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+---- Thread: whiskey, smoke and aces high (/showthread.php?tid=5405)
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-19-2021
[say]"I wasn't challenging you at all - but if you want to speak fast to me just for the hell of it, I'll be your sounding board,"[/say] Ronin quips, pulling into his parking space and killing the engine. Like his counterpart, he also misses the noise of it, and he slips off his helmet with a breath of air that suggests he's already missing the high stakes and roar of machinery. [say]"Oh? Where is your show next week? I'll make sure to come along to it".[/say] And he means it - no need for will-they-won't-they texts this time.
Climbing off the bike, Ronin will probably blame the adrenaline for what happens next, but he'd probably have done it anyway. Leaning in before Remi can get himself off the bike as well, he's pressing his lips against the musician's, caring not one iota for the fact that he's chosent the fluorescent-lit backdrop of an underground parking lot for their makeout session.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-19-2021
[say]'Sounding board? Is that you making a music joke?"[/say] Remi wants to know, and though the parking garage smells as one might expect, still the musician takes a deep breath of air that isn't almost entirely his own.
[say]"The Wellerman Theatre. You know it?"[/say] It was artsy and pretentious, but it was several steps up from the bar he'd played in the night before. Before he can
Heat pulses in his belly, sending sparks up into his lungs. Remi's gasp of surprise is immediately followed by fingers seeking out the collar of Ronin's jacket as the musician fumbles to try and stand. Still awkwardly straddling the bike he's holding onto the mechanic for balance as much as to keep him near, not wanting either of them to have the chance to say or do something stupid to derail this moment. Ronin tastes like the open road and gasoline and it's without even a moment's hesitation that the musician's tongue invades to deepen their kiss, even as he still fumbles to find his footing.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-19-2021
[say]"Ooh, a theatre. Aren't you quite the rockstar,"[/say] Ronin murmurs, but given what he's chosen to do next, they can talk about tickets and pretentious, artsy shows later. It's true that Ronin lives in one the bEtTeR parts of town, but he's by no means rich. He just runs his own business and is the only one working there, has a few high profile clients, and has done a few all nighters over the past few years.
But that, like a bunch of other stuff, is something they can talk about later. For now there's just the smell of gasoline and the bright lights overhead, and the warmth of a body that he'd very much like to feel a little closer, if he's being honest. But with Remi still basically straddling the bike and Ronin wearing gloves and leathers, it's not the intimate moment they've likely been waiting for.
Still, it's fucking good, and Ronin isn't about to complain as his lips part for Remi to deepen the kiss, as gloved fingers seek curls that (apparently) are all natural. [say]"Shall we go up?"[/say] he mumbles eventually, one hand against the other man's hip as if to guide him off the bike.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-19-2021
The other night notwithstanding, Remi is convinced he can't be Ronin's first. Kissing men isn't unlike kissing women, but it's certainly different enough that the boldness of Ronin's lips against his own and how easily they slide together speaks of experience beyond just a sloppy encounter in the back of a bar and a fumbled kiss on a piano bench.
Ronin's gloves pull at his curls in a way he'd normally shy away from (Remi can deal with his hair being pulled, but it's those sharp individual-hair snags he hates), but in this moment, he couldn't care less. So when Ronin parts with a suggestion and innuendo on his lips, Remi finds himself flushed and a touch breathless. [say]"What, you mean you don't just live in this parking stall?"[/say] He manages with a crooked smile, his fingertips sliding from Hallway's collar onto his shoulder to better help Remi dismount...and conveniently find his way against Ronin properly. Exhaling, his pale stare narrowing slightly as he gazes easily into Hallway's sea-blues, he bites the inside of his cheek with a smirk. [say]"I kissed a boy and I liked it.."[/say] He sings in a soft falsetto voice, vaguely approximating Katy Perry as his cheeks flush again.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-19-2021
Remi dismounts from the bike and Ronin finds him against his chest, something he absolutely doesn't object to. One arm (the one still holding the helmet) snakes around him, the other slipping down towards the back of his neck when he realises that his gloves make it difficult to do that nice feeling-fingers-in-your-hair thing. [say]"Once upon a time, maybe. But no - I've actually graduated to an apartment,"[/say] he breathes, grinning and starting to (reluctantly) walk them towards the elevator, keeping the other man close - he's not giving them a chance to get this wrong again.
