abstracts | Alternative Methods.

...He's caught between amazed and horrified. "You're kidding."

In his newfound sleepiness, Neil smirks at the surprise. "Not kidding," he declares. "I don't joke around when it comes to quests."

"That's my crazy kid," he says, pulling Neil down to snuggle. He's tempted; oh so very tempted to start asking questions. But--

"You want to talk about it now, or wanna nap with me first?"

Between a long discussion and a nap, the choice proves easy. "Nap first," he murmurs, poking Alex's cheek. "You're tired. Get sleep out of the way. Got so much to tell you."

After they clear their minds from the past few days.

Got so much to tell you.

It's this, less the content and more the words-- Neil wanting to share with him and actively interact --that gets Alex. He reaches to cup Neil's head and draw him down into a drawn-out kiss.

Warm lips meet his, and Neil murmurs contently. Loves the feel of Alex, the blessing of having this wonderfully weird guy beside him, with a greater appreciation for his presence. Man, does being sleepy affect Neil's sap levels.

"Love you," he speaks into Alex's lips.

Edited 2017-06-05 04:55 (UTC)

...It's nice to hear it without prompting from Neil. Alex gives a pleased sound, then kisses the corner of Neil's mouth, then his cheek. "Apparently you should hang out with Arcade more often," he murmurs with amusement.

Then responds more appropriately. "Love you, too. More than anything."

Somewhere above their heads, ED-E burbles happily and Alex laughs. "Little perv."

Everything's quite pleasant, and nothing seems to hurt. Neil buries his face into the other man's chest, sighing at the contact. "Apparently," he returns.

The perv comment, on the other hand, has Neil remembering a most important fact. "Oh, right," he mutters, eyes closing. "ED-E had me listen to a part of his collection of 'sounds.' Apparently, we're together too much."

For the little eyebot to record them constantly.

Alex tilts his head back to view ED-E. The eyebot floats there for a moment, then plays a clip of Neil whimpering as Alex climaxes loudly.

Alex reaches upward around Neil to grab ED-E--he skitters away with a chittering laugh of beeps. "Delete those! Right now!"

Neil freezes at the obvious sounds of obvious before busting out laughing at the exchange. "God," he manages in-between breaths. "I still sound like a retard."

ED-E is zipping back and forth in an unfair game of keep-away as Alex has Neil on his chest, but Alex stops reaching for the metal kid when Neil speaks.

"Are you kidding?" he asks truthfully. "You sound sexy."

He thinks to retort, to deny such a claim, but Alex feels so nice against him. They are also having a moment. Together.

Thus, Neil changes his words. "It's good, then," he says, one eye opening to watch Alex. "That I sound attractive to you."

Where he expected a fight, he gets nothing of the sort. Neil half-looks at him and Alex's heart speeds up.

He gapes, then attempts speech. "...You also sound sexy right now."

Here, Neil fully opens his eyes, dark-brown irises fixing completely on Alex. Sleepiness lessens somewhat as he thinks about Alex. Considers what he's learned about the intricacies of being together.

So he fucking flirts. Yeah, that's right. He hasn't been around Alex in days, and he doesn't know what some of that coming talk will bring. "Is that a come on, Mr. Geer?" Neil asks honestly. "Because I'm open to that if you are."

His body heats and reacts obviously. "Shit," he murmurs. "You own me entirely, you know that?"

Despite himself, Neil smiles affectionately, a detail that's becoming more and more frequent as the days pass. "The opposite," he protests without heat. "You've managed to get completely under my skin, old man." Affecting without effort.

...Yes, he would prefer to be inside Neil-- Er, wait. No. That's not something to say at this point.

He slips his arms back around Neil, one pressing his hips down as Alex presses upward. Still, he only nuzzles, even at the clothed contact. "...All right, let's make a decision and stick to it." He nuzzles more, kissing Neil's temple. "Sex, sleep, or speech?"

At the contact, Neil shivers minutely. At the question, he grins.

"If we're talking about which order," he says lightly, "sex, sleep, then speech sounds pretty good."

"Fuck," he breathes, because what is this? Seriously, is he going to have to give Arcade a fruit basket or a prostitute, because seriously. Neil has been progressively and more steadily affectionate, but offering up sex like this--

But the whole hanging out with Arcade thing makes him remember the reason why. His reactions slow. "You sure? We can try something else if you want. I know you said it's hard to live afterward sometimes."

"We have time." Time to explore and experiment. There would be nothing new until they've properly talked shop. Besides, Neil Park would rather the intensity he's had before. What Richards' had talked about.

Neil's grin abates, slipping into an easy smile. "I know what I said, but right now, I want what we normally do."

The statement of time makes his heart beat faster. The declaration of want heats and settles him. His hands tighten on Neil, and he draws Neil back down into a heated kiss.

The dog will probably wake up, and ED-E may or may not leave the room, but Alex doesn't really care at this point. Neil came back to him seemingly more whole, and after the work Alex had set himself to this week, this is something healing for him. Something wanted.

"...I just want you," he states, breathless, when they break for air. "Only you."

They kiss with more heat, more intensity, and Neil holds onto Alex as if letting go is not an option. When they break and Alex speaks, the younger slips a hand through the man's hair. "I want you," Neil confesses, "more than anything in my life."

It's not as if Alex has forgotten what took place in Vault 7. That's not it. It's only that the memories of the event, the intensity, faded, like most things do. It's been nearly three weeks since they've been back to the Mojave, from the vault of truth and misguided tour of California. And after the initial couple of days, Alex had things to check on in Vegas, and Neil had to sell some more of the items he brought back from the Capital. It wasn't that they weren't spending time together--there was just a couple of things for them to take care of.

Then when Alex finished his stuff, Neil went to visit Arcade and those two went on a week long trip. So Alex started something he's been putting off: Finishing laying to rest the inhabitants of the Hidden Valley bunker and cleaning out the rubble from the remains. It was tiring physically and exhausting emotionally. It also made him return to his prior mindset: That despite friends and those closer, the things most affecting on him would be his and his alone to carry.

Neil would deny that.

Deny it and remind Alex, through kind touches, offers of want, and reiterations of commitment. It's something new, something hard to grasp, but it's there. Something permanent, right in his grasp.

Not something shining in the sand.

(He thinks to tell him then, about the nightmares that started since Vault 7. About the city shining between the dusty cliffs, about the faceless people welcoming him back home. He thinks to tell him-- But he swallows it. It's too much. Not right now.)

Alex breathes out, leans up to rest his head against Neil's. The intensity doesn't fade, but it shifts, becomes less sexual. "...I know I offered sex, but can I tell you something right now?"

Neil blinks at the shift, mildly surprised. Somewhat caught off-guard after murmuring his affection. "Of course," he says.

Of course, Neil says, and Alex drowns in these feelings for him.

"This past week I haven't been in Vegas," he starts. "I've been in Hidden Valley."

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