Liquid Courage [Jake]

[Morgan Tonaya]

There was no justifying moments like this until the morning after. The way I see it, these two are safe for the time being. Well, as safe as two drunken men can be when one is perched precariously on top of the other. Occasionally Morgan would wobble slightly, the softness of the couch yielding too much to his weight to provide actual stable ground. His knee sank into the space between the cushions and he was forced to brace both of his hands on the back of the couch, one arm on either side of Jake’s head.

“What are you laughing at?” He asked softly as he examined him thoughtfully, his mouth moving almost flush against Jake’s. Morgan hadn’t realized the subtle reactions Jake was offering, and the buzzing in his ears (drunk? Yes.) almost made him miss Jake’s soft sighs and quiet moans. When he did catch them, he made a conscious effort to remember the sound.

Even with his eyes closed, Jake was alluring. Flattening his fingers against Jake’s back to run them across the skin there, Morgan leaned his head and let his lips ghost over Jake’s shoulder, breath warming Jake’s neck as he inhaled a scent that smelled mostly of tequila and person, but also of something unique. Though his movements were soft, they were insistent, each with its own goal or purpose. Mostly that goal was reaching Jake’s mouth again, and at this point Morgan was doing a pretty good job of sticking to it.

When Jake broke his promise (that hadn’t lasted long), Morgan broke their kiss. Not on purpose mind you, but his mouth fell open and his head jerked back in an instinctive act of surprise. Accompanying this sudden lurch was a hitching sound in Morgan’s through, like he’d just been pricked by a needle rather than experienced an intensely pleasurable sensation. As quickly as it had done its damage, Jake’s had was one and in his hair, her turned his head to the side to press his lips to Jake’s wrist. Letting out one ragged breath, he opened his eyes and turned them to Jake. “You promised.” He whispered, narrowing his eyes.

The gentle stroke of Jake’s thumb on his hip was enough to erase the transgression as Morgan curled his arm further under Jake’s to slide his hand between his shoulder blades. He pulled Jake into a tight embrace and pushed a real kiss to his shoulder, rather than the feather-light exploration of before. After another fleeting kiss on Jake’s neck, nipping him lightly, Morgan settled back on Jake’s mouth, content to rest there and bask in the warmth of Jake’s chest pressed to his.

[Jacob Lawrence]

"You." Was all Jake offered up in response to Morgan's question, the light tickling of Morgan's lips against his own enough to coerce another little chuckle. Not that it was a bad thing, oh no, Jake was eating up all this attention. He was finding this absolutely thrilling, exploring a new mouth and a new body and reveling in how nice Morgan's skin felt underneath his fingers.

When he felt the man's breath over his neck, a shiver ran down his spine. Right there at the junction of neck and shoulder Jake was incredibly sensitive. The gentle brush of Morgan's lips had his toes curling and his breath catching and it was just so different from the way Gabe used to roughly bite him there. At least now they were on an even playing field. And as Morgan's mouth found his again, Jake kissed back more insistent than before.

His eyes opened when he felt the brush of Morgan's lips on his wrist and he smiled faintly. "Sorry, couldn't help myself." Really, like he was going to pass up an opportunity to touch that lovely stomach. He gave a gentle tug on Morgan's hair, his breath failing him again as the man's lips once more descended to his shoulder. But he needed something firmer to grasp, so his hand slid down to curl around Morgan's shoulder, fingers digging in just a little as he found himself flush up against the blonde's chest. The heat was almost overwhelming, Jake's mind delightfully foggy as his other arm wrapped around Morgan's waist, fingers curling at the small of his back.

Jake drew back from the kiss once again, making it obvious he had something to say by putting just a little bit more distance between their mouths than just to take a breath. "Remind me to grope you more often." He said in a low voice, moving to catch Morgan's lower lip between his teeth in a gentle bite. Hell, if this is what he got for grabbing on Morgan, the teacher will be lucky to ever get Jake's hands off of him.

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[Morgan Tonaya]

“Well that’s not very nice.” He breathed, feeling Jake’s shudder against him. Having him this close, he could feel each ticking muscle, and each subtle movement. It was an interesting anatomy lesson, that was for sure. Morgan was learning a lot about Jake by experiencing him his way.

