned the faces of the other Americans and found one other missing. “So where is Jason?”
“He decided to join them this year.” Nick shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know why; he never offered before. I didn’t think he even knew how to bake.”
Salim was curious now, too. As the smells grew stronger in the kitchen, his stomach grew more interested. He was salivating by the time the three bakers finally emerged. Salim’s eyes went immediately to Jason: the young marine wasn’t wearing his hat for a change and had an apron tied around him that read “My Kitchen, My Rules”. Which contradicted with Eric’s “Hail to the Chef” apron. It still looked good on him, though.
“What’s on the menu, sweetie?” Merwin asked Joey.
“Empanada galleda to start with, and for dessert we have apple or anke pie.” Jason was already cutting into one of the pies and passing a slice over to Salim. “Come on, he doesn’t want dessert first,” Joey chided him.
“This is the one you made, Jason?” Salim guessed. It didn’t look like any pie he’d ever seen before. He took a forkful into his mouth and letting out a hum of pleasure at the taste of the pie’s lemony sauce. “It’s very good!”
“Glad you like it.” Jason took off his apron so he could sit down next to Salim and get some pie for himself. The others were already digging into Joey’s empanada.
“I’ll have to get in on this tradition, too,” Salim remarked. “I think you might like cheese chureck.”
“Make it for me later.” Jason bumped their shoulders together. “If it’s good, I’ll give my compliments to the chef.” There was something almost flirty about the way he said it. But maybe Salim was just hearing what he wanted to hear.
Still, he was going to bake that cheese chureck later and find out.
(requested by @cupofangst Is this canon to the AO3 story? I really don’t know, I just wanted to write some smut)
Salim loved seeing Jason in that cowboy hat, but sometimes the beast had it pulled so low Salim couldn’t always see his eyes. He let out an impatient noise and reached up to push the brim back up. Jason caught his hand and held onto it. Salim watched him wondering what was wrong. Jason’s face was drawing closer and Salim was surprised at how his body reacted: his heartbeat grew a little faster and his breathing a bit more shallow.
Jason leaned in closer still, his rough tongue brushing up against Salim’s cheek. Salim felt whatever air he had in his lungs get knocked out. His hand lifted to catch onto the back of Jason’s neck, preventing him from pulling away too far. He tugged instead and Jason let himself be brought back. He pressed his face against Salim’s and let out a low purr as he nuzzled.
“And you keep saying you aren’t a cat,” Salim chuckled.
“Shut up.” Jason’s sharp teeth nipped at his jaw. Salim tightened his grip on the beast’s fur. “You good?” Jason checked. “Shit, sorry, did I hurt you?” Salim answered with a shake of his head. As he hoped, Jason’s tongue came out to sweep across where he just bit. He turned his head to catch Jason’s tongue passing over the corner of his lip.
They both froze for a moment, and then Jason’s lips were on his. It was such a strange sensation– his mouth and jaw had been warped to suit his beast form– but again the reaction Salim felt surprised him: his breath caught in his lungs and heat shot through his body. He kissed back as best he could. Jason trembled a little and put his arms around Salim. His kisses were awkward as he tried to figure out how to move his mouth properly while being very conscious of his teeth.
His fingers gripped onto Salim’s hips. Salim had both hands on the back of Jason’s neck to keep them close. Being pressed up flush against Jason somehow both soothed him and made him ache at the same time.
“Salim,” Jason growled out.
“Yes,qita.” His voice was husky and a little breathless when he responded. It felt like he was answering as well as acknowledging he wanted this. Jason’s claws tapped his back and Salim arched a little. “Yes,” he said again.
It was so strange to think that not long ago, he had been afraid of this beast. Salim knew now that Jason would never hurt him. So when he felt claws digging into his clothes, he didn’t flinch away. He simply kissed Jason and nuzzled his cheek. Then the tearing sounds started.
“Really, Jason?” he sighed.
“I can’t get the fuckin’ buttons with these claws,” the beast huffed defensively.
“I think you’re just impatient, qita. Poor kitty hasn’t had anyone to pet him.”
“You are such a fucking asshole,” Jason grumbled. The tearing sounds grew louder as he ripped Salim’s shirt right off. Salim barely noticed the resulting chill thanks to the warmth of Jason’s fur. Jason’s hands went back to his hips, moving lower to his legs. In one swift movement he lifted Salim, causing another rush of arousal and a skip in Salim’s heart. Jason smirked; Salim’s body must have responded enough for the beast to notice. Thankfully his bedroom wasn’t far so he only carried Salim a short way before guiding him down on the bed.
Is this happening? Am I really–? Salim couldn’t even finish the thought before Jason was nuzzling him again right between his legs. He gasped and automatically spread his legs wider. Jason nuzzled him again; he could feel the beast’s breath teasing him through the material of his trousers.
“Oh, you might as well rip those off, too,” he sighed.
“Who’s impatient now?” Jason chuckled.
“Brat.” Salim gave him a harmless swat, which only made Jason chuckle more. But Jason did take his advice and ripped off the man’s trousers, making short work of the rest of his undergarment too.
The first press of Jason’s tongue to his shaft had Salim crying out. He quickly grabbed onto the beast’s fur so he wouldn’t stop or pull back. Jason hummed and licked him again, slower this time, going from root to tip. Salim whimpered and trembled. He never had anyone do this to him before but he was pretty sure the rough texture of Jason’s tongue was making a difference.
He felt Jason’s hands on his thighs and he relaxed, letting himself be spread open even wider. He felt a blush spread over his cheeks and he closed his eyes to sink into the treatment. Just as he was getting used to it, Jason’s tongue licked across his tight hole.
“Ahh!” Salim yelped. “Jason!”
“I ain’t got lube, Salim,” the beast explained, “and my claws can’t go inside ya.”
“O-oh.” The blush got deeper. “Then… go on. Please.”
The tongue slowly circled the little ring of muscle before gently pushing inside. Salim twitched, the heat and arousal inside him rising even more. He could feel Jason’s tongue pushing in deeper, deeper, stretching and filling him. He tried to breathe as deeply as he could, gripping onto his own thighs to keep them from shaking. Jason pushed in as deep as he could go before pulling out again and repeating the motion.
Each thrust was slow and deep. Salim might have babbled something in Arabic at some point. His cock was rigid and already starting to drip in precum.
“You’ll make me cum, qita,” he warned. That made Jason withdraw a little too quickly for Salim’s liking. Jason’s face soon appeared above him. At some point he had taken off his hat and Salim couldn’t resist scratching him behind the ears.
“You look so pretty all spread open for me.” Jason’s tail swayed lazily behind him as he spoke. “Gonna fuck you good and slow.” Salim couldn’t find any words so he simply nodded.
Jason fit in between Salim’s spread legs, taking over holding them open. The first thrust nearly had Salim lifting off the bed. He hadn’t been expecting it– he hadn’t thought that of course Jason was already naked. The next thrust in pushed Salim back down against the mattress.
“You good?” Jason checked again.
“Good,” Salim repeated dazedly. “It’s a little uncomfortable.”
“I’ll be gentle.” Jason nuzzled his cheek to soothe him, and then pushed in just a little more. Salim let out a sigh and nuzzled Jason back.
It went slow, as Jason promised, and every time Salim tried to lift up to meet the thrusts the next one would push him down against the mattress. The movement also made Jason go in deeper, so Salim tried to lift his hips up as often as possible. His brain was in a pleasurable fog, his legs wrapped around Jason’s body and linked at the ankles. The fur brushing against his bare skin was a little distracting and made his already heated body even warmer.
What mattered was the feel of Jason thrusting into him, striking that bundle of nerves at just the right angle. The beast alternated between growling and letting out more human-sounding noises of pleasure. When Salim caught his gaze, the lust had darkened his eyes.
