electric tapestry

[teaserving]

It's been a couple of years since he'd left Italy. Primarily, his skills in speaking English help him get along, especially with his various contract jobs. Of all of them, the Speedwagon Foundation pays the nicest, and the money is usually clean -- that's not exactly typical of most places, but it's kind of refreshing for a change of pace.

Not that Abbacchio probably deserves clean money.

Anyway, he's technically off shift, not that he'd care if he was still on the clock, as it were. He's seen this guy around a few times and hasn't really cared to know who he is, just kind of assumes he's probably upper management somewhere. He isn't bad to look at, but Abbacchio doesn't exactly play nice either. He'd said something along the lines of stop staring or fucking do something about it to the man.

That's about what led him to being on his knees in a closet sucking the guy's dick. Not that he has a problem with it; if he hadn't wanted to, he'd have put up a fight but he genuinely didn't expect him to be this big. To Abbacchio's credit, he doesn't choke, though.

He slides off with a lewd, wet pop and strokes him.

"This all you wanted? Fucking up my lipstick? That shit isn't cheap, stronzo."

Comments

[starmark]

Here I thought you liked strong men. They don't get much stronger than Star.

[He props his head on one hand, thinking about reaching for Abbacchio's face with the other, but ultimately deciding to hold off for the moment. Better gauge his mood first.]

Don't get pissy with me. It's not going to make Moody Blues any less a part of you.

[teaserving]

Sure. [A pause.] How strong?

[Not like Star is... unattractive, but is it weird to find a Stand pretty? Who fucking knows, what's it matter anyway.

He snorts.]

When I look at it, it makes me think of when it turned into my partner. So all I see are my mistakes.

[starmark]

Punched a semi off the road, once.

[HE SAYS, OFFHANDEDLY, LIKE THAT'S JUST NOTHING.]

...Can't blame you for that, though. Regrets are...

[Hm.]

They don't just go away. But that's still not his fault.

[teaserving]

Damn. That's fucking strong.

[For a moment, Abbacchio is quiet. Because he knows that's true, and he suspects he even knows why Moody Blues turned into Florentino for a bit. Because in a desperate moment of being afraid to die, or focusing so hard on the past, of course he would turn into the face he misses most.

Abbacchio curls his fingers tight into the blankets, gritting his teeth for a moment.]

I know it's not. [And he hates how much of Moody Blues is him, the parts of him he'd rather keep sealed up. Abbacchio refuses to voice those things about himself, so hard that his own Stand doesn't have its own mouth. How fucked up is that?]

[starmark]

Hey. C'mere.

[He gives him a minute of space, letting him think, but then Jotaro's arm is snaking out to wrap around Abbacchio's waist, dragging him across the mattress to press up flush against his chest.]

Look...I'll leave it alone. At least for right now. It's been a fucked-up day for you, and — I'm asking a lot, pushing you about it. It's not something you figure out in just a couple of hours.

[...]

Sorry. Is what I mean.

[teaserving]

[For a moment, Abbacchio tenses at the embrace, that vicious part of him wanting to scream stop it because he doesn't deserve it, but Jotaro knows who and what he is. Eventually, he relaxes against Jotaro, even if it's a bit reluctant.

God, and he gets an apology. What the fuck. He shakes his head, closing his eyes.]

...It's fine.

[Wait. He's said that before without making it clear how he really feels. He sighs slowly and tries again.] You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just a fucking mess.

[starmark]

What, really? Could've fooled me.

[He's doing that thing again, that habit of keeping his hand resting against Abbacchio's skin and stroking at it with just the sweep of his thumb. That thing that's affectionate but understated, almost reflexive. Hard to pull away from.]

I've got thick skin, bello. You're not going to draw blood on me with a bad temper.

[teaserving]

[It's weird, the way he's being touched. Nobody's been this kind since Florentino, but he's trying not to put any stakes in it. It's just-- Jotaro's softness, the things he can't help. Wanting to help or fix something.

In Abbacchio's own eyes, he feels himself being too broken to help, but Jotaro already knows where they both stand on that.]

I can be a real nasty piece of work, capo.

[starmark]

I believe it.

[Another moment, another caress. Each stroke is as steady as a heartbeat.]

Are you going to try to scare me away?

[teaserving]

I don't think you'll get scared. Just disappointed.

[But that's on Jotaro, he tells himself. Jotaro's made the choice to waste his time with Abbacchio more than necessary, and here they are.

Gradually, he does relax under the stroking, as if the pets have soothed an angry alley cat.]

[starmark]

...I was about to say something kind of stupid about hedgehogs, just now. I guess it isn't really the time for something like that.

[No one wants to hear something like that in a moment like this, anyway. Having their behavior analogized with something an animal does. At least he's wise enough by now to recognize that.

Still, his eyes stay on Abbacchio's face, his own expression soft.]

Forget about what I think, for a minute. But for you...just, yes or no. If it were entirely up to you, and nothing else. Do you want to stay close to me?

[teaserving]

If you were gonna call me a prick, you wouldn't be wrong, though.

[The question makes him frown. Fucking asshole; Abbacchio detests lying, so he's not going to, but--]

Yeah. I do. I don't think I should, but I want to.

[starmark]

Hah. Aren't hedgehogs a lot of little pricks, though? Instead of one big one.

[His fingertips trace a slow, ambling circle across Abbacchio's skin.]

Well. I'm not going anywhere tonight, so stay as close as you want. Tomorrow we can figure out tomorrow.

[teaserving]

Oh, so you're saying I got a big prick then. Nice.

[It's a bit surreal to be up against someone that's actually bigger than him, but it's also... actually really nice. Did Florentino feel like this? The wicked taunting idea that he might feel safe against someone else?

Abbacchio sighs and closes his eyes, settling his weight more against Jotaro.]

Guess that's a problem for future us. Fine. I can deal with that.

[starmark]

Got a big mouth, too.

[He really is awfully cute like this. Soft. Serene. He wonders how long it's been since the last time Abbacchio was able to relax and just sleep. Somehow, given what he'd said about his past, it's probably been a long time.]

All right. I'm going to sleep, you little menace.

[teaserving]

Yeah, you'd know that.

[He snorts against Jotaro.]

Only little in comparison to you.

[But suffice it to say, Abbacchio does finally manage to sleep. Maybe a bit less nightmares than usual, but he'll take it for what it is. It's still strange to find himself sleeping next to a warm body again. Even if it's just this one time, he doesn't quite know what to make of it.]