Like how sensitive he was. He could help but laugh in return at Jake’s shivering. He knew that shiver well. He reminded himself that Jake’s neck must be like his own stomach. This theory was confirmed when Jake gripped his shoulder tightly, which leads me to Morgan’s next bit of knowledge acquired during this make-out session.

How strong Jake was. It didn’t hurt when Jake embraced him, or when his fingers dug into Morgan’s shoulders, but Morgan could definitely say he’d never want to wrestle Jake. The man could hold his arm, and was having a plenty easy time of maneuvering Morgan through a series of pushes and tugs. Maybe that was simply because Morgan’s balance and gone with the last two shots, but that’s not the point.

One thing Morgan had already learned tonight, and the one thing he would probably never forget, was how cheeky Jake was. “Yeah like you’ll need reminding.” Morgan admonished as Jake leaned back in, though he was a bit surprised when the light scrape of Jake’s teeth caught his lip instead of the wet of his tongue or the warmth of his breath. Not that he was complaining mind you, just surprised. But then again, hadn’t Jake said something awfully suggestive about biting at some point in the time they’d known each other? Morgan couldn’t remember, and he didn’t care as he used the opportunity to slide his tongue between Jake’s teeth to continue his ‘learning experience.’

[Jacob Lawrence]

"Maybe not, but this is." He was referring to everything that had transpired in the past few minutes, but mostly to the fact that Morgan was over him now. Yes, this was very nice. And Jake would without a doubt monopolize Morgan's attention for as long as he possibly could. As far as he was concerned, their contact was the only thing that mattered, but that could have just been the alcohol making it impossible to focus on anything other than the feel of Morgan's body against his.

Had Jake been more self-conscious, he might have complained when Morgan laughed at him. As it were, he was just hoping that Morgan would take his response as a hint to do that again. He was feeling a bit like a hedonist as his senses filled with everything that was Morgan, craving more of this intimacy with the other man. When Morgan had snapped and kissed him, Jake had wondered if he had passed out and was simply dreaming, but his dreams weren't usually so nice to him... or so vivid. And besides, if he were to the point of blackout drunk, he wouldn't have been dreaming at all.

Any further remarks that Jake may have wanted to make were cut off, his mouth parting eagerly beneath Morgan's own. Instead, he let his hands talk for him. His grip on the blonde's shoulder loosened, his palm sliding down over Morgan's back, over the tattoo til it came to rest just at the waist of his jeans. Bold as ever, his fingers dipped into Morgan's jeans just a little, just so the very tips of his fingers were resting on hidden skin. It wouldn't be long (if left unchecked) before they became even more daring, but this was far enough for now.

His lips trailed from Morgan's to brush along the line of his jaw, his breath heavier than before. "I think you liked it." He teased, nipping his ear and then kissing the hollow beneath it. If Morgan thought he was pushing boundaries before, well, that was only the beginning. He'll keep toeing the line until he gets a proper scolding.

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[Morgan Tonaya]

“Yeah, it is…” Morgan admitted. Finally admitting it out loud. Finally after all this time trying to avoid his attraction to Jake, just saying it out loud was like a breath of fresh air. And it was also suddenly like being hit by a truck. He’d just admitted out loud that he was enjoying making out with a man. What did that entail? Did he care?

Morgan’s mind raced for a moment, but only a moment. Soon it calmed again. A mixture of
tequila and Jake’s warm hands ebbed his concerns away. The future could wait. Here and now was better. Jake’s mouth was intoxicating enough on its own, and he sighed delightedly as Jake’s hand pulled across his back.

He pulled in a surprised breath when Jake was suddenly below his waistline, and that’s when his thoughts started up again. Morgan’s eyes shot open and he broke their kiss, suddenly seeming apprehensive. “I did. I do!” He stammered, his words slurring as he pushed Jake gently away from him, sliding over so that he was on the couch and leaning into Jake’s chest. “I just…I’m…” Morgan looked distraught and confused. “I’m…s-super drunk.” He laughed slightly, scrubbing his hand over his face.

