Gargoyle Rising

by Meraki P. Lyhne

  He quickly scouted for familiar faces and found Simon with a beer in one hand and a tall tale rolling from his lips. He liked Simon, but he didn’t much care for the man when drunk—especially when he got to the point where he could beat up everybody because he was such a tough guy. In those instances, his frail male ego really got flaunted, and Nathan knew for a fact that he was the kind of guy Jenny would verbally deck within a heartbeat if his male insecurities erupted in misogynistic ways.

  And if she’d been badass about that stuff before. Nathan almost regretted their direction, because since then she’d become a spy who killed people. But it was too late, because Simon had already seen them and waved a beer at them.

  “Nate! Never thought I’d see you here!” Simon bellowed before he turned and waved the bartender closer. “Give me a round for Nathan and—” Simon turned to look at Jenny. “Where’s Lucien?” Simon seemed to notice Lucien and Ethan in the background. “Oh, hi!” Simon turned to the bartender. “Five beers, mate.”

  Nathan could almost hear Lucien groan, because he was not a beer man. But Lucien also knew his lover well enough to not decline a drink out of courtesy.

  Simon turned and held out two handfuls of beer. “Have one.”

  They all took one and thanked him, and Nathan regretted not having arrived when the party started. He rarely touched alcohol, not counting the occasional glass with Lucien. Arriving at a party where most had already had their first five put the mood on a level he was not ready for. But they had to wait for the shadow to release Lucien and Ethan before leaving. With thinking about that much alcohol came memories of the last time he’d indulged enough for a hangover. That had been in a bus full of members from the Order, all pretending to be soccer fans going to Italy as a cover for Nathan to be dusted by the chauffeur, Pritchard.

  Not counting the hangover, the memory almost put him in the mood for the room full of semi-drunk university students.

  “Who is this gorgeous creature?” Simon asked, raking his gaze over Jenny. Since they were there on a mission, Nathan backed away to see how Jenny wanted to play it. Either she was the kid sister visiting, or she was—

  “Sammy, I went to High School with Nathan.” Jenny stepped closer and dumbed down for Simon. Nathan managed a poker face—he hoped—as Jenny stepped closer and smiled something bordering flirtatious.

  High School? Gotta remember that detail. Or I should just keep my trap shut and let Lucien remember that stuff, since he’s the trained spy here.

  “This is Ronny, my boyfriend,” Jenny said, introducing Ethan.

  Nathan stepped back and watched. Ethan looked like the part of a boyfriend used to seeing his girl flirt, and he was either secure in their relationship, or he was indifferent. The genius in the fact that he could be both would play out well later, Nathan thought, hoping he wouldn’t miss a beat and mess it up.

  “Well, if I didn’t know Nathan was gay, I’d ask if you two were old...” Simon gestured with his head.

  “No, I once wished, but what’s a girl to do? All the good ones are either gay or taken.”

  “I’m not taken,” Simon said.

  “Are you gay?”

  Nathan turned and smothered a grin against Lucien’s shoulder.

  “No, I’m all ladies’ man,” Simon said, grinning flirtatiously.

  Lucien didn’t seem to miss the hidden insult either, as his shoulder shook from pent up laughter, but Simon had reached a stage where his hearing was totally selective.

  “Dwayne T. Robinson,” Nathan said, tapping Jenny’s shoulder.

  “Really?” she asked, turning to smile at Nathan. She then went to take Ethan’s arm, dragging him to stand next to her. Simon looked like he got the memo.

  “Who?” Lucien whispered.

  “Code,” Nathan explained. “Means no more reasons to waste time on him, because he’s about as ignorant as the Deputy Police Chief from the first Die Hard movie.”

  “Are you two from a different planet or something?”

  Nathan snickered and surveyed the room for more people. On the balcony, a well-known young party-hard was dancing along to a drinking game that apparently had to do with being able to limbo his way under a series of broomsticks without using his hands. Drinking shots were placed on the banister alongside between each progressively lower broomstick. It finally hit Nathan that it was the guy who had come in second on the Latin test. Tali... no, Tavi. He looked Italian, so maybe that was why, since his native tongue had evolved from Latin.

