by Alix Hadden
God, how could he still be so useless at this stuff at his age? Surely he was supposed to have gotten all this sorted in his early twenties. Zach seemed to have a much better handle on it. Although, in his early twenties, he'd been caught up in magery a lot of the time. He hadn't been much of a one for playing the field back then. Or since.
Zach was coming back with the beers, and Kir told himself just to enjoy the evening, and see what happened next.
What happened next, it transpired, was another hour or two of easy, enjoyable conversation, and another beer apiece, as they both gently upped the ante on the flirting. Kir tried not to worry about whether he should be flirting with Zach; whether he was just running himself straight into the same problems he'd had with Becky. It was casual. It would be fine. And maybe it wouldn't happen at all anyway.
"My round, I think," Zach said, as he finished his third beer.
Kir glanced at his watch. Nine thirty. Could he...
"Unless you've got to go," Zach said, hurriedly, obviously seeing the gesture.
"No, it's not that," Kir said. "Look, we could get another beer in, sure. Or -- if you like, do you want to..." He swallowed, trying to push himself onwards. This really ought to be easier than it was being. "You could come back to mine? For a coffee? If you like? Or I've got some whisky, I think, if you're a whisky drinker..." Shut up, Kir, stop babbling, you sound like an idiot.
Zach's smile had him weak at the knees again. "Yes. That sounds good. Let's do it."
It was still warm outside as they left the pub, warm enough that Kir didn't bother putting his hoodie on, just looped it round his waist. He turned slightly towards Zach, and their shoulders bumped. "It's -- there's a bus, or it's about a twenty minute walk, if you like?"
"Walk sounds good," Zach said.
They were walking close together, close enough that he could feel the heat of Zach's body. Their shoulders bumped again, and the backs of their hands, and then his fingers were tangling with Zach's, and he could swear that there was a physical spark that shot straight up his arm and through his spine. Zach's hand was cool and dry and how come Kir had never felt like this before about holding hands?
Zach turned to him slightly, looking up just a little -- Kir had maybe a couple of inches on him -- and Kir stopped, suddenly, and leant in to kiss him, keeping just enough self-control to move slowly, to give Zach enough time to back away, if he didn't want this, if Kir wasn't reading it right...
Zach didn't back away. He leaned in, pulling Kir a little towards him at the same time, and their lips met. It was tentative at first, a dry press together, their heads tilting slightly to get the right angle. There was a moment where Kir thought it wasn't working, they weren't going to be compatible, after all that; and then Zach sighed out, and leant in a bit further, his lips opening a little, and suddenly it really was working. Zach's mouth was warm, and his lips tasted of beer, and his tongue licked a stripe along Kir's own lips, and Kir breathed out and deepened the kiss.
After a few seconds -- or maybe a little longer, Kir was having a little trouble keeping track of time -- they pulled apart. Kir took a deep breath, and grinned at Zach, who was smiling back at him.
"You okay there?" Kir said, lightly.
"Pretty good," Zach said, his smile turning into a smirk. Kir swallowed. "We heading back to yours, then?"
"Good plan," Kir said. "Excellent plan. Come on."
CHAPTER FIVE
They didn't stop to kiss again on the way back, although there were several occasions when Kir really wanted to. But it would only delay getting back to his flat, where they could kiss uninterrupted for as long as they liked. And maybe rather more than that. Kir thought about getting his hands under Zach's tight grey T-shirt, and found himself lengthening his pace very slightly. They were still holding hands, Zach's thumb rubbing occasionally against the back of his hand, and every time it did, Kir felt another jolt of heat in his stomach. When he glanced over at Zach, he rather thought he might not be the only one. They were talking about -- something, Kir wasn't wholly keeping track, even as he managed to keep his end of the conversation up. He was increasingly fixated on the bit where they got somewhere private.
"This is us," he said, finally, reaching the door of his block of flats. "Nothing terribly exciting, I'm afraid."
"I'm just envious of it being your own," Zach said, stepping into the lobby behind Kir. "My housemates are all nice enough, but you know, I could do without Penny's tendency to leave things to rot in the fridge and Gav using up all the hot water on a Saturday morning, that kind of thing."