“And I…I…I just…” His breath was still heavy as his hand ran down Jake’s neck, resting over the brunette’s heart. “I dun want to forget…I guess.” He said blushing and laying back slightly. “…Moment killer.” He said after a bit, giggling foolishly. Drunk. Very. But Morgan’s heart (as always) was in the right place. He was very attracted to Jake, and now that he finally admitted it he didn’t want Jake to just be a sudden hookup. Morgan wanted to savor. He wanted to explore. And he wanted to do it sober.

Suddenly he also wanted to sleep. Little starbursts edged into his vision. “Ugh…” He groaned, eyes crossing for a moment when he opened them and tried to stop his vision from swimming. Morgan’s face fell into a sleepy countenance as well, and he rubbed his eyes like a toddler.

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jake released a little grunt of disappointment when Morgan pulled back, looking a little upset as he slid off from his lap and onto the couch. The expression on Morgan's face was enough to keep him from complaining and instead he just wound his arm around the other man in what he hoped would be a comforting gesture. As he listened to Morgan's drunken slur and watched his nervous actions, he felt a warm sort of tickling in his chest; the kind he usually got when he saw something ridiculously adorable.

"Hey, it's okay." He soothed, in agreement with him in that he didn't want Morgan to forget anything that had happened this night. He wanted the blonde to be able to look back on it fondly... and so that they could continue where they left off at a later date. He threaded his fingers through Morgan's hair as he leaned on his chest, his expression soft. He was drunk as well, there was no denying that, but it wasn't to the same extent as Morgan. "But damn, that was one hell of a mood killer." He laughed, his fingers curling around Morgan's own hand and giving it a little squeeze.

He hadn't ever thought he'd get even this far with Morgan tonight, but he was okay with putting things on hold, especially as it looked like Morgan might have been on the verge of passing out. "Don't conk out on me, now." He bowed his head and pressed a little kiss to the man's forehead before sliding off the couch and taking both of Morgan's hands in his. "I think it's time somebody went to bed." Because sleeping on the couch was never fun. He tugged on the man's arms until he was up off of the sofa, then wound his arm around his middle to support him.

"Uhh... where's your bedroom?" Don't worry, Jake, I'm sure you'll be familiar with it before long. "... and stop looking so cute." He scolded gently, without actually meaning it in the slightest. The brunette just smiled as he looked over at Morgan, realizing just how well this evening had turned out and hoping that there would be many more like it.

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[Morgan Tonaya]

Morgan turned his head, burying it in Jake’s chest as the brunette laughed at him slightly. “God~, I’m sorry.” He whined, though he laughed a bit as well. “I promise I won’t do it again?” Morgan said inquiringly, questioning if this promise would make everything better. Peeking up at Jake from his hiding place near his heart, Morgan smiled widely. “If it happens again, I guess.”

Blowing air out of his lips and snorting like a horse, Morgan’s head lolled from side to side in a negative nod. “Nahhh, M’…M’fine.” He slurred, attempting to convince Jake of the contrary. He wasn’t passing out! But he was awfully tired…He yawned again, then began to laugh when he closed his mouth. He looked up at Jake and nodded dejectedly. “Alright, alright…Bed time it is.” He conceded, moving to stand up on his own.

He was very glad that Jake pulled him up instead. Immediately his vision swam dangerously and he teetered, leaning heavily on Jake while he got his footing. “I told you the Tequila was a bad idea…” He moaned, his stomach lurching painfully. Morgan simply stopped walking for a second and straightened out a bit, closing his eyes like he had a headache. “Its…ah…Its upstairs.” He said, pulling Jake in the opposite direction they’d already been moving.

With another bout of drunken laughter, Morgan wobbled a bit. “Woah. Hey now, I can’t help it.” He laid his head on Jake’s shoulder, which made walking very difficult (Morgan didn’t really care; Jake was so warm!). “I was just born that way.” He said in a sing-song voice, unable to stop himself from laughing. It was all just so…silly!

