Tomas was already completely fed up with Saturday when he turned up for his shift at the coffee shop at noon. He had been looking forward to spending the evening with Reuben since it had been suggested the previous day anyway, but after the morning he'd had seven o'clock couldn't come fast enough. He dropped off his bag and coat in the break room and tied on his apron with a sigh, silently hoping that his shift would be uneventful. All he wanted was to take a nap.

It had started as soon as he had woken up and instinctively known he'd overslept; the sky outside his curtainless window had been far too bright for it to still be 6am on a December morning. He had snatched up his phone from the nightstand to check why his alarm hadn't gone off only to find that it had turned itself off and wouldn't switch back on despite being plugged into the charger.

'Fantastic,' he had muttered as he pulled himself out of bed. His damn phone seemed to be causing him more trouble than it was worth lately. His television also wouldn't turn on when he'd tried to catch the morning news, nor would his kettle boil for his morning coffee. It was the battery-powered clock on his kitchen wall that informed him he needed to leave in the next fifteen minutes if he was going to get to the university on time for the meeting his colleagues had scheduled, so the mystery would have to wait until he got home later.

He hadn't thought he was going to be late when he hit the road ten minutes later, but he hadn't been anticipating the unnaturally heavy traffic.

He'd been stuck inching along a main road for almost half an hour when some idiot driver decided he'd had enough of waiting for a gap in the traffic and pulled out of a side street, across the lane of traffic travelling in the opposite direction, and barely pulled in in front of Tomas's car, forcing him to swerve up on to the curb amid blaring car horns to avoid being hit. He blasted his own horn at the other driver, adding to the cacophony, only to receive an obscene hand gesture for his trouble. Tomas righted his car, cursing under his breath; he had been so lucky that the car hadn't hit him and there had been no one on the path. His insurance had run out last month and he hadn't quite been able to afford to renew it yet - a dent in his door or a ticket for careless driving was the last thing he needed.

The morning's mystery of the electricity in his apartment was solved when he reached the university almost an hour later than he'd intended to arrive and managed to catch the news on a local radio station as he charged his phone in the common room. According to the report, there had been a city-wide blackout in the early hours of the morning, although that didn't explain why the problem had persisted in his apartment once the power had been restored. He wrote a quick reminder in his phone to buy new fuses on his way home just in case, and finished off his coffee before heading upstairs to the labs.

Things didn't improve when he got there; apparently the power outage had interfered with the department's twice-weekly server backup, so any files that had been created on the system over the past few days had been deleted without a backup unless the creator had made another copy elsewhere, although the mood in the department and the number of students here on a Saturday gave him the impression that very few people had done that. Tomas wasn't too badly affected - he had only been left without a presentation for his next tutorial group and his meeting had been cancelled - but others had lost important research notes or entire chapters of coursework, so everyone was a bit on edge and he felt obligated to at least stick around for the morning to see if he could help out.

Tomas was feeling a lot more relaxed than he had all day an hour into his shift. The coffee shop didn't serve much by way of food, so the place was usually pretty quiet in the afternoons. There was a new part-timer working with him that he was supposed to be keeping an eye on, but the kid seemed competent enough that Tomas wasn't too worried about him.

His improved mood was short-lived however as when he next looked up to the door opening, Reuben's friend Sam was walking through it, which wouldn't normally have been a bad thing except that he naturally had Jerry in tow. Tomas half-heartedly returned Sam's wave and ignored Jerry's sneer. They settled themselves at a table near the window and the new part-timer - whose name Tomas hadn't been able to remember all day with everything else on his mind - trotted over to take their order. He eagerly watched Tomas make their coffees once he'd brought the order back.

'I'll take this over, I know those guys,' Tomas told him as the teen had reached for the round tray. He didn't particularly want to be anywhere near Jerry but it would be obvious if he purposefully avoided saying hello, and he didn't want to be rude since things seemed to be going well between Sam and Sophie.

'Thanks Tomas,' Sam smiled as Tomas set their coffees on to their table. 'How's it going?'

'I've had better days,' Tomas replied jovially, but he knew his smile probably looked as forced as it felt. 'How are you?'

'Very well, thanks,' Sam grinned back genuinely. 'Is Sophie around? She said she'd be working this afternoon if I wanted to call in...'

'Not yet,' Tomas pulled his phone out of his apron pocket to check the time. 'Her shift doesn't start for another hour and a half.'

'Dude I am not sitting in this shitty cafe for an hour and a half so you can maybe get laid later,' Jerry interjected. Tomas raised an eyebrow at him as Sam told him to shut up.

'Text her or something and she'll probably come have a coffee before her shift,' Tomas suggested. 'She does it all the time, with friends.'

'Oh cool, okay. Thanks Tomas,' Sam smiled again. Tomas overheard him telling Jerry that he was an asshole as he left, which made him smile despite himself.

Sure enough, Sophie appeared a short while later. She smiled brightly as she waved at Tomas across the floor; he raised an empty mug in her direction and set to making her usual order as she went to join Sam and Jerry, kissing the former quickly as she sat down.

'Thank you darling,' Sophie grinned when he brought her coffee over. 'What are you up to tonight? Katie and I are going out if you want to come.'

Tomas smiled at her; he really appreciated how Sophie always made a point to invite him to join her plans even though it had been almost a year since he'd been able to accept, not counting Reuben's birthday party.

'Thanks but I have plans,' he told her.

'You? Plans?' she laughed. 'What are you up to?'

'Reuben wanted to cook me dinner and he said he has something he wants me to see so I'm heading up to his later,' Tomas had to stop himself smirking as Jerry visibly stiffened.

'Something he "wants you to see"?' Jerry scoffed, 'he obviously means his dick, how naive can you be?' he laughed brusquely, finishing off his coffee. Sophie glanced at Tomas with a wary expression as he picked up Jerry's now empty cup.