"Yeah. I didn't get on so well with having housemates," Kir said, punching the lift button.
Which was an understatement. He told himself that it was mostly to do with the magic, and it was true enough that some of his experiments were easier to do when he didn't have to worry about keeping them out of sight, but Ali got on perfectly well with having housemates. It was more to do with the fact that he was fundamentally anti-social, as Ali kept telling him. Although here he was, bringing home someone that he'd met and asked out and everything...
The lift door pinged open, just as his stomach lurched with a horrible recollection. Experiments. He'd left a bunch of stuff out on the kitchen table. Shit. Could he get away with pretending that he was into, what, chemistry, or home brewing, or something? No, because there was the stuff that glowed, and that weird thing that was a cross between a stone and a piece of liver.
"You okay?" Zach said, looking at him with a frown. "We get in the lift, yeah?"
"Uh -- yes. Yes, I'm fine. Lift, yeah. Second floor."
He could get straight in there, offer to get Zach a drink, if he just went straight into the kitchen while Zach was hanging his coat up, he could -- he'd have to do it by magic, sure, but he could just clear it all up. And then it would all be fine and they could get on with, uh. Things. Yes.
The lift pinged again, and he led Zach down the corridor to the flat, concentrating on getting to the kitchen as soon as he got in the door.
But as soon as the front door had closed, Zach tugged at Kir's hand, turning to face him, and suddenly Kir found himself backed up against the wall, Zach's hands around his waist, fingers slipping into his waistband at the back, and Zach's mouth on his again. Kir's lips parted, and Zach was licking into his mouth, one hand sliding up the outside of his shirt and into Kir's hair, fingers gripping it just at the back of Kir's neck and pulling very slightly, just enough to send a shiver of want down Kir's back. He moaned into Zach's mouth, and Zach made a noise of satisfaction, deepening the kiss, his fingers pushing into Kir's scalp. His other hand spread out over the base of Kir's spine, the very tip of one of his fingers dipping into the crack of his arse. Kir, not even thinking about it, tipped his pelvis up, grinding into Zach's, and Zach crowded closer and ground into him in turn.
Zach's cock was hard against his own through two layers of denim, and Zach's fingernails scraped up his spine, hard enough to hurt, and how had Zach worked that one out already? Kir made another wordless noise into Zach's mouth, and felt Zach smile against him, then bite -- not hard, but not gently either -- on Kir's bottom lip. Then Zach was kissing the side of Kir's mouth, and along his jaw, nipping a couple of times with his teeth as he went. With the hand still twisted into Kir's hair, he pulled Kir's head to one side just enough that Zach could get at his earlobe, Zach's clever teeth nipping there as well, and Kir made a noise which would have been deeply embarrassing had Kir had any spare mental capacity left to be embarrassed with.
"God, you're hot," Zach breathed into his ear, before sucking hard on his pulse point, tilting Kir's head back a little more against the wall to give him better access.
"I could say the same for you," Kir managed, and Zach huffed a laugh into his neck.
Then they were kissing again, and Kir's hands were up underneath that grey top, roaming over Zach's back. His skin felt absurdly smooth under Kir's fingers, and he breathed in sharply himself then breathed out in a half-groan as Kir dipped his own
fingers beneath Zach's waistband, feeling his cock twitch as Zach groaned.
"God," Zach said, his mouth leaving Kir's, resting their foreheads together for a moment. "Look, Kir, one of us could wind up on our knees right here -- "
Kir's knees sagged very slightly at the image, already seeing himself on his knees, opening Zach's fly.
"Or we could find somewhere slightly more comfortable?"
Like a sudden shock of cold water, Kir remembered -- the kitchen. The things in the kitchen. Mage things. Shit.
"Uh," he said. He needed to sort this out now, before he got totally distracted again. "Tiles. Pretty unforgiving." He opened his eyes, looked straight into Zach's blue-green ones. "I think my knees would prefer somewhere more comfortable." Zach's pupils widened a little further, and he licked his lips.
"Okay then."