[Jacob Lawrence]

"Oh, it'll happen again." Jake replied, sounding ever so confident in himself. "I'll make sure of it." Like hell they were going to get this far and not finish what they'd started, Jake was so not letting that happen. Morgan was right. Though Jake had wanted to continue, he didn't want this to be rushed. Bad things always seemed to happen to Jake's relationships when he rushed. So he'd let tonight end with just their kisses and tucking Morgan safely into his bed.

He braced himself against Morgan's weight, careful not to let the man fall, laughing at his obvious bout of dizziness. "Whoa." He supported the blonde until he got his balance (somewhat) back, turning in the other direction and walking slowly towards the stairs. "I don't believe you." He started, glancing fondly at Morgan as the weight of his head fell against his shoulder. "You wouldn't have kissed me without the Tequila, would you?" As much as Jake wanted to think that Morgan would have kissed him the same if he were sober, he had to be realistic. The blonde was far too innocent otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have snapped like that if he weren't under the influence.

When they came to the foot of the stairs, Jake looked up them and then back to his very drunk companion. This was going to be interesting and Morgan was just laughing. Jake wasn't far behind. "Right, remind me to thank your mother if I ever meet her." Someone needed to be appreciated for Morgan's sweet nature and irresistible cuteness... that lingered on even when he was drunk.

He started to escort Morgan up the stairs, making sure his arm was wound tightly the man so he would have enough support to make it up the stairs. "Be careful now, don't want you falling." Oh he'd feel absolutely awful if Morgan got hurt, so he made sure they took the stairs slowly and one at a time. There weren't going to be any accidents tonight, as all Jake could think of was how Morgan wouldn't want him around anymore if he was the reason they took a tumble down the stairs. At least it was better that Jake was there to help a very tipsy Morgan up to his bed.

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[Morgan Tonaya]

Morgan chuckled again and leaned against Jake’s chest. “Promise~?” He sang childishly, though he was suddenly rather serious when the challenge of the stairs presented itself. He focused intently on lifting each of his feet one by one and securing the footing on each step. It was a slow, laborious process, but having Jake to half-drag him most of the way up the stairs was a nice help. He stumbled once or twice, but never threatened to take a dangerous spill.

“Pfftt! Hell no!” He said, lurching slightly near the top of the stairs. Morgan had made the mistake of looking at Jake instead of his feet, and teetered slightly. He blinked rapidly and stabilized himself against the wall, chuckling. “I wouldn’t have had the guts.” He shook his head, then focused back on the task of scaling the last remaining stairs. “Even if I did want to. And I did. That’s why I did it. With the help of the tequila.” He broke down into laughter again, shaking his head. “I’m sooo…so drunk.”

Morgan sighed when they reached the top of the stairs and turned to brace both of his hands on Jake’s shoulders. “Truthfully, I’m terrified of kissing another guy.” Wow, Liquid honesty, much? “But…I think you...totally changed that for me!” He chirped, laughing again and looking over his shoulder. Suddenly he looked dreadfully concerned.

The upstairs was lit only by the warm glow of the remaining light from the first floor, making it difficult to see. Morgan’s bare toes wiggled against the carpet and he looked down at them sheepishly. “Hang on.” He prompted, scurrying around Jake with surprising speed only to basically collapse against the light switch. Looking relieved, Morgan smiled. “Much better.” He declared, wandering back towards Jake and his bedroom. As he passed the brunette, he threw his arm around Jake’s shoulders and began walking again, seeing as his journeys alone were only completed in squiggly lines and stumbles. “Almost there!” he cheered.

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jake wasn't usually much of a giggly drunk, unlike Morgan who was laughing at nearly everything, but the man's behavior was absolutely hilarious and terribly endearing. Jacob resigned himself to chuckling at Morgan, at his own giddy laughter and his stumbling and rambling. And if Morgan asked, Jake would just say he was laughing with him, not at him, because he was more than drunk enough to believe that. "Promise~!" He sang right back, relieved when they finally reached the top of the stairs.

