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It started innocently enough.
His shirt collar had itched. He had stretched his neck. Garnering attention hadn’t been his goal.
Now, though, Caleb reaps what he’s sown.
After thirty minutes of demure glances, Seth’s stare from across the way is glacial- a glare to anyone who may know him less. He is intent. Intense. Intoxicating. Caleb feels his green eyes like a lick.
Pleased, Caleb tips his chin up, offers an extra sliver of skin. Sets his own eyes aside. Adjusts a cufflink. If a little wrist shows between his cuff and the base of his backless and fingerless glove, well. He’s fond of being a bit sly.
When next he looks, Seth is setting aside his full flute of sparkling wine. He circles the room with the grace of a snake, smiling softly at those he moves by. Caleb’s collar is suddenly too tight.
Seth nods to Caleb’s colleagues when he arrives to their huddle, greeting them each by name. Just as casual, he turns to Caleb.
“Professor, a moment? Please, walk with me.”
Cordial, warm and sweet. A command.
To the rest, tinged silly:
“My apologies for stealing him away.”
Caleb excuses himself with a light laugh.
Once they are well out of eye- and earshot, conversation reduced to murmurs here in Caleb’s office several doors down, Seth rounds on him.
“Caleb Widogast.”
Seth’s voice is crystalline, each word clipped quiet and crisp as frost.
“What, exactly, do you think you are doing?”
Caleb lowers his own tone to lit coal. He’d quite like to stoke some good thrill.
“What is it you think I am doing, my friend?”
He hardly has the chance to exhale a smitten grin when Essek, his Essek, drags him into a scalding kiss. Caleb kisses him back- holds him- parts with him- breathes him in- hides him with his own back- and though Essek evidently hadn’t touched his drink, he is heady and liquid and fizzling and so Caleb laughs as he can between licks. This is good. This is nice. This is exactly what he’d just wanted, his mind and mouth full with Essek instead of solely the idle chatter of tonight- oh. What if a handful, too? He drags a palm down Essek’s spine, giving up all asinine focus but one. It’s as Caleb forgets himself that Essek takes a step away.
Voice husked, Essek croons.
“Enough.”
Caleb pants, willing the whirring of his mind quiet.
He makes his tongue make words.
“For now?”
His one dimple deep, Essek glints a fang.
“For now. You’ve made your point.”
A wave and he is Seth again, entirely and impeccably composed. He straightens and smooths Caleb’s lapels.
Caleb plays petulant to be funny, knowing the act will go nowhere.
“I miss you.”
“You can stand to miss me more.”
“You hate parties.”
“And so Beauregard thinks Seth should socialize.”
Preempting Caleb’s retort, he tucks beside Caleb’s ear, his hot breath both a caress and a threat.
“Keep yourself together, and I’ll have more fun taking you apart when we’re done. Play nice with me and behave.”
Ah.
Caleb miscalculated.
Sometimes Essek is bolder in public when private and without his own face. And also a little mean when need be.
Assessing Caleb’s state, Seth’s glasses gleam with his grin. He gives Caleb a coy peck on the cheek and pats Caleb’s chest twice.
Then, just like that, he leaves.
Blood pounding alight, Caleb takes his time cooling down. A stupid smile stays stuck on his face.