Shooting Remi the sort of side eye that wants to be annoyed but really can't manage it, he presses the button for the elevator to come down. [say]"I'm never going to live this down with you, am I?"[/say] he asks, his stomach flopping in a way that he realises is the equivalent of butterflies in response to the prospect that there will be a time between he and Bandcamp when they look back on this.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-19-2021
Remi can't help (nor does he try to stop) his shit-eating grin. [say]'Oh, well now look who's fancy.'[/say] It's with the sort of can't-be-away-from-you-for-a-second desperation that teenage love songs are based on, that the pair leave the motorcycle and head toward the elevator (Ronin's too cool for stairs, apparently).
Wanting to let his hands roam over Hallway but knowing from previous experience that all he'll find is the armour-plating in the mechanic's jacket, he lets his eyes have a go of it instead. [say]"Oh no, not even for a day."[/say] Remi confirms, and no sooner do the elevator doors open and the pair are inside, then the musician's lips desperately seek out the mechanics again. Resting his hands on the rails by Hallway's hips to anchor them together, Remi very nearly hits the emergency stop button before realizing that if he's patient just a few moments longer, they'll find themselves somewhere that the door won't continually be opened by the push of a button.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-19-2021
[say]"So fancy,"[/say] Ronin says with a serious nod, smirking down at Remi, and he'll find out just why Ronin is too cool for stairs in just a moment. First is because when they step into the elevator, he presses the button for the 6th floor. Second is because they've apparently got similar ideas, and no sooner have the doors shut when his hands and lips seek out Remi once more. It's true that this probably isn't his first kiss with a man, but there's a lot of difference between kissing, receiving sloppy handjobs in a hallway, and taking someone the fuck home with you.
It feels like far too long before the doors ping open again, leaving Ronin breathless and his leather pants tight enough that they're at risk of cutting off circulation. He glances down the corridor to make sure it's empty - it is - and then he leaves Remi with one last, lingering kiss as his gloved hand slaps at the doors to stop them closing again, before he's walking them out and into the hall.
His apartment is the last one on the left, Ronin fumbling for the keys before letting them both in. It smells like motor oil and aftershave and paint; a studio not unlike Remi's, the only difference is the location of Ronin's bed up on a mezzanine level. One wall is just bare brick from floor to ceiling, too, and aside from a couch, a kitchenette, the bed and what looks like a lot of canvases and an easel, the decor is minimalist almost to a fault.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-19-2021
Remi had said he wasn't into doing stuff in public, but you know what? If an empty elevator was considered public he'd happily break his own rule, because right now he's not at all disappointed that nothing happened at his apartment if only because somehow the smell of gasoline and the untouchability of Ronin in his leathers makes this all better. Tempted to tug Ronin back into the elevator, Remi follows, taking one of those wide awkward side-steps to try and ease the sudden bulge in his pants.
Stepping inside the musician is hit with a number of very competing smells that seem to snap him out of his horny-teenager-dazy. Slightly, anyway. [say]"God, don't light any candles in here."[/say] He mumbles under his breath, noting just how flammable the components of each smell were. Shrugging out of his leather jacket (Ronin seems to have cornered the market on James-Dean hair and biker gear, leaving Remi feeling woefully poser-like in comparison), he lays it on the back of the sofa which is notably missing a dog.
Looking at the aisles, Remi's eyes narrow slightly, before he chuckles and presses his tongue against the inside of his cheeking. Rounding on Hallway, he folds his arms across his chest with a brow raised. [say]"Do you live with someone? Because you'll absolutely not convince me that you paint."[/say]
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-19-2021
Ronin can't actually remember the last time he took someone home to his apartment, which probably explains why he's probably been accidentally huffing paint fumes to sleep at night. It's with a sheepish flash of teeth that he clicks the door shut behind them, starting to peel himself out of his leathers so he can deposit his jacket next to Remi's on the back of the sofa. [say]"Sorry. I'll open a window, just a sec..."[/say] The couch might be short a dog, but that's probably not a bad thing given how much the hair would interrupt whatever Ronin has going on here.
[say]"Mm...?"[/say] Turning after cracking a window to let in the night air, Remi will get a chance to see Ronin really, properly blush, the heat reaching all the way to the tips of his ears. Clearing his throat, he shrugs his shoulders. [say]"It's just a hobby. I barely have the time for it, to be honest,"[/say] he mutters, though if Remi goes looking at some of the completed canvases, it's a very different story indeed. A mix of portraits and city skylines in bursts of colour are interspersed between moodier pieces. Prolific would be a word for it.