“No,” Salim moaned. He touched under the eye he knew should still be human. “Stay with me.”
“I ain’t goin’ nowhere.” Jason emphasized the words with another thrust.
Salim came after a few more deep thrusts that hit his prostrate. Jason kept moving until it was his turn, pulling out just before so his cum splashed hot on Salim’s stomach. Salim’s legs felt like rubber when Jason eased him off. His whole body, in fact, felt so loose it was difficult to move. And he probably should to clean off the mess. Jason wasn’t making that easy as he curled up and pressed his face against Salim’s to nuzzle him.
He now had a selfish reason to learn how to break this curse: he wanted the feeling of Jason’s true face nuzzling him, his bare skin against Salim’s, his fingers able to touch without the sharp claws, his mouth able to kiss without the teeth. Being able to cuddle without that hot fur in the way.
The weight of the man’s body was pressing him flush against the wall. Jason pulled back from the kiss enough to catch a quick breath before sealing their lips together again. His fingers dug into the short curls of the man’s dark hair, moaning a little as teeth sank gently into his bottom lip. A tongue delicately brushed across his lip to soothe the bite and Jason quickly darted out his own tongue to answer.
“Brat,” Salim huffed; his voice had gone husky. He pulled away far enough so they could see each other’s faces. “How much longer do we have, jarhead?” Jason cursed and checked his watch.
“Two minutes.”
“Then we’d best make them count.” He kissed Jason again, stealing the younger man’s breath away.
They really should have stopped this after the first kiss; Jason knew that. But they kept finding reasons to be near each other, riding that line between banter and flirting. And since Jason knew the guard schedule and where the cameras weren’t watching, it made it all too easy for them to be alone. So one stolen kiss became two, and now every time Jason was on duty they were kissing for as many minutes as they could take.
“Time’s up,” he announced. Salim sighed and released him, taking a step back. Jason took a moment to make sure his uniform was in order before heading out of the room. Salim would wait a while before exiting in another direction.
There was a part of him that found the sneaking around exciting. But he knew they were riding another dangerous line with this. If they got caught, Jason could lose his job and Salim could get transferred to another prison. It was better for both of them to stop.
But when Jason thought of not having Salim’s weight pressing him against the wall, those lips hot against his own, those hands feeling over his uniform and daring to touch inches of skin underneath…
Shit. He would need to splash some cold water on his face before he could focus on work. Jason rubbed at his face. For the thousandth time, he told himself this had to be the last time he and Salim met up like this.
But the very next time he saw the man, he ignored himself and ran his tongue over his lips. Salim shook his head and mouthed the word “jarhead”, making Jason’s heart beat faster. Already planning on the next time they could be alone.
It had taken Jason an embarrassingly long time to even message the handsome Iraqi. He’d been a little startled when the man’s picture popped up as a possible match. When he first downloaded it, the thing kept giving him dud after dud. It must have realized his preferences before he did because after a while it stopped recommending women altogether. He had lingered on that first male picture just long enough for the app to learn what he was really looking for.
Now he and Salim were sending each other messages all the time. Jason’s cheeks actually hurt from how much he was smiling these days. But it isn’t flirting. He wasn’t sure if that was a lie: he couldn’t always tell if his attempts at flirting were coming across in text, or if Salim was picking up on the flirting. What he did know was that messages from Salim were the highlight of his day, and every time he heard a new one he opened up the app so he could read it.
This time Salim sent him a picture of himself standing by his garden. Jason had replied back with a simple declaration of “cute” and a heart.
“I’m cute?” Salim asked.
“Don’t get too excited,” Jason wrote back. “I meant the garden.” He wanted to come across as teasing and flirting, but again he wasn’t sure he did. He wished he could see Salim’s face.
“Yes, some of them have sprouted. I guess that’s ‘cute’.” A moment later, Salim added: “Send me a picture of something you’ve drawn recently.” Jason hunted around for his sketchbook and flipped it to the most recent drawing. It’d been inspired by a dream he had last night. He snapped a picture and sent it to Salim.
“I like it,” Salim declared. I like you, Jason thought with a flutter in his chest. But he wasn’t quite ready to type it out and hit “send”. So he just sent Salim a smiley face instead.
They were spending an afternoon together, sitting with their heads tilted up toward the sun. Jason let out a sigh and got to his feet. Salim watched his friend stretch out his limbs and felt the disappointed sink that came with knowing Jason would be leaving for the day.
“You busy tomorrow?” Jason asked him. “I might swing by and see ya.”
“I’d like that. Come by whenever you like.” That got Jason to smile and the sink in Salim’s chest felt a little lighter. Jason gave him a little salute and turned to go. “Jason, wait,” Salim called to him on impulse. Jason obediently paused and turned back to face him.
Salim’s heart pounded hard in his chest. He was already questioning whether he should really be doing this. But he knew how he felt about Jason, had been feeling about the younger man for a while now. Salim stepped closer, keeping his focus on Jason until the man’s features blurred in his vision.
And then he kissed the American’s lips. So careful and soft, just enough for Jason to feel it. Jason sucked in a breath and Salim instinctively pulled back thinking he would get rejected, but Jason’s hand reached to latch onto his arm and pull him in again. Jason added pressure to the kiss, making it feel almost demanding. Salim gave in to the demand without hesitation. His lips were firm now as they moved against the marine’s. After a moment he felt something solid bump them and cracked his eyes open to see he had somehow backed Jason against a wall.
Jason pulled back a little. He hadn’t released his grip on Salim’s arm yet. “That was a hell of a first kiss,” he observed.
“Th-thank you,” Salim gulped, not knowing what else to say. Jason’s sigh was one of content this time.
“I kinda forgot what I was doin’.” Salim almost reminded him but then stopped, his lips moving into a slow smile.
“It wasn’t important,” he said instead, and leaned in to kiss Jason again.
Beams of light found their way past the holes in the shepherd’s hut, burning the vampire. It shrieked in pain and hurried away only to be caught by the light of the sun. More shrieks of pain echoed around them as the other vampires struggled to get back underground. The smell of burnt flesh added itself to the air.
Salim’s eyes searched for Jason and found the marine looking back at him. The desire that stirred in him was almost a Pavlovian response after all they had been through together. But it was more than that now: this man had kept Salim sane while they were down in the temple, had made him laugh and offered a friendly ear and fought at his side.
“Our rescue will be here in about five hours,” Nick pointed out, breaking the tension. He gave a significant glance to Salim. The implication was understood: there was plenty of time for Salim to get home before more American troops showed up.
“I think I’ll go outside and get some air,” Salim announced. He reached over to pick up his metal pole. “A souvenir.” He nodded to the other Americans, lingering the longest on Jason, and headed out of the hut.
“Salim, wait.” He paused and turned to see Jason coming out with him. Salim was relieved the younger man had understood his silent signal. “I just… I wanted to say thanks for savin’ my ass down there.”
“That isn’t all I did to your ass,” Salim responded with a grin.
“Don’t be such a smart-ass,” Jason scolded with a matching grin. “I mean it. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to keep it together down there without you. And I sure wouldn’t have survived.”
“That goes both ways, jarhead.” They were both quiet for a moment. Then Salim took a breath and asked: “Do you know anything about cars? My troops came here on a few vehicles and they should still be up on the ridge.”
“Guess we can take a look,” Jason nodded.
Together they climbed up to where the Republican Guard had parked their vehicles. One had a bullet hole in a wheel but the other looked intact. The troops took everything with them during the assault so the back was empty. Jason climbed in anyway.
“Looking for something, jarhead?” Salim asked him.
“No, just… never really noticed how spacious it is back here. It’s always so crammed with soldiers, ya know?” He turned and there was a glow in his eyes. He looked almost nervous. “C'mere,” Jason gestured, and Salim climbed in to join him.