  “Lucien, that’s the guy who almost aced the Latin test.”

  “Jealous he could do that and party that hard?” Lucien teased.

  “No, his sister is probably duller than I am at a party.”

  “You’re not dull, mon ceour.” Lucien looked up at the dancing drunk. “But that’s impressive limbo dancing.”

  “I can do that, too. When sober.”

  “You are sober.”

  Nathan stared at him agape. “Are you challenging me?”

  “To five shots of tequila? Absolutely. But I’m not going to try that. I’m looking after you once you get drunk and earn yourself the trust of everyone here.”

  “You’re just going to spy, aren’t you? While I get shitfaced as your cover?”

  “Of course, I am. And you won’t be the only one shitfaced,” Lucien said. “Will he, Sammy?”

  Jenny perked up at the sound of her alias. “What?”

  “I just challenged Nathan and you to do that.” Lucien pointed to the balcony where Tavi, the Latin expert, was balancing his way under the last and lowest broomstick to get to the final shot of something high proof.

  “Really?”

  Nathan groaned at her challenge accepted, buddy, prepare to pay up expression.

  “This’ll be fun,” Ethan said

  They ascended the stairs to where Tavi, flustered, grinning, and slightly tipsy, stood by the wall and let himself be tended to by two girls chirping away about how cool that was.

  I’m too old for this shit.

  “Two more contestants!” Lucien shouted, getting a cheerful roar in return from the twenty some people gathered up there.

  “Ten quid per head!” someone shouted—probably the owner of the arm holding up a wad of cash.

  “What are the rules?” Nathan asked.

  Tavi pushed off the wall and came over, grinning. “You have to go from that end to this. You start out by emptying the glass at the starting line, and then you make your way under the broomsticks, emptying a glass for each one you pass. If you fall, you lose. If you make it through, you get twenty quid, and the drinks are on the pot. If you lose, they keep the ten quid.

  “Fine,” Nathan said, glancing at Lucien’s smug face.

  “Go get’em, mon coeur.”

  “Oh, isn’t that cute,” Tavi said, smiling. “L’amour est dans l’air.”

  With the amount of French Lucien had managed to teach Nathan, the pronunciation being the worst part, Nathan pegged Tavi to be better at it than him. But yeah, love had been in the air since he met Lucien, and the sight of him made him want to do him proud.

  Nathan summed up his courage to take the challenge, kissed Lucien hard on the lips, and pulled twenty pounds from his pocket. “Me and Sammy here!”

  The crowd on the balcony went wild.

  Yeah, Nathan might have claimed he could do that while sober, but he might have misjudged how much of his balance had actually suffered from becoming so sedentary. The second to last broomstick was a bitch to get under. He’d had about four tequilas by then, and not drinking that stuff even on a monthly basis sent his whole system reeling. What he was experiencing at the last broomstick was not a buzz—it was a dense fog clouding everything, including his brain’s impulses to his legs.

  Tavi stood on the sideline with the rest of the crowd and cheered him on, clapping and even giving advice. Lucien stood at the finish line on the other side of the last low-hanging broomst
ick with a huge smile on his handsome face, and the alcohol made Nathan horny.

  “You got me into this, so if I make it through this, I’m so gonna have my way with you tonight.” Nathan pointed at Lucien.

  The crowd laughed.

  Nathan turned to the banister, clasped his hands at his back, and bent at the waist to close his lips around the shot glass of tequila. He then stood up and knocked the vile liquid back and pushed the glass from his mouth with his tongue so he could swallow, catching the glass clumsily.

  The only problem—there were two broomsticks instead of one. For a few seconds, at least. Nathan tried to focus, thinking he was such a lightweight, Jenny would probably win.

  “Come on! You’re almost there!” Tavi shouted enthusiastically.

  Nathan summoned up his last... soberness? He gave up thinking and leaned back to wiggle his way under the last broomstick to the chant how low can you go. When the broomstick was just around his chin, Nathan felt almost victorious. Then he felt the world tip on its axis, and the ground hit his shoulders. A loud booing erupted.