[say]"Drink?"[/say] he asks, very obviously trying to change the subject.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-19-2021
Much as Remi wants little more than to drink in his companion for the evening (home before dawn, he was promised), art appreciates art. Knowing nothing other than what he likes, Remi is drawn to some of the more stark works, his fingers gently looking through a group of canvases leaned against a wall. [say]"No, no. This might be New York, but I refuse to accept that you're both this handsome, this talented, and also a mechanic."[/say] Looking over his shoulder, he draws a triangle in the air. [say]"Looks. Talent. Employed. Everyone knows you can only have two out of the three."[/say] Remi, for instance, was Looks, and Talent.
Grinning, Remi nods. [say]"Yep."[/say] Ruffling a hand through his curls and wondering if he needed to specify no turpentine, he continues to look through Ronin's various pieces. [say]"Have you heard of those nude art things they do downtown? Where you roll around on a canvas and whatnot?"[/say] Remi asks, not least of all because he's currently wondering if he'll find any nudes (of Ronin, preferably), while going through the various easels.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-19-2021
[say]"Sorry?"[/say] It's both an apology and Ronin trying to see if he's actually heard Remi correctly, the mechanic scoffing and taking himself away to the kitchenette to drown himself in the sink get their drinks. It was gin last time, so this time it's whiskey on the rocks, and he gets down two tumblers that don't look as though they've ever really been used, pouring a generous measure in over some ice.
[say]"I'll help burst the bubble for you - my parents are rich, so... employed probably had a bit of help in the beginning."[/say] They cut him off years ago now, though, so... it's fine? It doesn't feel fine, and suddenly he feels very much like an imposter, rubbing at the back of his head. [say]"Yeah, I've heard of them - never got the opportunity to do it, myself."[/say] He smirks, approaching Remi now to hold out his drink for him. He won't find any nudes, regrettably. (Not in this collection, anyway). [say]"Find anything you like?"[/say]
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-19-2021
Oh, he's got clean glasses too? How nice.
However, as Ronin peels the curtain back a touch on his past, Remi finds himself vaguely surprised and perhaps a little insulted, if only because now the mechanic's comments about his apartment seemed to hold more sway. [say]"This is where I make some shitty comment under my breath like, must be nice, right?"[/say] The musician shrugs. [say]"Not your fault they had money, and only an idiot would turn down the help."[/say] As a kid, anyway.
Reaching for the glass, his fingers overlapping Ronin's without apology, he nods. [say]"Yep."[/say] He's looking at him. Then, grinning as if Hallway's real question has just dawned on him, he laughs with a feigned shrug of apology. [say]"Oh you meant the art! Nah, it's all shit."[/say] It isn't, not by a long shot, but he didn't make the rules: you only got to be 2/3, so..
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Ronin - 04-19-2021
[say]"Oh, by all means,"[/say] Ronin says with a small smile, ignoring the way his fingers seem to tingle as they brush against Remi's. [say]"Honestly, I was an asshole coming back from the army. I took whatever I could get. They only funded the shop, though. The rest was all me - I used to live in that garage before I got this place,"[/say] he explains, not really knowing why - it's like he feels he has to justify his situation, to prove to Remi that he's not some snobby rich boy.
It doesn't surprise him, the quip about the art, and Ronin gives the other man a sly smirk for his trouble before he raises his glass to clink it against Remi's. [say]"At least I've got the looks and I'm employed,"[/say] he says, turning (gladly) away from his artwork and moving to slouch down and sit on the couch. [say]"So what's the price to come to this show of yours next week?"[/say] he asks.
RE: whiskey, smoke and aces high - Remi - 04-19-2021
[say]"I hear the army can do that to a person."[/say] Remi replies, his voice suddenly soft. He can't understand it, having never been, but he's seen enough Vets freaking out about cars backfiring and begging for money on the streets to know that it isn't the Captain American bullshit Hollywood would have everyone believe.
Don't get drunk, Remi thinks to himself as he swallows more than he should of the whiskey. It's smooth and probably-Irish knowing the company he's in, and not unlike how he'd been in the elevator, he's reluctant to make himself wait. Sinking down near—but not touching—Ronin on the couch, Remi casually rests his leg over his knee and acts like he has to think about the answer. [say]"Depends if you're asking about the nosebleed seats or the exclusive back-stage pass."[/say] Bouncing his brows as he takes another sip, Remi looks around the apartment with a boyish grin. [say]"Seems like you're good for it, either way."[/say]