He hadn’t planned on doing it, but the next thing he knew he was reaching for the American and his fingers were moving in a familiar pattern down to Jason’s belt. Jason’s fingers were moving too with the swift practice of a soldier. But he hadn’t gone for Salim’s belt: he was working the buttons off the older man’s uniform. Salim immediately changed directions to work at Jason’s shirt, too.
It was a long process– they had a lot of clothes between them– but every time something was taken off the exposed skin was given a very thorough sweep of hands, so it was time well-spent.
“ ‘One and done’,” Jason huffed once they were naked. “So much for that.”
“Indeed. I am not done with you, jarhead.” Salim leaned in close, squeezing the marine’s firm ass. “Not by a long shot.” Jason shivered in response and leaned in even closer. So close that kissing him seemed the next logical step. His lips were warm and surprisingly sweet and Salim felt flutters explode inside him at the contact.
Jason’s lips parted for him and he arched close so skin touched skin. That ramped up Salim’s desire to a whole new level; the way his body responded was almost like he’d been waiting for this for a while. He kissed the marine hungrily, fiercely, Jason matching him as his hands dug into Salim’s flesh. Salim hadn’t considered being self-conscious about his body fat, especially when compared to Jason’s more slender build, but there was apparently no need to worry. The way Jason’s hands roamed made it clear he liked it, and any further doubts were chased away by the cock beginning to stiffen against Salim’s thigh.
He guided Jason down to the floor of the truck. Jason let out a hum of approval and shifted his legs apart so Salim could fit in between. Salim took a moment to just look at the man lying under him. Allah surely worked in mysterious ways to bring the two of them to this moment.
“I can hear you thinkin’,” Jason told him. Salim swallowed and kissed Jason’s lip tenderly.
“I was noticing how different you look in the sunlight. And without your hat. I like seeing you this way.”
“Look all you want. I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
“Hmm.” Salim kissed him again, sliding a hand down to lift one of Jason’s legs up to prop on his shoulder. “Maybe I should fuck you until you can’t move, just to be sure.” Jason’s breath hitched and the glow in his eyes got brighter. He reached for one of Salim’s hands and squeezed.
“Hold on.” Salim held up a hand and Jason paused. “Before we continue, I think we should get that cleaned.” He nodded meaningfully to the bullet wound on Jason’s shoulder. Given what they learned about the creatures– that they fed on blood– Jason admitted the other man was right. So they found a spot to sit down. Lucky they were near a water source.
Jason looked through his pack until he found some cloth he could use. He soaked it in the water and began to scrub at his wounded shoulder.
“Would you like me to help?” Salim offered. Jason hesitated a moment before handing over the cloth. “I’m sorry,” Salim spoke up as he brushed over the wound. “I reacted on instinct when I shot you.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t exactly friendly at the time,” Jason reasoned. He could tell Salim was making an effort to be gentle but it still hurt, and Jason instinctively flinched away.
“Hold still,” Salim scolded. He gripped tight to Jason’s arm and the marine hissed out in pain again. A bit more scrubbing later and Salim had washed off most of the blood. “I can’t tell if it’s infected,” Salim mused. He tugged on Jason’s shirt. “Would you mind removing this so I can get a closer look?”
“At least buy me dinner first,” Jason quipped. Salim gave him a startled look and Jason quickly added: “It’s a joke.”
“Ah, yes. Of course.” Salim’s smile was a little shy. Jason felt a bit of awkward tension between them after that. He huffed and removed the shirt as requested. He’d been undressed around other men before– it was unavoidable in the army– so why did he feel so nervous about it now? Why had he made that stupid joke?
Salim leaned in to get a good look at the wound. He prodded the entry point, squeezing it hard enough to make Jason wince in pain again. Salim glanced up and Jason tensed at how much closer they were to each other. Shit, he was blushing. Why the fuck was he blushing?!
“It isn’t infected,” Salim told him, snapping him back to reality. “The bullet went through clean.”
“That a backhanded compliment to yourself?” Jason teased. Salim’s answering smile gave him a warm feeling. Jason shoved his shirt back on and ignored the feeling. “Can we get back to it now?”
“Yes, I think we can.” Salim got his iron bar back in his hand. “What about breakfast?” he asked suddenly.
“What?”
“When we get out of here, I think it will be closer to breakfast time. What if I bought you that?”
“Uh, sure.” Jason stared at him but Salim was already moving on. What the fuck? Did he just hit on me?
His skin tingled, his heart pounding as every nerve of his body came alive. The feel of Jason’s lips sealed against his soothed his need, but only a little. Salim moved his hands down the lines of Jason’s body, smiling against their kiss as the marine followed his touch with a gentle arch of his back. Salim got to the younger man’s ass and skimmed a finger down between the firm cheeks.
“Fuck,” Jason gulped.
“Is that a request?” Salim teased him.
“Ass-hole,” Jason retorted. Salim raised an eyebrow and prodded the tight ring of muscle questioningly. Jason twitched at the sensation. “You gonna do anything back there?” Jason challenged.
“Maybe not.”
“Hilarious. I could just do it myself…” Jason ran his own hand down between his legs. Salim’s eyes couldn’t help but follow. He wet his lips watching those fingers circle Jason’s entrance.
“Jason, wait.” He took the man’s hand by the wrist and moved it away. Jason smirked but Salim surprised him by closing his lips around the fingers. He circled the digits with his tongue, sucking and licking. Jason’s expression melted to desire as Salim ran his tongue along the fingertips and took them deep in his throat.
“Holy shit, Salim,” Jason breathed out. “Your mouth is so fuckin’ good.” Salim stared at him with lust-glazed eyes. He released the fingers once he had thoroughly coated them with his spit.
“There. Now you can continue. I’m curious how open you make yourself for me.”
Jason’s smirk was back as his wet fingers rubbed his hole. Salim watched one disappear all the way to the first knuckle in a single thrust. Jason pumped a few times to work the muscles loose before getting the finger in deeper. Thoughtlessly Salim pushed Jason’s legs apart to get a better view. Now there were two fingers fitting in, thrusting, curling, widening the space.
“You likin’ the show?” Jason asked heatedly. Salim wet his lips as a third finger was folded in. Yes, he was liking this very much. How Jason tried to get his fingers in deep, the frustrated noises he made that made it clear the fingers weren’t satisfying him. Salim spat on his hand to get his cock slick.
“I can take it from here, hayati.”
“About fuckin’ time.” Jason dropped his fingers away and lifted his hips up enticingly. Salim pushed in and let out a gasp at the feel of Jason around him. His lover prepared himself well but the lack of lube still made the going a little slow. He eased in, stopping to grind their hips together.
This was what he’d been craving: the closeness of their bodies, Jason so tight around him. The marine was grinding back, a hand on Salim’s shoulder for leverage and his head tilted slightly back. Salim kissed Jason’s Adam’s apple and felt it bob as the man swallowed hard.
“You’re beautiful, hayati,” he praised. He mouthed the Adam’s apple and felt a leg wrap around him to bring them even closer. “Listening to my thoughts again, Jason?” The marine responded with a low hum.
Salim began to rock a little harder and Jason matched him. He hiked up his other leg, crossing them at the ankles. His hands dug into the meat of Salim’s shoulders as he nearly lifted himself off the bed to get their bodies closer. Salim’s returned thrusts pushed him back down again. They went on like that: push and pull, give and take, Salim’s body burning with pleasure as Jason’s muscles flexed every time he pulled himself up.
“Salim,” Jason moaned. “Mmmn, so fuckin’ close.”
