Chapter Text
When Sebastian woke his first concern was how bloody warm it was. The cashmere blanket draped over the body draped over him was mostly the cause, while Anthony’s shallow breaths against his chest didn’t help the matter. It’s late morning; he’s hungry and not entirely sure how to extract himself from his current position without disturbing the peace. It’s not often he gets to see Anthony so content, so quiet and he’s reluctant to change the current situation.
It’s easy, lying on the couch with an arm wrapped around Anthony’s shoulder, but then again, Sebastian reflected, everything is easy with him. Hitting those dramatic moments on camera one minute, verbal sparring the next until one of them cracks, doubling in laughter; enduring seemingly endless interviews and still smiling because just at the moment he thinks he is about to lose the will to go on, Anthony will throw a compliment his way - something utterly ridiculous about his hair or his eyes - and Sebastian will laugh or cringe, but either way it will be a little shot of adrenalin to keep him going. Catching up after months apart, laughing and joking like they haven’t a care in the world, it’s all easy; letting himself spend the night curled up next to Anthony, allowing Anthony’s lips on his neck, even for a brief moment.
A new wave of heat passed through Sebastian and at that moment he realised he’d been running his fingers across Anthony’s shoulder, his arm. How long had he been doing that? Immediately he stopped and began planning his escape route.
It didn’t work, however: the moment he tried to ease himself from underneath Anthony the older man stirred, stretching languorously, his shirt riding up enough for Sebastian to glimpse the toned skin of Anthony’s stomach.
“Morning sleeping beauty.”
“Please tell me it’s a more civilised hour.”
Sebastian smiled; “It is, and because I’m in such a good mood I’ve considered your request,” he continued, seizing his opportunity to break free, “and I’m going to make breakfast.”
Anthony laughed as Sebastian headed into the kitchen; “I knew sleeping with me would put you in a good mood.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes, fishing his phone out of his jeans pocket to send a quick message to his mother - it didn’t look like Anthony was going anywhere soon, so he’d have to see her later.
He’s halfway through prepping their scrambled eggs and toast when Anthony reappeared from the bathroom, much more awake.
“There’s juice in the fridge, glasses on the table,” Sebastian called over his shoulder, his attention on the hot pan in front of him.
“You want some?”
“Yeah, please.”
Anthony retrieved cutlery from the drawer and finished setting the table before appearing behind Sebastian, hands resting lightly on Sebastian’s hips as he peeked over his shoulder.
“Smells good,” Anthony said, close to Sebastian’s ear.
“Don’t get excited, it’s nothing fancy,” Sebastian replied, moving to plate their breakfasts while mentally filing that moment away for dissection later.
“Here you go,” he said, handing the plate to Anthony and they sat at the table. The meal passed in comfortable silence, which Anthony obviously had to break when they were nearly finished; “You know, you’re not bad at this. I’d let you cook for me again.”
“Aren't I lucky?" Sebastian replied with a hint of meaningless sarcasm, smiling as he collected their empty dishes.
“So what time are you heading to see Mummy Stan?”
“Oh, I told her I’d see her tomorrow.”
Anthony raised an eyebrow, that trademark playful grin reappearing. For full effect, he leaned back in the chair, stretching his legs out. “Really? Does that mean I get you all to myself this morning then?”
“You know what,” Sebastian replied, coming to stand behind Anthony and place his hands on Anthony’s shoulders, “you can have me all day if you want. Once I’ve had a shower.”
“Well there’s an offer I can’t refuse.”
Both men took the opportunity for a quick shower. When Anthony reappeared, sporting a t-shirt he retrieved from one of Sebastian’s drawers, he caught the end of Sebastian’s conversation with his mother.
“Did you tell her I said hi?”
“How did you know who it was?”
“Well unless you’re some sort of Eastern European mafia boss, I can’t imagine you speak Romanian to anyone else.”
“You never know, I could be…” Sebastian paused when he spotted Anthony’s attire, raising an eyebrow. The burgundy t-shirt was almost a perfect fit, maybe a little more snug across the shoulders than it would have been on himself, but Sebastian wasn’t complaining.
Anthony shrugged in response; “So what do you fancy doing today then?”
“Well,” Sebastian pointed at the open backpack on the floor, “I had been thinking of going for a hike in that state park I told you about, if you’re up for it.”
“A hike?”
“If you don’t think you’re up for the challenge,” Sebastian smirked, putting cold bottles of water into the backpack before zipping it up.
“You’re forgetting, Seabass, I don’t skip leg day.”
It was early afternoon by the time they reached their destination. Sebastian opted for the lesser-used, more out of the way car park, one which wasn’t often frequented by tourists. As he suspected, it was almost empty. Sebastian shouldered the backpack while Anthony changed into more appropriate footwear (“Seriously, is there anything you don’t have in the trunk of your car?” Sebastian had asked, shaking his head at the chaos).
Sebastian led the way along a widening track into the forest. Here, in comparison with the city, the air was clean, fresh, almost sharp in the lungs. Birds sang and the wind occasionally rustled the tree’s leaves; the only other sound was the crunching of their shoes on the forest floor. They were in no rush; the weather was pleasant - the sun periodically ducking behind white clouds, giving them relief from the heat - and they both paused to take photos of various photogenic locations. It was so peaceful, Sebastian thought, that even Anthony exuded an unusual state of calm. For all the joy and freedom and enthusiasm Anthony brought to Sebastian’s day, there was something to be said for his quieter, softer side. When Anthony’s attention was caught by a small waterfall, causing him to stop to watch the water descend over the rocks to the stream below, Sebastian snapped a quick photo on his phone.
