A Balance of Harmonies: Competing
Apr. 12th, 2013 10:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
frogs_of_warI think I’m going to have to rework Gestures to add more of Colt’s attraction to his two hunks. This read-through (tenth, maybe dozenth in the last few months) I’ve caught all sorts of mistakes (I’ve spelled the planet’s language in several different ways) and places where I need to add feelings and what Colt eyes are lingering over and I’m only at page 40 of 99. I’ve also just realize that both Orion and Python are men who can do anything they put their minds to, which is quite the turn-on for Colt. Maybe he just loves Lion for his body.
But I think I’ve discovered some of these because I had to solidify things in my head for the sequel (like what the Port looked like), so I wonder if I shouldn’t spend some quality time finishing it up and then hit the first story again.
Title: Competing
Series: A Balance of Harmonies (Three)
Status: Chapter one hundred sixteen of gobs
Genre: m/m romance, drama, city life, businessmen
Rating: R
Content: watching a workout, blessings, cookies, showing off, family, night flight, running away, joining the club
Length: about 3,300 words
Summary: Emil makes cookies. Peregrine visits his parents. And Kurt shows off.
Master list
Peregrine followed the ripples of Kurt’s muscles as he lifted weights. The effort was definitely sketch worthy and well worth the expense of an extra one-time gym admission just to see it. But where in the maneuver was the right place to sketch? Peregrine tried a few drafts, but none captured the motion he was looking for. He’d need more practice. Good thing the condos gym was free. He might just spend several lazy hours a week watching Kurt be anything but lazy.
On the other side of the gym, Emil danced slow movements and then quick ones. That would need to be a painting permanently hung in Peregrine’s studio. Emil was in a tank top and body hugging shorts today, but for the painting he should wear even less and have long strips of very thin fabric tied to his wrist and ankles, so they danced with him.
Red, to contrast with his dark hair and skin. Or maybe gold.
“Beautiful, isn’t he?”
Peregrine grinned up at Kurt. “Very.”
“I’m so glad that he is ours.”
Emil bent one knee as he curled his other leg and his body around that calf until his ass was inches off the floor. He was a flower closed for the night, a bud waiting to bloom. He was beyond merely beautiful. “Hard to believe that he’d want us.”
Kurt set his hand on Peregrine’s shoulder. “We can count our blessing.”
Peregrine put his hand on Kurt’s. “We have many.”
Emil stood up just as gracefully as he’d hunched down. He grabbed a towel and wiped his face then turn and smiled at Peregrine and Kurt.
Peregrine’s blessing ran in multitudes. Kurt and Emil were really the two biggest and best.
--
Emil added chips to the cookie dough at Mrs. Matheson’s prompting. “And now stir it by hand?”
Mrs. Matheson nodded with a grin. “You will have to come again. I have lots of recipes to share. Sam, here, is learning them.”
She gave Sam a side hug. He grinned. “I like to cook.”
Emil nodded. “So do I.”
“This dough has to rest for a while, but the last of the other batch is just about…” She looked through the window of her oven, “done.”
She pulled them out and set them on the stove top. She looked from Sam to Emil and gestured to the five batches of cookies cooling on the counter. “Should we pack these?”
Sam looked down and then straightened his shoulders and looked at Emil. “I planned to take my kids by my parent’s today. Would Peregrine like to come?”
Peregrine had been extremely ambivalent about his parents since he stopped visiting them. But at least he talked about his siblings now, so he wasn’t pretending his family didn’t exist.
“Any one of you or all three are welcome to stay here while the boys go.” Mrs. Matheson filled a large plastic container with cookies. “But we thought,” she looked at Sam, “that going when our lot was also there might ease things. And extra eight to dilute the recipe and all.”
Emil touched Mrs. Matheson’s shoulder. “Thank you for thinking of us.”
Now he just needed to ask Peregrine.
--
Kurt sunk back into the cushions of Marcus’s couch. This place felt like a second home. Jad and two of his kids were drawing with crayons at the coffee table while Peregrine and one of the triplets used pencil. The other triplet and Sam’s oldest girl were with grandpa in the garage making wooden toys to donate for Christmas. Mr. Matheson said he normally had them done by now, but with all the little helpers, this years was taking longer.
Marcus came in holding Sam’s hand. Emil followed, carrying the smell of cookies with him. Kurt lifted his arms and Emil slid right into him. His kiss tasted like chocolate. Kurt took another taste. “Are they done?”