“I’ll get you there,” Salim promised him. He shifted the angle between them to seek out his lover’s prostrate. He knew he got it when Jason threw back his head with a cry. This time it was Salim who lifted Jason off the bed only to thrust him back into it. He did this again and again until Jason lost it and came hard against Salim’s stomach.
“Holy shit,” Jason gasped. Salim could feel the man’s legs start to slip and quickly grabbed them to hoist them back into place. Jason moaned and lifted his hips up as much as he could manage. “Wanna feel you cum, too,” he said dazedly.
“Whatever you want, Jason.” He kissed the marine and shivered feeling the man’s tongue slide into his mouth. Jason still had some energy left after that orgasm, it seemed. He went back to pulling himself up onto Salim’s cock, though it was clear he was straining more now. Salim helped to lift Jason onto him and press him back into the mattress, and soon he was coming into his lover’s body.
He was tired and his muscles ached a little. He caught Jason’s eye and saw the younger man was trembling, just as tired.
“Fuck,” Jason sighed out.
“Again already?” Salim teased. Jason gave him a half-hearted slap on the shoulder.
[Salim.] Dar nudged him and pointed. [Check out that group of Americans.] Salim followed where the other man was pointing and saw several men talking in English. They made their way over to the bar and ordered some drinks. [You should see if you can hustle one of them,] Dar suggested with a glint in his eyes.
Salim agreed and finished off his own drink before heading over to the group. Hustling Americans was very easy to do, in his experience. He wasn’t sure which one of them should be his mark, though. Maybe he would let them decide that. Salim positioned himself near the pool table and ran his fingers over the sides.
“Hey.” He glanced up and saw it was the one in the baseball cap who came over. The American looked younger than Salim and wore a plain blue T-shirt that showed off a tattoo on one arm. Salim could see hints of another tattoo on the other arm.
“Hello,” he greeted pleasantly.
“I’m Jason.” He had an interesting accent, Salim noted, similar to the ones he heard in those cowboy movies he and Zain watched together. “You wanna play a round?” Jason rapped his knuckles on the pool table meaningfully.
“Are you sure?” Salim glanced over to the other Americans. “It won’t interrupt your night out?”
“Nah.” Jason waved the concern away. “So you wanna play or not?”
“Yes, I would like that, thank you. My name is Salim.” The two shook hands and took up some cues. “You’ll have to forgive me: I’m a bit rusty on this.”
“Want me to break, then?” Jason asked. Salim gestured for him to go ahead. “All right, I’m gonna call solids.” Salim was intrigued; usually a player would claim either stripes or solids after getting a ball in a pocket. Jason made his shot and sure enough, he sank in one of the solids. On his next shot he got close but didn’t go in the pocket.
“So that means I do the stripes, yes?” Salim guessed. He lined up his shot, being careful to position so he looked inexperienced.
“Hang on,” Jason interrupted. “You’re grippin’ that too tight. You ain’t brandishing a fuckin’ sword.”
“Oh. Ah, I see, so more like this?” Salim changed the grip. To his surprise, Jason moved so he was standing right next to Salim, leaning over to check his hand position. The closeness made it easier to see the younger man’s face and Salim couldn’t help noticing the splash of freckles.
“Yep, you got it now,” Jason confirmed and moved back again. Salim tried to focus back on the game but he’d been unsettled by the American being so close. Ishe trying to hustle me? Salim shook away the thought and went back to the game. He sank in one of the balls and went around to make another shot.
“Do you play this game often?” Salim asked.
“Now and then.” He offered no more and Salim frowned; usually people suggested putting money on the game by now. He sank in another ball and Jason let out a whistle. “Not bad.”
“You must be my lucky charm,” Salim quipped. He meant it to unsettle Jason like the American’s closeness had unsettled him, but Jason merely smirked and tugged on the brim of his cap.
“Happy to oblige.” Damn, he’s handsome andcharming. Salim blamed that charm on him missing his next shot. Jason stepped up to go again and Salim took the opportunity to look over to Dar. The other man gestured at him in a clear “what are you doing, why haven’t you started hustling him yet” signal. Salim shrugged his shoulders helplessly.
“Salim,” Jason called to him. “Get over here. I wanna see if you’re my lucky charm.”
“Why would I want to help you win?” Salim challenged.
“To make it easier on yourself.” There we go. That was the overconfidence he was expecting.
“If you’re so sure you’ll win, why not put some money on it?”
“I wouldn’t wanna rob you,” Jason retorted. What a brat. There was a gleam in his eyes like he was enjoying their verbal sparring more than the pool game. Salim found he was enjoying it, too. “How ‘bout loser buys the winner a drink?” Jason suggested.
“Make mine non-alcoholic and you have yourself a deal.”
The two went back to the game. They were fairly evenly matched and Salim found he wasn’t trying any of his usual hustle tricks. He was playing for fun, and Jason turned out to be a good opponent. The two exchanged some friendly trash-talk and Salim even got in Jason’s space to “test the good-luck charm”. Salim eventually came out the winner.
“There are easier ways of asking if you can buy someone a drink,” Salim teased.
“Yeah, well…” Jason tugged on the brim of his cap. “Let’s just say I’m a little rusty.”
“I see.” Salim took a sip of his drink, his heart beating a little faster as he asked: “Would you like me to help you with your technique?” Jason smiled and leaned in a little.
Jason was glad that Salim got out of his shy shell: the man was much more interesting to live with now that he was teasing and cracking jokes. Talking to him always energized Jason and lifted up his mood.
One night he was feeling restless and went into the living room to watch some late-night infomercials. He tried to keep the volume down but the door to Salim’s room opened anyway and the older man padded out.
“Hey,” Jason greeted. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I’m starting to see why you have such trouble in the morning,” the Iraqi huffed. He moved a little closer to the couch. “What are you watching?”
“Just someone trying to sell shit.” He hadn’t really been paying attention; he had turned it on for the noise. Salim sat down next to him on the couch. “Want me to change the channel?” Jason offered.
“No, no, I find this fascinating. Four easy payments of $19.99 and you get another one free.” Jason chuckled a little. Salim caught his eye and smiled back, and Jason noted how the television’s glow accented Salim’s figure. He’d seen the guy shirtless a few times but never got a good look before. The man was built solid and had dark, curly chest hair that trailed down to the hemline of his sweats.
“I could buy some herbal tea,” Salim spoke up, snapping Jason out of his daze. “To help you sleep.”
“Oh.” Jason turned his eyes back to the screen. Shit, what was wrong with him? Lucky Salim didn’t catch him staring. “Yeah, sure. I can try it.” They fell quiet and watched a few infomercials. Salim seemed very entertained by them: he chuckled a few times and made comments about the products. It was kind of cute.
No, it’s not. He’s not cute; he’s your fucking roommate, Jason scolded himself. After another hour he got up and stretched out his limbs.
“I’d better go try to get some more sleep. Thanks for keepin’ me company.”
“Anytime.” There was warmth and sincerity in the reply. Salim had risen to his feet, his eyes meeting Jason’s. “You can just knock on my door next time.”
Jason observed the man beside him in the morning light. Salim was asleep, sheets mostly covering him except for one arm and shoulder that had poked out. Jason’s hand went under the sheets to brush along the older man’s chest hair. When Salim didn’t stir Jason went a little lower to squeeze into his side.
“Mmm?” Salim’s eyes opened and focused on the former marine. “What is it, hayati?”
“Nothin’.” Jason squeezed Salim again before moving down to his thigh.
“That doesn’t feel like nothing,” the Iraqi observed in a sleepy voice. Jason’s hand went down the thigh and circled around to go up between his lover’s legs. “Definitely not ‘nothing’,” Salim mused.
“Want me to stop?”
“No.” Salim was quiet for a moment as Jason passed his hand up and down the length of his thighs, teasing but not actually touching his lover’s cock. “What brought this on?” Salim asked him at last.