He met Morgan's eyes as he confessed to being scared of kissing another man, then laughed again at his next statement. He took that opportunity to lean in and steal another kiss, grinning to himself. "Yeah, I just hope you remember you said that in the morning, 'cause I'm holding you to it." What? He didn't want all his hard work to go to waste. (And by hard work I mean basically just teasing the hell out of Morgan until he snapped, which I'm sure he'll do on more than one occasion. Wink wink nudge nudge.)

Now Jake could see perfectly fine in the dim upstairs light, but that was just a perk of his ability. He was completely unbothered and could have found his way around (with trial and error, this wasn't a house he was familiar with) but Morgan had other ideas. When the overhead light came on, it startled Jake a bit and he had to blink rapidly until his eyes adjusted. He felt Morgan's arm around his shoulders and turned his head towards him, smiling again as his own arm wound around Morgan's waist.

When they finally entered Morgan's bedroom, Jake flicked his eyes around curiously and though the room was dark he could still see it well. "I think that's the longest it's ever taken me to find someone's bedroom." He snorted, looking over at Morgan. "Or to make it up a flight of stairs." And now he was just teasing again, but he means well. At least he hadn't left poor Morgan to pass out on the couch and wake up (most likely) with a crick in his neck. With that, Jake started leading him over to his bed.

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[Morgan Tonaya]

Morgan wasn’t so much of a giggly drunk as he was someone who laughed in all occasions. When he was nervous, he laughed. When he was happy, he laughed. When he wanted to fill the silenced, he just laughed. Granted, there was a distinct difference between the huffing, snorty laughter that escaped him under the influence and the gentle, melodious sound of his normal laughter, but that’s beside the point.

Looking a little put off when Jake accused him of not being able to remember Morgan pouted. “I will totally remember! Who could forget that?!” He said in retaliation. It was the truth. Morgan couldn’t think of a more memorable kiss he’d ever had, including his first kiss ever. So Jake didn’t have anything to worry about. The drunken logic made sense in Morgan’s swimming mind, but we all know there was a serious chance of Morgan loosing quite a bit of memory of this night.

The light that flooded in the door from the hall way seemed to follow them into Morgan’s bedroom and Morgan flopped belly-up onto his bed. And follow them it did. It crawled and seeped like a stain across the floor, until the hallway and the bedroom were equally lit. The yellowish-white light of the bulbs collected in little orbs and puddles on Morgan’s floor. The blond didn’t even seem to realize what was going on as he let out a heavy breath. “Ah…bed is good.” He sighed happily, already appearing to start dozing off. Yeah. He’d had way too much.

The room itself was simple, with Morgan’s bed and long chest of drawers opposite taking up the majority of the space. On the right was a small table, and the left side closest to the door opened up to the closet. But the decorations spoke otherwise. Though Jake’s twilight vision probably couldn’t discern the color properly, Morgan’s room was painted a gentle powder blue, his navy bed and light pine furnishings complimenting the room nicely. For a bachelor pad, the place was pretty well put together.

Morgan shrugged. “IT wasn’t hard to find. It’s just hard to walk!” He pointed out, lifting only his head to look at Jake. There was a pained expression on his face. He sat up and then flopped back over on his side, curling his legs toward towards his chest. “Jake…” He said softly as the light in the bedroom flared slightly. “Stay with me, please.” Morgan implored, swallowing slightly. “I don’t like the dark.”

Read: ‘I am afraid of the dark.’

[Jacob Lawrence]

Looking down at Morgan on the bed, a warm smile spread across Jake's face. He let his hand run down through the man's hair, only absently noting the light phenomenon that was going on. Jake had been known to do odd things with his own power when he wasn't in his right mind and to be honest, Morgan was a much more attractive sight than the light that was dancing around on the floor. He chuckled at the foolish comment before settling down to sit on the edge of the bed.

"It was hard for you to walk." He corrected, still smiling. "You just passed that difficulty onto me." His smile faltered a little when he saw the look on Morgan's face, and the man's plead tugged at his heart. He let his hand come to rest on the gentle dip of Morgan's waist and let out a soft sigh. "Alright... I'll stay for a while." As if he could have said no when Morgan was looking so needy like that. "But you'll probably freak out at me if I stayed all night." He snorted as he slid himself up onto the bed with Morgan.