He and the others had retreated here after Mrs. Matheson banished them for stealing cookies.
Emil licked his lips. “About that…”
Sam cleared his throat. Marcus rubbed his back. “We were thinking of heading over to our other Mom and Dad’s.”
Peregrine looked up.
Jad nodded. “The kids haven’t seen them in a while. We took you concerns to heart and we aren’t leaving them over there, which I think upsets your mother, but I want to be around to buffer your dad.”
Peregrine pressed his lips together. ‘”Does he give you a hard time?”
Jad shook his head. Marcus grinned. “No harder than anyone who stole away his favorite son.”
Sam pressed his hands against Marcus’s side. “He likes you.”
“I’m sure he does, but we stole his perfect little boy.”
Sam put his fingers to Marcus’s lips. “Don’t say that.”
Marcus sucked them in. Sam moaned and relaxed against Marcus, but suddenly stood up and retrieved his fingers with a blush. Marcus grinned.
Kurt rubbed Emil’s side just the right way. He melted against Kurt and returned his kiss with enthusiasm. When he came up for air, Kurt grinned at Marcus. He wasn’t the only man with a sexy, willing lover.
Marcus sighed. “I concede the point, but give me a couple more years.”
He stroked Sam’s side.
Jad grinned. “Personally, I like him all shy.”
Sam blushed even deeper.
Peregrine stood up. “If we are going, we better go now. We can save the team competitions in the sex Olympics until after the kids go to bed tonight.”
Kurt had no idea if Peregrine was joking, but the idea sounded like fun.
--
Peregrine hitched Sam’s youngest further up his back and grabbed a cookie for her. His parent’s house was full with the five residents, Sam’s family of eight, Peregrine’s of three, and Éowen’s five. With the rain keeping everyone in, people were climbing over each other.
Dad’s bed was out of the dining room, so the table and chairs were back, which gave eight more places to sit, but every adult had a child and several more ran over and around people. But no one was stopping them.
Mom was all gushy over Peregrine’s visit, but he’s made sure to always have a kid in his arms, so he hadn’t had to hug her yet. After all the weeks he’d given them, both she and Dad acted like they’d had to forgive Peregrine for not giving them more.
Éowen, on the other hand, had been mostly upset by Peregrine’s manner of leaving and that he’d been in town earlier in the month and hadn’t visited. Kurt had stepped in and made sure they each had the other’s cell phone numbers. She put her number into Peregrine’s phone and made him promise to call her on his next visit. Kurt reminded her that phones worked two ways. She agreed to call.
And maybe she would. Her call had been the reason he’d come down in the first place.
All in all, the visit hadn’t been as bad as it could have been. But it wasn’t over yet.
--
Emil leaned against Kurt on the plane. Peregrine was sound asleep against the window. The night was half over and dawn would arrive before they walked in their front door, bur Emil couldn’t sleep. Kurt slid his arm behind Emil and rested his hand on Emil’s thigh.
Emil looked up at Kurt. “Did I wake you?”
Kurt shook his head. “I can’t sleep either.”
He fished his phone out of his jacket and looked at it.
Emil caressed his hand. “Do you still have it off?”
“I don’t… I know…” Kurt sighed. “I shouldn’t keep running away.”
“But that’s what worked in the past?”
“Temporally, but the consequences are always worse if I do.”
Emil was blessed where his family was concerned. For all the years he wished for a real family, he was glad for the one he got. Dad never punished him for real or fake crimes and Emil had never, ever been scared to talk to Dad. Reluctant sometimes because of Dad’s worries, but wasn’t that what parents were for. He always kept Emil’s best interests at heart, even if his ideas didn’t mesh with reality.
“I love you.”
Kurt kissed his head. “And knowing that makes me feel much better.”
The steward came though the darkened cabin and offered them blankets. This time Emil took one. He might not be able to sleep, but he knew a sure-fire way to put Kurt out. He waited until they were alone and peeked over at the seats around them. Everyone else was either asleep or pretending to be. He slid his hand up behind Kurt’s neck and ran the other down Kurt’s chest. “How you ever considered becoming a member of the mile high club?”
Kurt’s breath caught and his words came out very weak. “I’m not sure I can be quiet enough.”
Emil grinned. “I’ll keep your mouth busy.”