  “Argh, good try, good try!” Tavi said, holding out his hand. Nathan grabbed it and let himself be hauled onto his feet while the crowd chanted for Sammy.

  Lucien caught Nathan, who turned halfway in his arms to see Jenny take the first shot and go under the broomstick. Nathan turned to look at Lucien.

  “So, since you lost, do I get my way with you?”

  “Absolutely. My brain was already in your pants when I went under the last stick.”

  Lucien wagged his brows and dove in for a kiss. Surfacing from it, he grimaced. “You need something other than tequila breath before I kiss you again.”

  Nathan snickered and let himself be turned to stand with his back flush against Lucien so they could watch Jenny. She seemed way better at it than Nathan, but he was satisfied to see her have trouble with the last broomstick as well.

  The eruption of cheers was well earned, though, and she got her twenty pounds before she stumbled her way to them, grinning and with Tavi by her side.

  “That was spectacular!” Tavi said, slinging his arm over her shoulder.

  “So... sarge or deputy?” Jenny asked before looking at Tavi who in turn looked confused.

  “I have no idea,” Nathan said. “More like Theo.”

  “Ah!” Jenny perked up. “So... Tavi was it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I need more of that stuff.” Jenny hauled Tavi down the stairs.

  “Theo?”

  “The geek.”

  “Jeez, I clearly don’t speak McClain.” Lucien held onto Nathan as they descended the stairs with Ethan in tow.

  Hours later, Jenny and Ethan left in a cab, and Nathan and Lucien made it back to their room. It was almost two in the morning, and both Jenny and Nathan had participated in a few more drinking games with that guy, Tavi. He was a great guy. Even slightly hammered—not that Nathan wasn’t—he was still insightful to talk to. Or maybe it was because they were drunk, too.

  “Ethan commented on a few of the others at the party,” Lucien said.

  “Did he get anything?”

  “Not more than someone gave you attention. Or maybe it was the party bomb, Sammy.”

  Nathan chuckled, thinking that was more than possible. “Maybe he could have listened in if he’d gone into shadow.”

  “No, not with the music in there. We can’t differentiate certain wavelengths. It’s just a loud hum in there, drowning out all sound.”

  “Rats.”

  Lucien tightened his grip around Nathan, and he knew he was drunk, because the little gesture turned him on. Alcohol either went into people’s boxing gloves, or it fueled the love machine. Alcohol did the latter to Nathan.

  “Any plans on how you’re gonna have your way with me?” Nathan almost stopped to turn his dizzy focus on the hotness by his side. Man, he wanted to fondle that ass. So he did. Right there on the pathway to their building. A tight globe in his hand.

  Lucien chuckled and turned to encircle him in his arms. Nathan didn’t object—he took advantage of being able to squeeze two tight ass cheeks.

  Lucien kissed Nathan’s nose. “You’re adorable when drunk, you know that?”

  “I’m tipsy at best. Those sodas you got me helped clear the haze of the tequila.”

  “That was before the dice game. And that was Jäegermeister.”

  “Really? No wonder that tasted like shit.”

  Lucien laughed and pulled Nathan closer. “But, to answer your question. Yeah, I have plans. Now I’m only wondering how your stamina is when drunk. Either you can’t get it up, or you can go all night.”

  “Let’s hope for the latter.” Nathan couldn’t stop a giggle, and he felt wonderful at that moment.

  “Let’s fuck in the shower,” Lucien whispered and kissed Nathan gently.

  “Yeah, let’s do that,” Nathan murmured against his lips.

  “I miss the Jacuzzi. And the swimming pool. And that show you did in the shower.”

  Nathan pulled back as a negative memory pressed its way in along with that comment. “I seem to remember an endless Star Wars movie, and promising I’d do that again when you weren’t in shadow.”

  “Yeah,” Lucien whispered, snuggling his face into the hollow of Nathan’s neck and kissing it. And the way he kissed it set Nathan on fire, sending images through his mind of giving him that show again. However uncoordinated it would be, but fuck it, he was tipsy enough to not care and to think he’d pull it off like a pro.

  “Want that show now?”

  “Yeah,” Lucien murmured, his voice husky with lust.

