Unconventional (Sean)

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean, as his archeologist alter ego, shrugged a single time. “I wouldn’t call it never getting lonely so much as it is being used to it and putting my career ahead of my personal life.”

That, in itself, was a sentiment that half-applied to periods of Sean’s life, while the other half could not be further from the truth. For long periods in between relationships, the telepath had grown used to being alone. As he had told Josh during their reconciliation three and a half years ago, he had made peace with the thought of dying a bachelor. He had to accept that, otherwise he could never have a peaceful relationship with another person.

At the same time, he had always desired a family, had always wanted to settle down with another person and build a life together. The notion of deliberately putting his career before his personal life applied no more to his choices and his life than the notion that he might someday grow interested in non-monogamy. His career had grown fine, but that was due to not having a family life for so long, rather than due to a deliberate choice on his part.

But he could pretend for the sake of their game.

Adopting a self-deprecating expression, he explained, “Most people don’t find the idea of moving every few weeks enticing.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

"I guess that makes it hard to put down roots," Josh conceded as he took one final sip from his drink. "But it's gotta be a little exciting. Seeing new places, new experiences. And you don't even have to take a vacation to do it."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“It does.” Sean’s alter ego meant that as a neutral statement, as a simple truth. He found it quite difficult to set down roots, given that his life consisted of archaeological digs, of giving lectures, of conducting other research, and of attending conferences all across the globe. Then a smile crossed his lips, the wistful look of someone who utterly enjoyed his work and the course of his life.

“It’s more than a little exciting. I can’t properly describe it, except to say that I don’t regret a moment of it.” Even with how difficult it could be for ‘Stephen’ to maintain a relationship, he remained dedicated to his work, and the pursuit of knowledge that could only come from studying past cultures. “And with the advent of digital cameras, I can take so many more photos. I find it incredible.”

There, he shared a trait with Sean, who also found the transition from Polaroid cameras to digital invaluable. As a man who enjoyed taking photos and posing in photos, it made all the difference in his life.

He then nodded in the direction of the other man’s empty glass. “Can I buy you another?” He had promised to buy the drinks for this game, at least from the last round forward.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh leaned forward and drank in the excitement radiating from his partner at this imaginary scene.

"Are there any pictures you might....share?" He asked, then straightened at the other man's question. "Hmmm. If we can get the bartender back over here I might just take you up on that."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean’s expression grew more blatantly flirtatious. “That depends. Are you asking me to share them?” To emphasize the flirtatious nature of his alter ego’s words. Fortunately, while Sean possessed no creative writing skills whatsoever, he did possess a vivid imagination, one that his telepathy only magnified exponentially. His descriptions of photos might not be worthy of Lord Byron, but he could certainly come up with something that would keep his partner’s interest.

Regarding the drink, he nodded, and the smile remained on his lips. “Let me see if I can track him down,” he offered, as though he was a gentleman.

With that, he turned back towards the bar and raised his hand, seeking out eye contact with the bartender. It took a long moment, as the young man tending bar had his hands full with the many patrons whose Valentine’s Day plans required alcohol as a social lubricant. When he finally came over, Sean offered the bartender a smile, and said, “I’d like to switch to a glass of orange juice. And please, get whatever my friend here would like. It’s on me.”

To that end, with his free hand, he reached into his jacket pocket to pull out his wallet. The least he could do was pay promptly and tip well to make up for the frazzled night that the bartender had had so far.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh rested his chin on one hand and gazed contentedly into Sean's eyes, delighted with the direction their flirtation had gone. He had rarely been so brazen in similar situations, but then he rarely noticed when anyone was trying to get his attention. In this circumstance he already knew the planned course.

"I might be asking that, yeah." He acknowledged before turning to the bartender. "I'll try another of these martinis. Thanks."

His persona wasn't going to reject his target's generosity, particularly if it was indicative of later consensual adult fun.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean gazed back into Josh’s bright blue eyes, and he allowed himself to stroke along the back of his partner’s hand with one finger. He drew light patterns while not allowing himself to break eye contact with the other man. If their flirtation had not been apparent earlier, it would be obvious to any passersby that they would go home with each other by this point. “In that case, I may have something to share with you,” he promised the other man, with the smile still wide across his lips.

“I suppose it depends on how much you like leather.” Then he chuckled lightly, as though it was a joke. Which it was. The telepath already knew that the other man enjoyed it when he wore leather, as had been his reason in choosing part of his costume.

The bartender acknowledged the orders from both men and disappeared for a few minutes to mix Josh’s martini and to pour Sean his juice. When he finished, he brought both drinks over, Sean paid and tipped quite handsomely, offering the bartender a brief “thank you,” before he returned his full attention to his partner.