“What, I need a reason to feel up my boyfriend?”
“Point made.” Salim shifted his legs a little farther apart. Jason took advantage to go even higher with his hand. He grazed against Salim’s entrance, causing the older man to shudder. “Ahh, Jason. Really?”
“Sorry. Are you sore?”
“Only a little. I think you left the lube on the bedside table,” he added.
“You sure?”
“Yes,hayati, I’m sure you left it there.”
“That ain’t what I mean, Salim!” Jason couldn’t help smiling a little. “It’s early, and you’re still sore. We don’t have to–”
“Jason,” Salim cut him off. “If you woke me up just to not fuck me, I’m going to be upset.”
“Wouldn’t want that,” Jason chuckled. He reached for the lube and coated his fingers. Salim was shifting his legs farther apart under the covers.
“I love you,” Jason declared. He rubbed his fingers against Salim’s entrance before sliding one inside. He worked it in deep, trying to stretch his lover out enough for a second finger to go in. Salim’s eyes fluttered and his hips arched up a bit.
Jason tried to be gentle and slow as he thrust. Salim started to breathe a little heavier and lifted a hand to latch onto Jason’s shoulder. He used it to lift himself up and get Jason’s fingers in deeper.
“I, ah, love you too, Jason,” Salim moaned. “Ah, are you ready yet?” He groped around until he found Jason’s cock. “Mmm, needs encouragement.” He ran fingers from root to tip, palming Jason’s balls one at a time. Jason let out a moan of his own and bucked into the sensation.
Between Jason working Salim with his fingers and the other working Jason with his hand, they had each other ready in no-time. Salim finally threw the sheet completely off him so his body was exposed. He was absolutely gorgeous and flushed with arousal. Jason slid inside and Salim immediately hooked a leg around him to pull him in closer.
“Fuck, Salim,” Jason gasped.
“I don’t know why you sound surprised,” Salim chuckled. “You’re the one who was groping me this morning.” Jason was a little relieved; he worried he was asking too much, but his lover had been just as eager to go. As Salim quickly proved with a flex of his leg in a clear hint for Jason to start thrusting.
Their hips moved in a slow and steady rhythm against each other. Salim tugged Jason down for a kiss and their tongues immediately tangled to match the tangle of their bodies. Hands gripped onto shoulders and fingers wove through hair. They didn’t exchange many words beyond the occasional call of the other’s name or a “yes, so good”.
Jason knew Salim was getting close when he lost his grasp of the English language. Eventually he came across Jason’s stomach. It took a few more thrusts and a flex of Salim’s leg around him for Jason to hit his orgasm, too. He eased off and settled more or less where he started that morning.
“Is that your way of saying 'good morning’?” Salim teased him.
“Well, I’d say that was better than 'good’,” Jason pointed out, which made Salim laugh.
Salim sat in the crowd waiting eagerly for Jason and Michelangelo to show up. He’d been coming to Jason’s practices for the past few days and was impressed by how rider and horse worked together so well. He wanted Jason to win because he had worked very hard but also, Salim had made a promise to himself: if Jason won, Salim would finally kiss him.
It was risky but he couldn’t deny his attraction to his friend any longer. The way Jason responded to him, Salim was certain the other felt the same way.
Jason took his turn on the obstacle course. Salim saw him do this many times in practices. He applauded every time Mikey made a difficult jump. When they were done, Jason led his horse around the track to cool down and show off his control of the animal. His head was turning like he was looking for something and Salim waved to catch his eye. Jason saw him and waved back.
Salim didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the event. At last all the competitors were called out and winners were announced. Jason and Mikey won the obstacle course, and came in second over all. Salim could see the younger man swelling in pride as he was given the trophies. Salim left the crowd and headed to the stables where he knew Jason would be rewarding Mikey.
“Good job, jarhead.”
“Hey.” Jason beamed at him and held up the trophy. “Second! I didn’t even make the top three last year. And we won the obstacle course.”
“You worked very hard.” Salim drew a little closer. “What’s Mikey’s reward?”
“Strawberries. Wanna feed him?” Jason took his hand without waiting for an answer and put some of the berries in Salim’s palm. “Thanks for comin’, by the way,” Jason added. His thumb brushed along Salim’s wrist. “I was real glad to see you in the crowd.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it,” Salim assured him. He was feeling a little nervous now. Jason was still stroking his wrist gently, watching him. Earlier, Salim thought he should have some clever segway into this, but in the moment he could think of nothing to say. So he simply leaned in and pressed his lips to Jason’s.
He felt Jason’s grip on his wrist tighten, the younger man’s lips parting slightly. And then a returned pressure of Jason’s mouth. Salim shivered despite the warmth that flooded him. He could have stayed like this for hours were it not for the horse head that butted in between them. They broke apart and Salim laughed as Mikey tried to get at the berries still in his hand.
“Cockblocker,” Jason scolded. His face was flushed and his eyes were a little brighter than usual. “I promised myself if I won this, I would kiss you,” he confessed to Salim. “You beat me to it.”
“I made myself a similar promise,” Salim told him. “Though I would have kissed you even if you lost.” Jason’s flush grew more pronounced and Salim smiled, liking how it looked against his freckled face. He wanted to kiss Jason again and feel those lips part for him.
“I should, um, get Mikey back to the stables,” Jason said after a moment. “Come by later?”
“I will.” Feeling bold now that they crossed this threshold, Salim leaned in to add in a low voice: “You still owe me riding lessons, jarhead.” Jason visibly swallowed; he had taken the words exactly as Salim intended.
Warm, calloused fingers brushed against his bare skin. Jason let out a puff of air against the older man’s lips. Salim’s hands grew bolder, wandering up to the marine’s pecs and brushing just under the nipples. Jason fought hard for patience but the more Salim touched him, the more he wanted to be touched.
Salim’s hands reversed course down to Jason’s hips. They caressed the bone, circling around to find the zipper on his jeans. It was pulled down and his fly opened. He could see Salim looking and couldn’t resist lifting his hips a little to give the man a better view.
“Already?” Salim questioned, rubbing Jason’s bulge with the heel of his palm. “I’ve barely done anything, jarhead.”
“Believe me, I noticed.” Salim chuckled and gave him a peck on the lips. He rubbed the bulge again and when Jason lifted his hips, he slid the jeans off and down to the younger man’s knees. Jason took it from there and kicked them the rest of the way off.
“Boxers,” Salim noted. “I was expecting you to go commando.”
“Disappointed?”
“No.” Salim’s eyes gleamed at him. “Something for me to look forward to.”
“Smooth,” Jason smirked. Salim’s smile grew warmer in response and he kissed Jason again. His hands were on Jason’s legs now, caressing up and down his thighs. He spread them open and Salim fit himself in between. We’re finally fucking getting somewhere, Jason thought.
Jason reached out to grip onto Salim’s shirt and pull up. He got it all the way to the man’s armpits before Salim had to take over. The man finally shirtless, Jason could run his hands over that broad chest freely. Heat pooled in his gut and his cock grew a bit more impatient in the confines of his boxers.
“Jason,” Salim gulped. He took the younger man’s hands and gently guided them off his body, pushing them into the mattress off the bed. Jason was a little startled by the jump in arousal at being pinned down. “I need you to hold still.”
“I want to touch you,” Jason argued.
“Let me touch you first, jarhead.” Salim moved his hands down to the hem of Jason’s shirt. As his hands grazed up Jason’s body he pushed the material along. When it got to his armpits, Jason lifted his arms up to help but Salim made an impatient click with his tongue. “Jason, please, hold still.”
“I was just takin’ my shirt off.”
“Letme do it.” Salim pulled the shirt off over Jason’s head but instead of slipping him out of the arm sleeves, he guided Jason’s arms over his head and did some complicated twisting so the shirt bound him.