  “Then let’s get home.”

  Lucien growled and turned them in the direction of home. Nathan let himself be led while he enjoyed the fresh air, as it helped clear his brain of the fog. Three beers, five tequilas and... was it three or four of those Jäeger things? Either way, that was way more alcohol than he thought he should have had in six hours.

  Lucien locked them into their room, and Nathan pulled off his clothes on the way to the bathroom. The water had almost reached a pleasant temperature when Lucien showed up naked and with a chair.

  Nathan snickered. Lucien merely smiled as he placed the chair, pulled the shower curtain all the way to the side, and made himself comfortable on the chair.

  “How about we see if you can stay without me giving some lame order?”

  “Okay.”

  “I love you, you know that, right?”

  “I do, mon ceour. I love hearing it, though.” Lucien got up and kissed Nathan deeply. “And I love telling you that I love you.”

  “I love hearing it.”

  “But right now... I’d love to watch you tease me.”

  Nathan felt brave again and took Lucien to the chair, sitting him down. He then backed under the sprays and focused on remembering what Lucien had whispered he loved the most about Nathan’s body. That was pretty simple—all of it. But they’d talked about that catastrophic night, where Nathan had unwittingly given Lucien an order to stay and then become insecure in the lack of feedback from the shadows. Lucien had told him of the brain-gasm he’d had, though. It was the play of the water and suds.

  As he put soap on a sponge, a plan cleared in Nathan’s head. He adjusted the shower head for the water to warm the tiles a bit while he soaped up his body leisurely.

  Lucien’s intense gaze roamed Nathan’s body, his dick hardening, but left untouched as he sat back and enjoyed the view.

  Once fully covered in lather, Nathan put the sponge on the rack and turned his back to Lucien. With his hands, he massaged the lather further into his skin, looking over his shoulder to see Lucien’s reactions. He’d missed them last time because Lucien had been in shadow, but he could see his mouth falling open, his eyes growing heavy-lidded, and his cock jumping in excitement.

  Nathan turned to his side and ran his hands down his thigh, noticing too late that it was
the one with the scar so detrimental to Lucien’s image of himself as Nathan’s protector. In an attempt to steer his focus away from it and to keep his lover’s mind on the show, Nathan once again turned his back to him and ran his hands up his inner thighs and bent enough to be able to reach his own ass through his legs.

  A groan escaped Lucien, putting Nathan’s mind at ease.

  “I remember our first time. I was slick with oil. God, you felt so good sliding against me.”

  “For the few seconds that lasted,” Lucien said, grinning.

  Nathan turned and leaned against the wall, where the water cascaded down the tiles. It pooled and spilled over by his shoulders, painting streaks through the thick layer of suds on his body, and he loved watching Lucien’s gaze follow the paths of skin being revealed.

  Lucien’s abs flexed, and he bit his lower lip, while a clear bead of pre-cum leaked from his cock.

  Nathan wanted to lick it off the tip, but he held back to continue the show—his hands helping the water as he tried to steer it toward his soaped groin.

  “I’ve had fantasies of licking honey from your body,” Lucien said, raising his lust filled gaze to meet Nathan’s.

  “Sounds sticky,” Nathan said, grinning.

  “And sweet. We could try that on a late summer night. By the sea or on a boat. Right after the sun goes down and it’s still warm. Fresh berries in the honey.”

  And Nathan’s brain went into the planning of preparing himself as a summer dish. He’d pick the berries without telling Lucien that he’d planned on doing so. Let him guess while in the shadows. Pour streaks of honey down his chest and place berries in the golden liquid and wait for the shadows to release his hungry lover.

  The moan that escaped his mouth at the imagined feel of Lucien’s tongue surprised him.

  “Fuck,” Lucien whispered and squeezed the base of his cock. “Sounds like you like that idea, mon coeur.”

  “Yeah,” Nathan said in a husky moan. His lust and alcohol dazed brain was making it very easy for him to imagine most things and even easier for him to become very aroused. He leaned his head back against the tiles, and the water soaked his hair and distributed the water even more. “Oh, I want—” Watch your wording, he reminded himself.