the flames are all long gone

[toblameforit]

There's a Stark boy sprawled on the couch at Milliways. Black T-shirt, blue jeans, one bottle of beer in his hand and three of its depleted fellows lined up on the table beside him. His identity is not in question, particularly not to someone who knows the origin of the bruises slowly fading from the side of his neck.

Comments

[be-this-naive.livejournal.com]

- damn. The birthday celebration earlier threw him off. Not only is there no need to lay it on so thick with this Tony, it's even a bad idea. This Tony knows enough to notice.

How did he lose track so easily?

Still, this isn't unsalvageable. Yet. He switches tactics, letting his hand fall away and his expression turn more serious.

"It does," he says. "Things in my world would have played out a lot differently if you hadn't trusted me. That does matter to me."

[toblameforit]

He snorts. "Okay, I'll buy it," he says wryly. "And look, I know bullshitting me is probably reflex by now, but could you try to quit it?"

Tony hasn't forgotten how this all started. Something real. Well, he got that. Got a lot of that. Is the supply starting to run out? He hopes not.

[be-this-naive.livejournal.com]

Obadiah rubs his forehead ruefully. (There's more authenticity to it than there is to a lot of the gestures and looks he uses with others.)

"Sorry," he says. "We were celebrating your eighteenth birthday back home. I started running on autopilot about halfway through. Guess I forgot to turn it off."

[toblameforit]

"Happy birthday to me, I guess."

[be-this-naive.livejournal.com]

Obadiah smiles.

"He seemed very happy," he says. "He didn't look like he was planning on slowing down any time soon when I excused myself."

[toblameforit]

"Of course. Shit, you guys are in New York? Did he fly to Montreal?"

[be-this-naive.livejournal.com]

"This weekend," Obadiah says. "Under the circumstances, he preferred to have me around on the day itself." Tony has been a bit clingy since the Galen incident.

Obadiah doesn't mind.

[toblameforit]

"...yeah," he says quietly, squeezing Obie's shoulder a little where his hand still rests there. "I'll bet he did."

[be-this-naive.livejournal.com]

Obadiah smiles fondly, touching Tony's hand.

"He's all right," he says.

[toblameforit]

"Good."

He smiles back, equally fond and a little sad.

[be-this-naive.livejournal.com]

Obadiah kisses his forehead.

Sherlock can leave all the messages he wants. Obadiah still has a claim on this Tony, as much he he does on his own.

[toblameforit]

Tony leans in close, his hand sliding from Obie's shoulder to wrap lightly around the back of his neck, and kisses him.

It is a very definite kiss. Sherry isn't the only one around here who can deliver an unambiguous message.

[be-this-naive.livejournal.com]

In this case, Obadiah can make an exception to his preference for keeping the show they put on downstairs slightly more ambiguous. For a moment or two. His own hand moves around behind Tony, to rest at the small of his back.

[toblameforit]

He makes a contented little sound into the kiss.

'Safe' isn't exactly the first word that comes to mind, but that's okay. It doesn't have to be. Just as long as it's on the list at all.

"So," he murmurs, pulling away just far enough to let the words out, "your place or mine?"

[be-this-naive.livejournal.com]

"I imagine we're less likely to meet with disapproval in mine," Obadiah says, only a little dry this time.

[toblameforit]

"Yeah," he concedes. "I'd figure he'd just go away if we were in there when he got to the door, but—" his hand touches his throat— "I'm not so sure now." He leans in for a quick kiss. "Your place it is."

[be-this-naive.livejournal.com]

That's fine with Obadiah. It isn't the concession it might seem like. He prefers to use his own room for Milliways hookups; Sherlock is providing an excuse to keep to that.

"All right, then," he says, getting up to lead the way.

[toblameforit]

Tony follows only a step behind.

By now, the third time, he barely even thinks about how weird it is. It just makes sense. Tony loves Obie, and as much as he is capable of it, Obie loves him back.