“What the fuck, Salim?” Jason’s heart was pounding hard in his chest. This was an unexpected turn and his cock was betraying how turned on he was by it. Salim gave him a little nudge with a knee.
“I had a feeling you wouldn’t mind.”
“So what, you want me to just lay here and look pretty?” Salim leaned over him, a hand resting against Jason’s side. He was so close their noses were almost touching. Jason’s eyes dropped half-closed in a clear invitation.
“Youare pretty,” Salim agreed. He caressed Jason’s side, his knee pressing against Jason’s crotch just enough. “You are so lovely, Jason. I especially like that flush on your cheeks.” He pressed a kiss to one cheek. Jason turned his head to catch the lips with his and he let out all the desire he felt in that kiss.
It struck him that he never would have allowed anyone else to tie him up like this. But down in those catacombs, he and Salim had forged a strong trust between each other. They fought side-by-side and saved each other more than once. Jason felt utterly safe with the other man. Safe enough to be vulnerable.
“Salim, I… I want you to fuck me.”
“I’m sorry, Jason, but I’m not interested in fucking you.” Jason stiffened but Salim soothed him with another kiss. “I’m going to make love to you, slowly, erasing any other lover you’ve had before me.”
“Oh.” Jason swallowed hard, his blush more pronounced on his cheeks. “Yeah. I like that idea better.”
Jason tried to enjoy the night out with his friends, but his mind was off across the ocean. After a few weeks he had started mentally calculating the time difference automatically and knew that Salim was probably asleep by now. He wished the older man was sitting here with him instead.
“What’s up with you, man?” Nick asked as they all headed back to Eric’s car. The colonel had drawn the short straw as the designated driver this time. “You seemed a little out of it tonight.”
“It’s…” Jason hesitated; he wasn’t out among his friends yet. “It’s this dating app,” he explained instead. “I got matched with someone, but they live in another country. We’ve been texting and we sorta went on a date using Skype.”
“Long-distance? That sucks.” Nick was thoughtful for a moment. “Is she cute?” Jason didn’t correct his friend. He thought of all the pictures he had of Salim. One of his favorites was the man in his garden, dirt smudged on a cheek and a smile across his face.
“Yep, pretty cute.”
“Then as long as you both are willing to work with it, I say go for it.” They fell quiet then as they climbed into Eric’s car.
Jason didn’t drink that much so he couldn’t excuse any of his actions as intoxication. When he got home, the first thing he did was call Salim. He listened to the ring a few times and then silence. A few moments later Salim’s voice said something in Arabic.
“Uh, it’s me,” Jason said. “Sorry I woke you.”
“Jason? What time is it over there?” Salim’s voice was a bit groggy, his accent more pronounced due to tiredness. “It’s eleven at night,” Salim realized, answering his own question. “Are you having trouble sleeping?”
“Nah, I just got home. My friends and I were hangin’ out. I just called because…” Jason swallowed before going on. “Because I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Jason.” Salim was starting to sound a little more awake. “Did you have fun with your friends?”
“Yeah, it was all right. We talked, had a few beers, nothin’ crazy. What’d you do tonight?”
“Played a trivia game with my son. Listened to the radio.”
“Sounds like you had a wild night,” Jason teased.
“Mmm. And then some bratty American woke me up. He’s lucky he’s cute.”
“Yeah?” Jason grinned, his heart picking up as a blush warmed his face. “You think I’m cute?”
“You will be in a few more hours when I’m awake and had my coffee.”
“I’ll let you get to it, then. Have a good morning, Salim.”
“Good night, Jason,” the other returned. He crawled into bed. The next thing he knew, his phone was ringing. He swore and groped around until he found it, letting out a grunt for a greeting. “You are cute now,” Salim announced.
“You just called to wake me up, didn’t ya?”
“I did,” Salim assured him with a laugh. Fuck. They were thousands of miles apart, and Jason was falling hard for this guy.
[So I realized today that I had a little continuity error in the previous part 10, and rather than edit that, I decided to post a new version instead. I figured no one would mind ;) ]
“Othman.” He turned at Jason’s voice expectantly. “You’re comin’ this way.” Salim’s heart beat a little faster as he followed the guard. It’d been a few days since his cellmate jumped him and he was eager to show Jason how much better he felt. But instead of going to one of their secluded spots, Jason was leading him to the private visitation rooms. Anticipation turned to curiosity.
“What is this, jarhead?”
“You’ll see,” was Jason’s answer. There was a gleam in his eyes. He opened the door, nodding for Salim to enter.
[Baba!] Zain’s greeting shocked him. His son wore a smile on his face that was matched with Jason’s. Salim stared between the two of them.
“I told ya I’d get ya a private room,” Jason reminded him. “Go hug your son.” Salim stared at him a moment longer, too overwhelmed to respond. A warmth filled his chest and his heart swelled up. I love you, he thought, and the realization nearly stole his breath away.
Salim quickly turned away to greet his son. Zain hugged his father as hard as he could with Salim hugging back just as tightly. He heard Jason leave the room and close the door behind him.
[I’m so happy to see you, Zain,] Salim smiled.
[Officer Kolchek said you might need some cheering up.] Zain pulled back to give his father a good look. [What happened, Baba? Were you in a fight again?]
[Yes, but I didn’t fight back. The other prisoner got all the punishment and now I have a new cellmate.] He mentally repeated Zain’s first statement. [Jas– uh, Officer Kolchek contacted you?]
[He did. He said he was going to arrange a private visit for us. I had to be patted down before I was allowed to go in here. He seems nice,] Zain added. [Are you friends?]
[I… yes.] Salim thought of all the kisses, and the most recent feeling that had overtaken him.
[Baba, are you blushing?] Zain frowned, squinting at him. Salim hastened to deny it, but his son was too clever for that. [You are! You likehim! Wait, does he like you, too? Is that why he asked me to come see you?]
Salim’s face grew even warmer. He thought back to the day he was attacked by his former roommate. How Jason had rushed to him, had held him close, had declared Salim his. And Salim had echoed it without hesitation. Adding that to the realization that struck him moments ago and “like” seemed too weak a word.
[I would rather talk about what you’ve been doing lately, Zain.] His son studied him but eventually conceded and their conversation turned to the boy’s studies and other daily activities. It was exactly what he needed, and Jason had known it.
It wasn’t a declaration of love with words, but maybe… Salim dared to hope.
(A little late, I didn’t realize they announced Salim’s birthday!)
Salim woke that morning to find Jason missing from his side in the bed. This discovery was better than a shot of espresso in fully waking him: Jason was a difficult riser and usually had to be coaxed out of bed by Salim on days when the alarm wasn’t set for work. Curious, Salim rolled out of bed and found his boxers where he had tossed them last night.
When he opened the door he was greeted the smell of baked goods. He followed the smell into the kitchen where Jason was waiting for him.
“Mornin’, handsome,” the younger man greeted him. “Happy birthday.” A little bubble of pleasure swelled inside him. So that was why Jason asked about his birthday all those months ago. Salim had completely forgotten that conversation.
“You didn’t do breakfast in bed?” Salim teased.
“Nah, figured we wouldn’t actually get to the breakfast.” Salim just smiled and sat down in the nearest chair. The thing Jason took out of the oven looked a lot like a cake. But surely he didn’t intend for that to be their breakfast? Salim gave him an inquisitive look. “It’s zapenkanka, cheese cake.”
Salim wanted to roll his eyes or scold Jason for trying to make him eat cake for breakfast, but he let it go. His boyfriend had done something incredibly thoughtful and he was going to enjoy it, conventions be damned.
“It looks delicious. Thank you, hayati.”