As he lay beside Morgan, he lifted his palm to run along the shape of his arm. Jake had gathered from all that had happened previously that the blonde had a natural aversion to the dark, but when he'd admitted it in such a voice, Jake felt compelled to comfort him. "It's okay." He tried to sound comforting as he moved to wrap his arm snugly around Morgan, as if trying to protect him. "It's only the dark, it can't hurt you." At least not on it's own. But Jake wrinkled his nose when he realized he was sounding more like he was trying to comfort a child rather than a fully grown man.

It certainly had been a long time since Jake had needed to comfort someone. The people he interacted with the most, the other MSAD members, were all confident self-sufficient people. Although he wouldn't exactly say they were his close friends, they were people he needed to cooperate with, not people that he confided in or people that confided in him.

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[Morgan Tonaya]

“Not by itself. But the dark is the bringer of bad news.” Morgan retorted quietly, relaxing at Jake’s reassuring hand on his waist. “Everything dies in the dark. Plants. Animals. People. You can’t see so you never know what’s coming. Its cold.” He rambled, shrinking further and further into Jake’s chest the more things he listed. His hands were abnormally warm from keeping the light in the room, though it grew dimmer and dimmer the closer her came to sleep.

Frankly though, Morgan’s fear was childish. There was no reason for him to fear darkness, but just like a child, it was a fear based in irrational logic and deeply rooted. It wasn’t going anywhere, that’s for sure. His breathing became regular and slow, and his eyes were closed, the lashes fluttering against Jake’s collar bone. “I couldn’t freak out…” He murmured, all of his words running together with a mixture of sleep and tequila. “I wouldn’t. I--“ a yawn interrupted his words, the warm breath ghosting down Jake’s chest. “I’d be happy, I think.”

The ending portion of his sentence was all but silent. Morgan could barely keep his eyes open, let alone stay awake. The lights flickered and dimmed slowly, like dying firelight. When the light in the bedroom had ebbed away again, the light in the hallways were all the way back up where they had been when he first hit the lights.

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jake was quiet as he listened to Morgan ramble, gently running his hand up and down his back to soothe him. There was a soft smile on his face, not because he was amused at Morgan's fear, but because it was kind of nice just holding him like this. "I can see in the dark just fine and I can assure you, there's nothing here but you and me. You're safe, I promise." It wasn't like Jake was completely fearless either, though his fears were slightly more rational than that of darkness; Gabe's temper, death, being buried alive, those kinds of things. But he wasn't the type to scold or berate others for the things they were scared of, not unless he was trying to use it against them, but he had no need to do that to Morgan.

The dimming light and slowed breathing was Jake's cue that Morgan was drifting off to sleep and he tipped his head down, looking down at the mess of curls beneath his chin. At his next words, Jake felt a warmth in his chest that wasn't just from Morgan's breath, though that had tickled a little and shifted, but from inside as well. "Good night, Morgan." He said softly, only once he was sure that the man was asleep. He lay there for a few minutes longer, just watching Morgan sleep, his hand stilling against his back. He looked so vulnerable, curled up against his chest like that, that Jake almost didn't want to leave.

Finally, after an even longer stretch of time laying beside the man, watching the even rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, Jake slid himself off the bed as carefully as he could so he didn't disturb the man. Gently, he lifted the covers over Morgan's sleeping body and padded out of his bedroom. As he turned to head back down the stairs, he gave a glance towards the light switch. The smart thing would be to turn it off, but after the fear that Morgan had displayed earlier, Jake decided to leave the light on. That way, if Morgan did wake up in the middle of the night, at least there would be a little light there to comfort him.

Taking the stairs two at a time (it was much easier now that he didn't have Morgan leaning on him) Jake passed through the living room and up to the front door. As he put his shoes on and turned out the downstairs light, he opened the door and let himself out, looking rather content. The walk back to Gabe's wasn't far and the night was still warm and as he started off towards home, he gave one last fond look towards the house.

And through all this, he didn't even realize that he'd left his shirt laying on the living room floor in a pile with Morgan's own.

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