Half an hour later, they sat for a late lunch in a small clearing next to a river. They were high enough up to see for miles, countless shades of green stretching outwards. Sebastian had hastily thrown some sandwiches together before leaving, a few pieces of fruit thrown in for good measure too.
“Two meals in one day,” Anthony said, lying back on the grass, hands behind his head; “You’re spoiling me.” He nudged Sebastian, sitting next to him, with his foot; “I might have to treat you to dinner later.”
“In that case I think we should go at least another ten miles,” Sebastian replied, glancing down at Anthony, “I’ve got to work up a real appetite.”
While they didn’t quite make it that far, they spent another couple of hours following the stream, crossing at a narrow point (Anthony protesting at managing to get his foot wet, Sebastian stumbling as he laughed at Anthony’s ‘disaster’) and circling back towards the car park. They were almost back at the car, the sun no longer high in the sky when Anthony threw an arm around Sebastian’s shoulder and quickly snapped a selfie of the two of them.
“What, another Instagram special?”
“Gotta keep the bromance alive, Seabass,” Anthony chuckled in his ear before snapping another as he planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek, “Gotta give the people what they want.”
“The people?” Sebastian called after Anthony, who had marched on ahead. “I’m sure I remember it was you who said you wanted to get me all to yourself.”
Anthony spun round to face Sebastian briefly to reply, “Yeah, and looks like I did.” A quick wink and he was back off along the track again, Sebastian in tow, shaking his head.
True to his word, Anthony pointed out a small restaurant on their drive back to the city and they pulled in. It was late for dinner and the restaurant was almost empty. No one batted an eyelid when they entered, or were shown to their seats. A delicious aroma emanated from the kitchen as they made their meal choices.
“You want a beer?” Anthony asked as the waiter scribbled down their orders.
“Nah, I’ll wait til later. You go ahead though.”
Anthony did so, pressing his knee to Sebastian’s under the table when the waiter had left; “You’re just trying to get me drunk, aren’t you?
“How could I be so transparent?” Sebastian replied sardonically, sipping from his glass of water and absolutely not thinking about the spark Anthony’s action had caused in him. Nor was he thinking about the fact that Anthony hadn’t retreated back to his own personal space ten minutes later when their food arrived.
The sun had finally set when Sebastian parked his car next to Anthony’s, which had been taking up the visitor’s space for the past day. He was glad he’d brought a coat, for a cool breeze swirled around them as they got out.
“It’s a good thing we walked that far today, I’m completely stuffed now,” Sebastian said as Anthony leaned against the side of the car.
“Sure you can just give Don a call in the morning and he’ll get you whipped back into shape,” Anthony replied, though he looked equally full and tired from their day’s adventures. “You know, I did miss you man,” Anthony continued, dropping his gaze momentarily.
"That’s what you get for trying to be friends with a hermit,” Sebastian replied.
“You’re not gonna let that one go, are you?”
Shaking his head, Sebastian replied “Not a chance. Seriously though, you were right,” the statement caught Anthony’s attention. “I missed you too, buddy. We should do this more often.”
“Come here you big softie,” Anthony said as he pulled Sebastian into a hug, deliciously warm and comforting, not quite releasing him a moment later. Sebastian met Anthony’s gaze, brown eyes staring straight at him. He knew Anthony well enough to spot a thought, maybe a question working through his mind, being turned over and around before entering the big wide world.
“Sebastian,” he began, arms resting loosely around Sebastian’s waist now, “you know all those things I said in interviews, about you…”
“You might have to be more specific, Anthony. You’ve said a lot in the last seven years.”
“Yeah, ok. Like, the compliments and stuff. I meant it, them all, you know?”
It was almost a reflex action for Sebastian to duck his head in embarrassment, so Anthony placed a hand on his cheek, encouraging Sebastian to meet his gaze again.
“Seriously,” Anthony continued before Sebastian could argue (he wouldn’t deny that it was already forming in his mind), “you’re talented, you’re handsome. You’re a great guy.”
Sebastian knew the truth of everything he had spoken in countless interviews about Anthony; there may have been jokes and jests but they all came from a place of love. He had never uttered a bad or untrue word about Anthony because he couldn’t. Knowing that his own words contained nothing but honesty made Sebastian suddenly nervous that what Anthony had said, and what he was saying now might just be the same.
“So if I’m overstepping, or out of line, please tell me,” Anthony continued. Neither man moved, Anthony searching for a clue in Sebastian’s expression, for what he might be thinking or feeling. Sebastian was very aware of how close Anthony was, and how it made him feel. For years he had been pushing down feelings that he thought he shouldn’t be having, but at that moment they were fighting to get free, fighting for supremacy. Sebastian bit his lip - a bad habit he had been told off for on many occasions, but apparently that was some sort of cue or trigger: Anthony pulled them together slowly, giving Sebastian every opportunity to back out or run away or do anything to put a stop to the developing situation.
Sebastian leaned in to Anthony, leaning against the side of the car and kissed him, short and sweet at first. The voices in his head, the emotions fighting inside him were all silenced; his brain focused only on the soft lips beneath his, the strong arm holding him against a muscular, toned figure. Against Anthony.
“Fuck,” Anthony swore, breath warm across Sebastian’s lips.
“Yeah.”