“Hang on.” Jason held up a finger and brought out a birthday candle. He lit it and set it on the cake. “Okay, make a wish.” Salim barely needed a few seconds before he thought up his wish and blew out the candle. With that out of the way, they could eat.
“Have I mentioned I love it every time you make something in the kitchen?” Salim said between mouthfuls.
“My babushka would be pleased,” Jason remarked. “I got you a present, and then the day’s yours. We do whatever you wanna do.”
Salim couldn’t think of anything he really wanted to do. Maybe it was a sign of getting older, but just channel surfing with Jason seemed like enough for him. They chatted as they ate, talking about Zain’s latest news from school and the current gossip from both of their jobs. The dishes were eventually cleared and Salim took his boyfriend’s hand, leading him into the living room.
“I gotta get your present,” Jason reminded him.
“All right. I have to find that blanket your sister sent us, anyway.”
“Salim, it’s nearly fuckin’ summer.”
“You said we can do what I want, and what I want is to cuddle with you under a blanket.”
“When you put it that way….” Jason kissed him again and hurried off to find the present. Salim eventually found the blanket under the couch. Jason was back with a small wrapped box in his hands.
Inside was a brand-new pair of gardening gloves and two books: one on the various herbs and vegetables one could grow at home, and the other doing the same but with flowers. Salim only managed to not leaf through the books at once because Jason was there waiting for his response.
“There may be more than cuddling under that blanket,” was all he said.
“Love you too,” Jason chuckled. “Glad you like it.” He settled on the couch and pulled the blanket aside, patting the space next to him. “C'mere, birthday boy.”
Salim settled in beside him and shifted closer once Jason had the blanket wrapped over him. Zain would probably call him later but until then, the day was already perfect.
“Othman.” He turned at Jason’s voice expectantly. “You’re comin’ this way.” Salim’s heart beat a little faster as he followed the guard. It’d been a few days since his cellmate jumped him and he was eager to show Jason how much better he felt. But instead of going to one of their secluded spots, Jason was leading him to the private visitation rooms. Anticipation turned to curiosity.
“What is this, jarhead?”
“You’ll see,” was Jason’s answer. There was a gleam in his eyes. He opened the door, nodding for Salim to enter.
[Baba!] Zain’s greeting shocked him. His son wore a smile on his face that was matched with Jason’s. Salim stared between the two of them.
“I told ya I’d get ya a private room,” Jason reminded him. “Go hug your son.” Salim stared at him a moment longer, too overwhelmed to respond. A warmth filled his chest and his heart swelled up. I love you, he thought, and the realization nearly stole his breath away.
Salim quickly turned away to greet his son. Zain hugged his father as hard as he could with Salim hugging back just as tightly. He heard Jason leave the room and close the door behind him.
[I’m so happy to see you, Zain,] Salim smiled.
[Officer Kolchek said you might need some cheering up.] Zain pulled back to give his father a good look. [What happened, Baba? Were you in a fight again?]
[Yes, but I didn’t fight back. The other prisoner got all the punishment and now I have a new cellmate.] He mentally repeated Zain’s first statement. [Jas– uh, Officer Kolchek contacted you?]
[He did. He said he was going to arrange a private visit for us. I had to be patted down before I was allowed to go in here. He seems nice,] Zain added. [Are you friends?]
[I… yes.] Salim thought of all the kisses, and the most recent feeling that had overtaken him.
[Baba, are you blushing?] Zain frowned, squinting at him. Salim hastened to deny it, but his son was too clever for that. [You are! You like him! Wait, does he like you, too? Is that why he asked me to come see you?] Salim didn’t have an answer to that. Jason did obviously like him, but whether it went deeper than that, Salim didn’t know.
[I would rather talk about what you’ve been doing lately, Zain.] His son studied him but eventually conceded and their conversation turned to the boy’s studies and other daily activities. It was exactly what he needed, and Jason had known it.
Salim was a little surprised that Jason got up early that Sunday. Usually the former soldier could barely drag himself out of bed in time to get to work; today he was up at the same time as Salim. Their apartment only had one shower so Salim actually had to wait his turn before going in.
“Mornin’,” Jason greeted him.
“Tell me you didn’t use all the hot water,” Salim frowned, noting the steam that was escaping the bathroom.
“Revenge for all the times I stepped into a cold shower this week.” There was a playful glint in the younger man’s eyes. What a brat, Salim thought, though he was smiling a little. Ever since he gained the confidence to tease Jason, the other was responding with teases of his own. Salim liked it: it kept him on his toes and showed him a playful side to Jason he hadn’t noticed before.
Salim discovered the shower was lukewarm at best. He showered and shaved quickly and headed to the kitchen for his usual morning routine of starting the coffee brewer. Jason was already at work making the promised draniki. Salim touched his back to warn he was passing by.
“I appreciate you making breakfast today,” he said, “but you could have started the coffee, too.”
“Nah. I like the way you make it. Now scoot your ass outta the kitchen; I’m working.”
“ ‘Your Kitchen, Your Rules’?” Salim remarked with a meaningful glance at the apron Jason wore. How charming that Jason would wear such a thing. “All right, I’ll leave you to it, lieutenant. I’ll be in the living room reading if you need help.”
Salim picked up a book he’d been reading, though he found he couldn’t focus on it. Ever since his wife left him, Salim had been the cook in the house. It was a little strange to let someone else take charge of the kitchen. He kept glancing up and watching Jason. The smells were starting to waft through, making his stomach growl. At last Jason declared the draniki finished and Salim rejoined him in the kitchen.
“They look amazing,” Salim told him.
“I made sure it was all halal,” Jason mentioned. That startled Salim. First, that Jason even knew the word, and second that he would go through the trouble.
“Thank you,” was all Salim could think to say. He took a bite and nearly groaned at how good it tasted. “So this is what you can do when you’re awake,” he teased.
“It don’t take much to impress you, does it?” Jason retorted with a snort. Salim smiled around his coffee mug. He almost didn’t need the caffeine when he and Jason were exchanging banter.
They chatted a bit more as they ate. When breakfast was over Salim cleaned up while Jason turned on his gaming device. His reactions were very entertaining: the way he would yell at the screen as if the characters in the game could hear him. Salim got curious and moved over to watch.
“You wanna play?” Jason asked.
“I’d rather watch.” Salim’s lips quirked up in a smirk. “Let’s see if you can impress me again.” Jason’s eyes gleamed back at him and the younger man turned back to the screen.
Salim didn’t really know a lot about video games, but he would swear Jason really was trying to impress him by how he played. The thought made his heart flutter.
Salim was really feeling his age as Zain walked him through how to use Skype. Jason had texted him with the suggestion and Salim felt too embarrassed to admit to the younger man he had no idea what it was. But now everything was set up and, according to Zain, Salim would be able to see and speak with Jason. It was an exciting prospect.
Soon Jason’s image was on the screen and Salim took a moment to just stare. He’d seen several pictures of Jason by now but none had the younger man wearing anything so… was “sexy” the right word? The shirt he wore hugged his muscular frame tight enough for Salim to see every angle.
“Hey,” Jason greeted. “Am I comin’ through all right?”
“Yes,” Salim managed. He now felt a little self-conscious about his own wardrobe choice. He thought he dressed nicely, but he doubted anyone would call it “sexy”. The way Jason’s eyes trailed over him said differently. Salim felt his face getting hot and hoped the image wasn’t so clear Jason would notice.
“Ready for some cowboys?” Jason asked. There was a pause as he re-positioned the camera. “I got popcorn and soda. What about you?”
“Roasted chickpeas and tea.”
“Don’t think I’ve ever had roasted chickpeas. You’ll have to tell me how to make ‘em.” With that he started the movie. The image was a little hard to see but Salim could make out most of the action. Every now and then Jason would make a comment or a noise appropriate for whatever was happening.