"Okay. Um. Just -- uh, just shove your shoes by the door," he was having trouble concentrating, had to get rid of that stuff. "I'm just going to get a drink, in the kitchen." He kicked his own shoes off. "Get you anything?"
Zach stepped backwards, beginning to toe off his Converse. "Water would be good. Perhaps we could save that whisky you mentioned until, uh, later?" There was that smile again, the one that Kir could drown in.
"Later. Sure."
Wow, he sounded suave. But -- he had a moment, now, to get to the kitchen, where a whole array of connected bits and bobs was strewn all over the kitchen table. God, what had he even been thinking, when there was the slightest possibility that he might be bringing a non-mage back, stupid. But it would only take a moment to sweep it all away. The flat was full of houseplants, and it was only a moment, a gesture and a word, to sweep the whole mess of stuff into the cupboard and lock the cupboard door. He'd have to sort it out in the morning -- hopefully he wouldn't have to start the experiment again but honestly at this point he couldn't care less. While the power was still flowing, he summoned two glasses out of the cupboard -- not the sort of thing he'd normally use magic for, but right now the sooner he could get back to Zach the better -- and shoved them under the tap.
Zach was standing in the middle of the living room, looking around curiously. His feet were bare, and that grey T-shirt hadn't gotten any less clinging. Kir swallowed.
"Lots of plants you have here," Zach commented. "Practically an indoor forest."
"I like plants," Kir said, handing him a glass of water. It was true enough. He did like plants. Which was handy given that he needed them around if he wanted to do any magery up here on the second floor. There was a convenient tree right outside his window, too.
Zach took a gulp of water, then put the glass down on the windowsill, beside the peace lily, and closed the distance between himself and Kir. Kir put his own glass down, just as Zach took hold of his hips again and reached up to close the distance between their mouths.
"Now," Zach murmured into his mouth, "I think we were rather in the middle of something, weren't we?"
The bedroom suddenly seemed far too far away. What Kir wanted more than anything was to get his mouth on Zach's cock, as soon as possible. He bit at Zach's lips, then sank, as gracefully as he could, to his knees, and felt his own cock jump as Zach made a wordless noise of appreciation and slid his hand around the back of Kir's head, his fingers sliding into Kir's hair.
Kir fumbled at the zip of Zach's trousers, feeling suddenly clumsy, then Zach's cock was out. He'd meant to start slowly, lick around the head, maybe tease Zach a little, but Zach's hand tightened on his head, and Kir, his own arousal threatening to swamp him, slid his mouth over Zach's cock and as far down as he could.
Zach's cock was heavy against his tongue, and Zach was thrusting, just slightly, his hand still holding the back of Kir's head as Kir groaned around Zach's cock. Zach was fucking his mouth now, and Kir was fine with that, absolutely fine with that, the heel of his hand against his own cock, before he suddenly registered the weird noises coming from behind him. From the kitchen? Zach's body stilled, and his hand lifted out of Kir's hair. Then --
"What the fuck?" Zach said, and Kir opened his eyes and nearly spat Zach's cock out of his mouth as he shot to his feet, turning to look through the archway to the kitchen.
Dirt was oozing up out of the kitchen sink, with a foul bubbling noise; black dirt mixed with kitchen drain detritus, which you would expect if this was just some weird plumbing catastrophe, but also with bits of stone and glinting pennies, which you wouldn't. Except Kir already knew that this wasn't some weird plumbing catastrophe. It was the same thing again, the thing that had attacked Ali twice, and now, with fucking appalling timing, it was attacking Kir. (Or Zach? his inner voice suggested helpfully. But Zach wasn't a mage.)
He was faintly aware of Zach sorting his trousers out, saying something about bloody weird drains. Then the thing lurched up out of the kitchen sink, reaching towards them, and Zach started swearing, his voice shaking.
What Kir ought to do, given that Zach wasn't a mage, was to get Zach out of the flat before he started doing anything remotely like magic. But the thing was already halfway across the room towards them, and the only thing Kir could think of to do was to pull as much power as he could from the plants, and swipe at it. Just the way he had with the other things. Just the way that hadn't bloody worked, it had been water last time but how the hell was he supposed to do that in a flat, especially when the most obvious source of water was where the thing was coming out of? And the kitchen would flood, and his neighbours would have kittens, and he'd lose his deposit...
