Chapter Text
It’s during times like these that Alex wished he could paint. Gentle moonlight was cascading itself over Thomas’ dark skin, giving him an otherworldly, ethereal quality that had Alex’s heart aching in his chest . Depending on the angle Alex looked at him, it would highlight the prominent lines of his brow, nose, and jaw, casting him in a powerful profile. Other times, whether by some passing cloud or change of angle, the light was refracted and dispersed into a gentle glowing sheen, almost as if Thomas himself was glowing.
Between what had previously been the four of them, the bottle of Port was mostly empty. Thomas managed to squeeze two more glasses out of the bottle for the two of them, and time seemed to slow as he nursed his glass.
Alex had many questions running through his mind at the moment. What would the rest of Thomas’ family be like tomorrow? What was up with the chairs? Since when did Thomas make wine? But despite the multitude of potential questions, none of them were even able to make it to his throat, let alone past his lips. There was something about the air. The environment. The mood that was generated by the comfortable silence and stillness between him and Thomas, that kept him from even moving, despite how much he wanted to.
Which is why Alex practically jumped out of his skin when Thomas’ whispering voice gently pierced the silence, “I can hear you thinking doll.” His eyes didn’t even look away from whatever they were looking at in the middle distance, and he took a nonchalant sip of his wine.
Alex chuckled nervously, composing himself, “Well, how could I not? Meeting someone’s extended family can be quite a lot. I can’t help but have questions.” He tried his best to match Thomas’ quiet tone, but amusingly enough he wasn’t used to talking so quietly, and it came out more raspy than whispered.
“Mmhm,” was all he got in return.
They sat in silence for a beat, before Thomas turned to look at him. His eyes narrowed in contemplation, striking quite the imposing composition. Leaned back in his rocking chair, legs splayed, hand nonchalantly holding a glass of deep red wine, and practically looking into Alex’s soul.
After a moment he finally spoke, “I’d like to try something, if that’s alright with you.”
Curiosity piqued, Alex found himself raising an eyebrow, “Sure. Go for it.”
Thomas smiled gently, “Alright. Grab the throw pillow from the woven chair if you’d be so kind love.”
Confused, he did as he was asked, grabbing a denim embroidered throw pillow from the woven seated chair he noticed earlier. He took a moment to admire the craftsmanship on both of the objects before returning to Thomas, “Y’know even though I’m short the chair is pretty comfy. I don’t really think my butt needs this.”
A knowing smirk crossed Thomas’ face, “So quick to jump to conclusions,” he then spread his legs as wide as the chair would allow him, leaving a wide empty space on the patio before him. With the slightest nod of his head Thomas beckoned him to kneel down.
Alex had never blushed so quickly in his entire life.
He placed the throw pillow down, kneeling on top of it, before reaching a hand towards Thomas’ pants. This certainly hadn’t been what he was expecting, but he wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Except that before his hand could even touch fabric, Thomas’ free hand grabbed onto his wrist and held him back. The grip was only as strong as it needed to be, firmly pressing into his wrist without being oppressive or painful. He looked up at Thomas in confusion.
“As charming as your eagerness is darling, I’m not in the mood for that. Tonight is a night to relax,” he said, looking down in amusement.
“But then why did you-”
“Shh. Let me take care of you,” Thomas crooned, cupping his face in his free hand.
Alex allowed his head to be tilted to the side, until he was leaning his head against Thomas’ warm, comfortable thigh. He peered up at the other through the top of his lashes, not sure what to do with himself now that he was in this position. He found himself unsure about what to do with his hands. Thomas’ thighs were too high, but it felt weird to just cup them in his lap when he was kneeling like this. He decided to wrap them around Thomas’ strong calves, giving himself something to hold onto so he wouldn’t fidget so badly.
Thomas continued on his mission, slowly undoing Alex’s hair from the bun it had been in all night. Once it was released Thomas’ hand immediately dug into his hair, firm fingers pressing against his scalp, rubbing and scritching to relieve his scalp from the tension it had been under all day.
His reaction was almost immediate, body melting and an unbidden moan deep in his chest slipping between his lips. His entire existence boiled down to the feeling of Thomas’ strong fingers massaging his scalp. Alex thought he heard an airy chuckle from above him, but if he did he couldn’t care less. Alex’s body felt light and fuzzy again, like it had earlier in their room when Thomas had kissed him, feeling as if he’d float away if it weren’t for the grounding feeling of Thomas’ thigh at his cheek and his hand in his hair.
As time went on his vigorous massage turned into the occasional caress or twirling of hair. With the slow of his hand though came the return of the ever present questions and concerns racing through his mind. He tried to sit there longer, the way he had before, but the weightlessness he had been feeling was starting to disappear. His feet and hands began to move, restlessness seizing him.
“No thinking doll,” came Thomas’ deep voice from above him, “I’ll do the thinking for the both of us. You just be, I’ll take care of you,” his hand increased it’s pace slightly once again.
“When a thought comes into your head, acknowledge it, and then let it go. The night’s too nice for you to be worrying your pretty little head. Can you do that for me love?”
“Mmhm,” was all Alex could muster, already relaxing again knowing he didn’t have to do any thinking. Any fears or concerns about tomorrow entered and left his head with little to no resistance. He let the ambient sounds wash over him. The sound of the insects, the wind brushing through the trees, the slow rhythm of Thomas’ breathing above him. The occasional sip of wine from Thomas’ diminishing glass. The gentle creak of wood as the rocking chair rocked on it’s joints.
Alex just let himself be.
~
Thomas watched Alex’s figure as it settled between his thighs once again. The nervous anxious energy slowly released from his frame. Although he already knew this, it struck Thomas how small the man was compared to him, curled up between his thighs with little to no difficulty. His big personality did a lot to compensate for his small stature, hiding his insecurities and consuming him like a safety blanket. But here, for the first time in a long time, Thomas watched as Alex relaxed to his very core.
They stayed there for who knows how long, long enough for Thomas to finish his wine and have plenty of time to watch the shadows cast by the support beams shift and lengthen as the moon changed course overhead. Suddenly, he felt Alex’s frame slump another inch in his lap. Looking down, he saw Alex was no longer supported by the vestiges of muscle coordination, but was instead crumpled against his thigh, fast asleep.
Smiling, Thomas stretched his arms wide, moving them for the first time in several hours. He then began the process of picking up Alex, worming his arms under the smaller man's back and knees. He carried him bridal style through the house, navigating the hallways and furniture by memory and via the moonlight sliding through the myriad of windows throughout the house. Upon reaching his room, he gently deposited Alex on his bed. The other barely acknowledged the change of position.
Thomas gently undressed Alex, taking off his dress clothes before dressing him in one of his own sleep shirts. He wasn’t really sure where Alex had put his clothes, and didn’t feel like searching for them at this hour. Plus, there was something enchanting about seeing Alex wearing his own shirt that was several sizes too big, peacefully asleep.
As soon as Thomas laid down Alex attached himself to him, humming contentedly in his sleep. Thomas slept easily, knowing that the love of his life was safely cocooned in his arms.