That would last them for a while, he thought. Until one of them became hungry.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh barely noticed as the bartender slid the requested martini in his direction. His focus was all on Sean: on the light touch on his hand, on the salacious smile, on the promise of pictures later.

"Leather?" He asked, his persona's interest piqued. "Who doesn't like leather?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean’s smile widened. Josh never disappointed when it came to flirtation. He, or his cowboy/farm hand persona Slim in this instance, took the bait, just as the telepath had hoped. Unsurprisingly, since Josh was a child of the 1970s and came of age and into himself as a mature, sexual adult in the gay culture of the Village during that time. Leather came part and parcel with that subculture, even though neither of them belonged to any more particular subculture like BDSM or bears (all jokes aside).

“Vegans, I suppose,” Sean replied, as though that was a serious question. Of course, he had no fear of that with Josh, as he and his partner were both omnivores. Given that Josh’s Slim alter ego worked with horses and other farm animals, he assumed that the persona was no more a vegan than Josh himself.

He could talk about leather for a while. Both because he knew that his partner enjoyed how he looked in it, and because it provided a good metaphor and catalyst for their flirtation.

“Do you like the jacket?” he inquired, gesturing at himself with his free hand, before he reached out to grab his juice glass. He sipped, keeping his attention on Josh as he waited for his partner to provide his answer.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh raised both brows and very slowly, deliberately raked his gaze from Sean's head to his torso.

"I'd have to be blind not to have. A jacket like that can make a man have thoughts."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean leaned forward with a lascivious grin on his lips. He then asked a question that, as a teenager or as an adult, he had never had to ask of another person. “And what thoughts would those be?”

He could hear them, of course. One of the many fringe benefits of telepathy was that he could hear all of the associated thoughts his partner experienced when flirting or aroused. Sean cherished that ability, because he felt so in tune with Josh in those moments.

However, part of the game was to flirt verbally and over the top. That involved pretending that he could not hear the other man’s thoughts, so that he forced Josh’s hand into revealing them aloud. He wanted to hear his partner put his thoughts into words, and, just as Josh enjoyed hearing Sean express his attraction to him, the telepath felt the same way regarding his partner.

While he waited for Josh to speak, he continued to run his finger along the other man’s hand, tracing idle patterns to goad him on. Depending on what Josh said, he would take that as a cue when dropping hints about the supposed photos that his alter ego would have to share when all was said and done.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh rolled his eyes towards the ceiling as if seeking guidance from the heaven's as he answered, "What thoughts?" He laughed, turning his hand over and seeking to draw his own fingers along Sean's. "Why, thoughts of what that jacket hides, of course. Does it cloak rebellion? Does it hide a sensitive side?" His gaze dropped from the ceiling to Sean's pants meaningfully at that.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean complied with the change, allowing Josh to return the touches for the time being. He glanced down at their hands, watched as his partner’s fingers danced along his knuckles. “What thoughts?” He repeated with a nod. The prop glasses slid down the bridge of his nose, and he set aside his juice glass long enough to push them back into place.

Josh failed to disappoint with his descriptions, and, once again, Sean found himself smiling at the younger man. Perhaps nobody outside of the two of them would describe their flirtation as arousing, or even as objectively good, but that did not matter. All that mattered was that the two of them enjoyed themselves, and, speaking for himself, Sean was enjoying himself quite thoroughly. He knew without asking that Josh was as well. This was fun. They were having fun, and that made it a great exercise in flirtation for that reason alone.

“I suppose the only way to answer that question is to tear a page from my career playbook,” he replied, trying to keep the laughter from his voice. As though this was serious. “When an archaeologist has a question about something like that, we dig for the answer.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh finally noticed his martini and brought it to his lips with a grin.

"Dig for the answer." He repeated, licking his lips at the thought. "So're we playin' twenty questions or....?" He ran his gaze up and down Sean's torso.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

That was a somewhat less literal interpretation of Sean’s blatant flirting than the telepath had intended. However, he and Josh had never failed to goad one another during flirtation or banter, and he had never failed to rise to the occasion when his partner set a course during banter. As such, Sean crooked a smile at the younger man and nodded a single time.

“Call it Twenty Questions,” he replied. Awkwardly, he shifted on the barstool, reaching out with one foot to press against his partner’s, harking back to how they would flirt when they were younger. When they had had fewer avenues for blatant physical contact in public, even in designated safe gay spaces.

With his free hand, he reached once more for his juice glass, taking a sip. “But to make it interesting, the more questions you have to ask, the less you get with each answer. Call it the law of diminishing returns.” Technically, that had to do with economics and philosophy, but there was no reason he could not adopt it for their banter and this game. They had already adopted so much else out of context, and it helped his persona to sound academic, surely. “So choose wisely.”