Salim wished they were in the same room. Jason tried to angle the camera for Salim to watch the movie while still able to see Jason as well, but sometimes Jason moved out of the shot or his face was obscured. He found himself wanting to reach through the computer screen and pull Jason back into view more than once. At last the movie ended and Jason was back in full frame.
“What’d you think?”
“It was good. I wish I could have seen you better, though.”
“You were supposed to be watchin’ the movie.”
“I find you more interesting,” Salim admitted. Jason’s lip twitched and though it was hard to tell thanks to the image quality, Salim thought the younger man was blushing. “I like your outfit,” Salim told him.
“Yeah?” Jason’s smile grew more confident. “I like yours, too. Your place looks nice,” he added. “Lots of warm colors.” Ah, right, Jason liked to draw; he would notice things like color schemes.
“Thank you. I like that blanket on your couch.”
“My grandma sewed that for me.” Jason pulled it off the back of the couch and wrapped it around himself so Salim could get a better look. Salim again had the urge to reach through the computer, this time to open the blanket and squeeze in next to Jason.
They talked for a while longer before Salim had to call it a night. “I don’t want to fall asleep on you,” he said apologetically.
“I wouldn’t mind it if you did,” Jason assured him. “This blanket’s big enough for two.” The words made Salim’s insides twist in nerves. He wet his lips nervously and swallowed watching Jason’s tongue swipe across his mouth, too. “Uh, well. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” Salim returned in a shaky voice. He ended the call, the nerves still twisting and his heart hammering hard in his chest.
He suddenly really, really hated the Atlantic Ocean.
Jason loved hanging out with Salim. He loved it when the guy got excited about something: his whole face lit up with the joy of whatever it was that caught his interest. He loved the way Salim teased and made tense situations more bearable. He loved Salim’s strength and patience.
But then Jason started to stare longer a the older man’s face; he would yearn to be closer, would immediately turn at Salim’s voice. Now and then Salim would casually touch him and Jason ached every time. He looked for reasons to be around Salim.
Because of what we’ve been through, Jason insisted. Because of that. He cringed at the repeated words. It wasn’t a complete lie: he and Salim had connected in an unbreakable way down in those catacombs. But now that they were topside, Jason was seeing more facets of the man and liking most of them. He was even catching himself thinking of Salim when they weren’t together.
But he wasn’t… it wasn’t like that! Salim was just a really good friend, probably the best friend he had other than Nick. Though Jason had to admit his eyes didn’t linger on Nick, nor did he get nervous butterflies in his stomach like he did with Salim. He prayed Salim wouldn’t notice how Jason would sometimes turn red when they were together.
He took these feelings, bundled them up, and shoved them down. He didn’t want to deal with them or what they meant.
But more and more, like a gravitational pull, his eyes would go to Salim. And center on Salim’s lips. The desire to press his own against them was starting to get painful.
Jason woke to the smell of brewing coffee. It was getting to be a familiar scent already, though he and Salim had only been living together for about a week. The arrangement was proving to be a good one: despite Jason’s training in the military, he was not naturally a morning person. Salim was, and from day one he was up early making coffee strong enough to kick Jason into a waking state.
“Good morning,” Salim greeted him when he made it to the kitchen. Jason grunted and poured his cup of coffee. Salim chuckled to himself.
“What’s so funny?” Jason demanded.
“You.” Salim’s eyes sparkled as he poured his own coffee. “You’re funny. Didn’t your military train you to be prepared at any hour of the day? You’re not even dressed.” Jason pointed to his boxers and Salim just shook his head, sipping his coffee. After a few gulps Jason felt more able to deal with the world.
“You’re feisty today,” he noted. So far Salim had been a quiet roommate and Jason assumed he was shy. This early-morning teasing was new.
“I’m feisty every day,” Salim argued, “you’re just not awake enough to notice.” Jason narrowed his eyes at the older man.
“I woulda noticed this.” A little smile tugged on Salim’s lips and Jason couldn’t help echoing it. Weirdly, this banter was giving him more energy than the coffee. They continued on with their morning routines, eating breakfast together with Jason cleaning up after. “Sunday, I’m gonna make draniki,” he announced.
“And what is that?”
“Potato pancakes. It’s a recipe my grandma taught me.”
“He cooks!” Salim gasped in mock surprise. “And here I thought you only knew how to work the toaster and microwave.”
“I’d brew the fuckin’ coffee if you didn’t hog it,” Jason protested.
“Ah, yes, the difficult task of flipping a switch.” Where the hell had this teasing mood come from? Jason didn’t know, but he liked it.
“Keep runnin’ your mouth, smart-ass, and you ain’t getting any draniki.” Salim held up his hands in surrender but the amused light was still dancing in his eyes. Jason held onto that gaze for a moment before getting back to the dishes.
Salim was shaking a little as Jason encouraged him to sit. He liked when his jarhead was a little commanding. Salim wet his lips and leaned on his hands, legs spread enough for Jason to fit between. Jason immediately took the invitation. He cupped Salim’s face in his hands, nibbling gently on the older man’s lips before sliding his tongue between.
“Ahh,” Salim sighed out.
“Like that?” Jason hummed. He let his tongue glide over Salim’s lips and slid in again. Salim couldn’t help shuddering; the act was so reminiscent of something else. Jason must have sensed this, too, as he moved his tongue in and out of Salim’s mouth in a gentle thrusting motion. Salim’s moan was muffled and he gripped onto the seat’s edge for support.
“J-jason,” he gulped, “I don’t, ah…”
“We don’t gotta if you aren’t ready,” Jason assured him. His tongue thrust in again to probe in deeper. “I can just fuck your mouth with my tongue.”
“Jason,” he whined. He got his hands around Jason’s waist and pulled him closer. Jason moved one hand out of Salim’s hair to grip onto the back of the chair. He used it as leverage to shift his body against Salim’s, all the while moving his tongue in patient strokes.
Salim moved his hands along Jason’s back, arching up a little. Jason’s other hand was on his thigh, stroking and squeezing. Heat spread through him and Salim melted a little into the chair. He anchored his hands to Jason’s hips and tugged. Jason obediently slid forward so a knee was on the seat between Salim’s legs. Salim boldly moved so he could feel it pressing on his crotch.
“This what you want, babe?” Jason asked, putting his weight on the knee and rubbing it against Salim.
“You’re teasing me, jarhead,” Salim complained. He bit into Jason’s lip gently and darted his own tongue out. Jason chuckled and kissed him back. The thrusts of his tongue started up again and Salim made an approving noise. Who knew such an action would feel so good? Then again, just about everything Jason did to him felt good. He knew sex would feel good when they reached that moment, but when he fell apart just from this, Salim couldn’t imagine lasting very long.
As Jason worked his tongue, Salim tried to get his legs around his young lover’s body. It was very awkward with the way he was seated. Jason ended up nearly laying on him to get the position right. He managed to get a hand between their bodies to open up his jeans and get his growing erection out. This just from feeling Jason’s tongue moving in and out of his mouth.
“You drive me crazy,” Salim accused him.
“But you love me,” Jason retorted with a heated chuckle.
“I suppose I like being crazy.” Salim gave Jason’s ass a good squeeze. “Finish what you started, jarhead.”
“Damn. I like it when you’re bossy.” Jason got his hand on Salim’s cock and began to stroke as his tongue went back to work. It didn’t take much more for Salim to spill out onto his partner’s strong hand and stomach. Jason’s tongue kept working in Salim’s mouth, plunging in over and over. Salim’s fingers shook as he worked at the button of Jason’s trousers.
He wasn’t sure if he was ready for sex just yet, but maybe… Salim’s heart pounded as he slid Jason’s hard cock into his hand. Maybe he could take this in his mouth next.