He did. Kurt wasn’t entirely quiet, but they didn’t have any complaints from other passengers and all that energy and passion Kurt normally let out as noise and movement was concentrated into a tiny space and time and exploded rather brilliantly. Emil tucked the covers more securely over Kurt and cuddled against him. Maybe night flights weren’t so bad after all.
But I think I’ve discovered some of these because I had to solidify things in my head for the sequel (like what the Port looked like), so I wonder if I shouldn’t spend some quality time finishing it up and then hit the first story again.
Title: Competing
Series: A Balance of Harmonies (Three)
Status: Chapter one hundred sixteen of gobs
Genre: m/m romance, drama, city life, businessmen
Rating: R
Content: watching a workout, blessings, cookies, showing off, family, night flight, running away, joining the club
Length: about 3,300 words
Summary: Emil makes cookies. Peregrine visits his parents. And Kurt shows off.
Master list
Peregrine followed the ripples of Kurt’s muscles as he lifted weights. The effort was definitely sketch worthy and well worth the expense of an extra one-time gym admission just to see it. But where in the maneuver was the right place to sketch? Peregrine tried a few drafts, but none captured the motion he was looking for. He’d need more practice. Good thing the condos gym was free. He might just spend several lazy hours a week watching Kurt be anything but lazy.
On the other side of the gym, Emil danced slow movements and then quick ones. That would need to be a painting permanently hung in Peregrine’s studio. Emil was in a tank top and body hugging shorts today, but for the painting he should wear even less and have long strips of very thin fabric tied to his wrist and ankles, so they danced with him.
Red, to contrast with his dark hair and skin. Or maybe gold.
“Beautiful, isn’t he?”
Peregrine grinned up at Kurt. “Very.”
“I’m so glad that he is ours.”
Emil bent one knee as he curled his other leg and his body around that calf until his ass was inches off the floor. He was a flower closed for the night, a bud waiting to bloom. He was beyond merely beautiful. “Hard to believe that he’d want us.”
Kurt set his hand on Peregrine’s shoulder. “We can count our blessing.”
Peregrine put his hand on Kurt’s. “We have many.”
Emil stood up just as gracefully as he’d hunched down. He grabbed a towel and wiped his face then turn and smiled at Peregrine and Kurt.
Peregrine’s blessing ran in multitudes. Kurt and Emil were really the two biggest and best.
--
Emil added chips to the cookie dough at Mrs. Matheson’s prompting. “And now stir it by hand?”
Mrs. Matheson nodded with a grin. “You will have to come again. I have lots of recipes to share. Sam, here, is learning them.”
She gave Sam a side hug. He grinned. “I like to cook.”
Emil nodded. “So do I.”
“This dough has to rest for a while, but the last of the other batch is just about…” She looked through the window of her oven, “done.”
She pulled them out and set them on the stove top. She looked from Sam to Emil and gestured to the five batches of cookies cooling on the counter. “Should we pack these?”
Sam looked down and then straightened his shoulders and looked at Emil. “I planned to take my kids by my parent’s today. Would Peregrine like to come?”
Peregrine had been extremely ambivalent about his parents since he stopped visiting them. But at least he talked about his siblings now, so he wasn’t pretending his family didn’t exist.
“Any one of you or all three are welcome to stay here while the boys go.” Mrs. Matheson filled a large plastic container with cookies. “But we thought,” she looked at Sam, “that going when our lot was also there might ease things. And extra eight to dilute the recipe and all.”
Emil touched Mrs. Matheson’s shoulder. “Thank you for thinking of us.”
Now he just needed to ask Peregrine.
--
Kurt sunk back into the cushions of Marcus’s couch. This place felt like a second home. Jad and two of his kids were drawing with crayons at the coffee table while Peregrine and one of the triplets used pencil. The other triplet and Sam’s oldest girl were with grandpa in the garage making wooden toys to donate for Christmas. Mr. Matheson said he normally had them done by now, but with all the little helpers, this years was taking longer.
Marcus came in holding Sam’s hand. Emil followed, carrying the smell of cookies with him. Kurt lifted his arms and Emil slid right into him. His kiss tasted like chocolate. Kurt took another taste. “Are they done?”
He and the others had retreated here after Mrs. Matheson banished them for stealing cookies.
Emil licked his lips. “About that…”
Sam cleared his throat. Marcus rubbed his back. “We were thinking of heading over to our other Mom and Dad’s.”