The thing retreated back to the sink, bits of it flying around the kitchen with Kir's swipe, and Kir gagged at the smell. It took less time to regroup than the one in the alleyway had. If they were related -- surely they had to be related in some way -- then that was a worrying sign.
Water. Never mind flooding the kitchen, and never mind the damn neighbours. Water. He needed to wash it back down the drain, except he couldn't get to the kitchen taps with that thing emerging out of the damn drains like that. There was no way the shower would reach from the bathroom, and anyway, going to get it would leave Zach exposed to that thing..
"What the hell," Zach said. His voice cracked. "What is that?"
It was coming back again, and Kir swiped at it again. Zach was watching him, wide-eyed. So much for subtlety and discretion. Of course technically Zach couldn't exactly see what he was doing, if he couldn't see power...but it was a thin straw to grasp at. Zach wasn't stupid, and it had to be obvious that it wasn't being affected by Kir standing there gawping at it. And magery might, formally speaking, be a mental effort rather than a physical one, but everyone moved when they did it, instinctively. Zach had to know something weird was happening.
"What are you doing?" Zach's voice cracked.
"Trying to keep it back," Kir said through his teeth, giving up on any pretence.
Kir had no idea what that thing would do if it actually caught either of them, and had absolutely no wish to find out. Another swipe made a reaching limb recoil, and brush across one of his kitchen chairs. It left a deep groove in the back of the chair, and Kir swallowed hard. He really, definitely, didn't want either of them to get caught by that, and discretion could go jump.
He glanced over at Zach, who was shaking and pale, but who hadn't backed away. Or run for his life, which would be the sensible thing.
"Kir," Zach said urgently, as Kir swiped at the monster again. "Kir! What can I do?"
"Run for it?" Kir suggested.
"I'm hardly going to just leave you here!"
Kir looked round for a second, startled. Zach's jaw was set, though he kept swallowing hard.
"I can't -- I don't know what you're doing, but I don't think I can do that, but there must be something. Other than just abandoning you."
"I'm trying to think," Kir said. "I can keep it back, but I'm not getting rid of it. We need water, but I can't get to the kitchen tap..."
"You can't just, kind of, do whatever you're doing there?" Zach asked, looking like he wasn't
quite prepared to engage with what that was.
"No," Kir said. "It's -- it's the wrong kind of movement." And he was really cursing now the fact that he couldn't do any kind of twisting spell.
"Cut through the pipes," Zach suggested. "Are you saying that water will dissolve it?"
"More or less," Kir said. Cutting through the pipes might be possible, but he wasn't sure he had the strength to try that and still keep the mud-creature back, which meant that if it didn't work, or if he missed, they'd be screwed.
Phoning Ali was the next solution, of course, but it would be fifteen minutes minimum before she could get here, and this was stronger than the thing in the alleyway. He wasn't sure he could hold it for fifteen minutes. Also his phone was over the other side of the room. But short of any better ideas...
He opened his mouth to ask Zach to fetch his phone, just as Zach made a sudden noise of enlightenment and darted away, across to the back of the living room. Kir glanced briefly over his shoulder, the most he could spare from trying to keep the mud-creature under control, and saw Zach grabbing the watering can that stood on the living-room windowsill. It was tiny, it wasn't going to make much impression on the wretched creature, but if he could beat it back even a little bit, it might give him a bit of breathing space to think of something else.
He was getting tired. Three pints wasn't a great underpinning for fighting magic mud-creatures erupting from one's kitchen sink, but it wasn't like he had another option, he couldn't just give up. He tried not to think about what was going to happen once he'd just run out of everything he had to use. He'd have to convince Zach to run for it before that. Maybe they'd both have to. And then what? Would it just consume the flat and keep on coming? His neighbours' flats?
"Keep back!" he yelled as he heard Zach coming up behind him.
"Don't bloody worry," Zach said with some fervency. "Here, you're closer." He thrust the watering can into Kir's hand and was off already, thumping down the corridor to the bathroom, before Kir could tell him to wait and refill it.