Work Text:
Josh walks out of the White House State Dining Room, trying to re-tie his bow tie without making a complete mess of it, when he feels a hand on his arm and is yanked into a dark alcove, coming face to face with Sam Seaborn.
Sam gives him a soft smile before reaching forward and untying his bow tie, removing the soft fabric from his neck, and reaching around to turn up his collar. Josh loves the way Sam’s fingers feel as they graze the back of his neck, repositioning the tie, and he reveled in the feather-light touches as Sam’s fingers trace a line from his collar to his chest. Josh couldn’t help the small, soft smile on his face or the way he gazed at him, amazed that Sam was his.
“Why do you let Donna tie this for you? You could always come find me,” Sam says with a soft smile and small shake of his head. “And keep you from dragging me off into dark corners to fix it? Not a chance,” Josh replies, his smile deepening. “Touché,” Sam chuckles as he puts the final flourish on Josh’s newly re-tied bow tie, his hands moving to Josh’s shoulders and giving them a quick squeeze.
The tension between them is palpable. It lies thick around them like humidity on a hot summer’s day. Josh opens his mouth to tell Sam how excited he is for later this evening, when Sam will untie this tie and leave it strewn on the floor of his apartment, when they hear voices coming up the hall. The two men step back as if they’d been burned, and Sam asks, “See you tonight?” Josh gives me a curt nod before looking out into the hall to see if anybody’s coming. As soon as he knows the coast is clear, Josh turns back and gives Sam a big grin, squeezes Sam’s hand, and says “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” before stepping out of the alcove and back into the party.