Peregrine looked up.
Jad nodded. “The kids haven’t seen them in a while. We took you concerns to heart and we aren’t leaving them over there, which I think upsets your mother, but I want to be around to buffer your dad.”
Peregrine pressed his lips together. ‘”Does he give you a hard time?”
Jad shook his head. Marcus grinned. “No harder than anyone who stole away his favorite son.”
Sam pressed his hands against Marcus’s side. “He likes you.”
“I’m sure he does, but we stole his perfect little boy.”
Sam put his fingers to Marcus’s lips. “Don’t say that.”
Marcus sucked them in. Sam moaned and relaxed against Marcus, but suddenly stood up and retrieved his fingers with a blush. Marcus grinned.
Kurt rubbed Emil’s side just the right way. He melted against Kurt and returned his kiss with enthusiasm. When he came up for air, Kurt grinned at Marcus. He wasn’t the only man with a sexy, willing lover.
Marcus sighed. “I concede the point, but give me a couple more years.”
He stroked Sam’s side.
Jad grinned. “Personally, I like him all shy.”
Sam blushed even deeper.
Peregrine stood up. “If we are going, we better go now. We can save the team competitions in the sex Olympics until after the kids go to bed tonight.”
Kurt had no idea if Peregrine was joking, but the idea sounded like fun.
--
Peregrine hitched Sam’s youngest further up his back and grabbed a cookie for her. His parent’s house was full with the five residents, Sam’s family of eight, Peregrine’s of three, and Éowen’s five. With the rain keeping everyone in, people were climbing over each other.
Dad’s bed was out of the dining room, so the table and chairs were back, which gave eight more places to sit, but every adult had a child and several more ran over and around people. But no one was stopping them.
Mom was all gushy over Peregrine’s visit, but he’s made sure to always have a kid in his arms, so he hadn’t had to hug her yet. After all the weeks he’d given them, both she and Dad acted like they’d had to forgive Peregrine for not giving them more.
Éowen, on the other hand, had been mostly upset by Peregrine’s manner of leaving and that he’d been in town earlier in the month and hadn’t visited. Kurt had stepped in and made sure they each had the other’s cell phone numbers. She put her number into Peregrine’s phone and made him promise to call her on his next visit. Kurt reminded her that phones worked two ways. She agreed to call.
And maybe she would. Her call had been the reason he’d come down in the first place.
All in all, the visit hadn’t been as bad as it could have been. But it wasn’t over yet.
--
Emil leaned against Kurt on the plane. Peregrine was sound asleep against the window. The night was half over and dawn would arrive before they walked in their front door, bur Emil couldn’t sleep. Kurt slid his arm behind Emil and rested his hand on Emil’s thigh.
Emil looked up at Kurt. “Did I wake you?”
Kurt shook his head. “I can’t sleep either.”
He fished his phone out of his jacket and looked at it.
Emil caressed his hand. “Do you still have it off?”
“I don’t… I know…” Kurt sighed. “I shouldn’t keep running away.”
“But that’s what worked in the past?”
“Temporally, but the consequences are always worse if I do.”
Emil was blessed where his family was concerned. For all the years he wished for a real family, he was glad for the one he got. Dad never punished him for real or fake crimes and Emil had never, ever been scared to talk to Dad. Reluctant sometimes because of Dad’s worries, but wasn’t that what parents were for. He always kept Emil’s best interests at heart, even if his ideas didn’t mesh with reality.
“I love you.”
Kurt kissed his head. “And knowing that makes me feel much better.”
The steward came though the darkened cabin and offered them blankets. This time Emil took one. He might not be able to sleep, but he knew a sure-fire way to put Kurt out. He waited until they were alone and peeked over at the seats around them. Everyone else was either asleep or pretending to be. He slid his hand up behind Kurt’s neck and ran the other down Kurt’s chest. “How you ever considered becoming a member of the mile high club?”
Kurt’s breath caught and his words came out very weak. “I’m not sure I can be quiet enough.”
Emil grinned. “I’ll keep your mouth busy.”
He did. Kurt wasn’t entirely quiet, but they didn’t have any complaints from other passengers and all that energy and passion Kurt normally let out as noise and movement was concentrated into a tiny space and time and exploded rather brilliantly. Emil tucked the covers more securely over Kurt and cuddled against him. Maybe night flights weren’t so bad after all.