'No, I don't think so,' he mused. 'Well I mean, maybe but the way he was talking it sounded like he meant something I hadn't seen already, so...' he shrugged as Sophie snorted with laughter and made his way back to the counter before Jerry could respond.

'Max I'm gonna take my break now,' he told the part-timer whose name he had just remembered. He set Jerry's empty cup next to the dishwasher with a weary sigh. 'If you need any help come get me, or Sophie is over there.'

Max nodded confidently and Tomas made his way back to the break room upstairs, dropping onto the soft sofa and laying back with his hands over his eyes. He was still there, dozing slightly, when Sophie came in twenty minutes later to get ready for her shift.

'Tomas! Oh my god, that was incredible!' she laughed, pulling her apron from her locker.

'What was?' Tomas asked drowsily, uncovering his face and blinking against the harsh fluorescent lights.

'What you said to Jerry!' she giggled. 'He left like right away, he was so pissed. Does he have a thing for Reuben or something?'

Tomas pulled himself into a sitting position with a groan, although he did feel a little better after the short rest.

'I'm not sure if he likes him or just dislikes the fact that I'm part of the reason that Reuben won't sleep with him,' he shrugged. 'The other part of course being that he is an asshole.'

'Ugh, he really is,' Sophie agreed, sitting herself on the coffee table as she scraped her hair into a ponytail. 'If Sam wasn't so good in bed I'd seriously reconsider hanging out with him cause Jerry is literally always there...'

'TMI, Soph,' Tomas wrinkled his nose as she laughed again.

'Sorry, Tom, but I like boys too,' she smiled sweetly. 'Are you okay though? Despite your excellent wit you seem kinda down.'

'I'm all right,' he sighed, running a hand through his hair. 'Today can just suck my dick to be honest.' He stood up with a sigh as Sophie offered a sympathetic smile.

'Well, who knows, maybe Reuben can help you out with that later,' she grinned.

'Don't talk to your elders like that,' Tomas smirked despite himself. 'Come on then, off to work we go...'

Tomas flipped down the sun visor above the driver's seat in his car to reveal the tiny mirror concealed there for what felt like the hundredth time since he'd stepped out his shower a few hours prior. He'd foregone actually washing his hair since he had done so yesterday and he was tight for time, so it was a lot fluffier and more unruly than he would have liked. He grumbled low in his throat as he combed an optimistic hand through his dark curls one last time. There was a pimple starting to form on his temple, too; twenty-four years old and he was still prone to occasional spots. It was a small concession for someone who had never had problems with acne in his adolescent years, he supposed, but then again he had never found himself in the sights of any gloriously appealing men as a gay teenager growing up on the outskirts of Santiago either. He snapped the visor back up with a short huff, grabbed the bottle of wine which was nestled in the passenger seat and climbed out of the car, resigned to his bad hair and skin complaints.

The wine had been an issue too. Reuben had failed to mention what exactly he was planning on making for dinner, but surprisingly "red or white" wasn't the biggest issue Tomas's brain had managed to eke out of the situation. Was bringing wine too presumptuous? He had always driven to and from Reuben's as the price of a cab even one way from the city would be astronomically high, and adding wine to the equation meant that he wouldn't be driving himself home tonight. And although he knew he would probably end up spending the night, he didn't want to seem like he had been expecting the invitation to do so. Eventually he had convinced his tired brain to shut up and had opted for a bottle of sauvignon blanc that he quite liked; he wasn't sure he could stomach red wine after his antics on Monday night anyway.

When he reached Reuben's front door, Tomas's hand instinctively slid into his trouser pocket to retrieve his key. But he hesitated, staring down at the small piece of metal in his hand. A few of the minuscule rhinestones had fallen off the cheap star-shaped key chain Reuben had bought for him months ago, each leaving little empty pit in its place. The remaining stones had dulled quite a bit too - through use, Tomas supposed. This was the first time since they'd met that he'd come here alone as Reuben's personal guest - no work, no party, no turning up uninvited and upset, just him and Reuben alone together. He wasn't quite sure if he was allowed to use the key this time.

After a few moments of pondering, he sighed at his own absurdity and rang the doorbell, just to be safe. After waiting for a few minutes he could hear the muffled clanging of footsteps on the iron staircase, and the door opened to reveal their owner. He looked a little flustered; a light sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead and his hair was scraped back into a messier bun than usual, but Tomas's stomach still fluttered as he took in the sight.

'Forget your key, Star Boy?' Reuben flashed a lopsided smile. He stepped aside to let his guest in, dabbing at his brow with a dish towel that was slung over his shoulder.

'No, but I thought you'd maybe want it back since I don't need it for work anymore...'

'Nonsense!' Reuben laughed lightly, shutting the door and further darkening the already dim hallway. 'How are you supposed to be my pet scientist if you can't come and go as you please?'

Tomas shot him a shy smile, unsure how to reply. He settled for an obvious 'I brought wine,' holding out the bottle in his hand.

'Good boy,' Reuben laughed again, accepting the gift and leading Tomas upstairs.

'Wow, something smells good,' Tomas commented when they reached the small kitchen. There were several pots simmering on the stove which Reuben approached upon entering the room, stirring the contents of one and adjusting a few knobs on the front of the oven.

'I wasn't quite sure what you would like, so I just decided to be incredibly boring and go with pasta,' Reuben explained. 'But I have been complimented extensively on this particular sauce, so I hope you'll like it anyway.'

'No that's great, I love pasta,' Tomas smiled. Whatever was in that sauce was making his mouth water and his stomach growl; the last meal Reuben had made for him had been so exquisite despite being just a simple breakfast that he had barely eaten since this morning in anticipation.

'It isn't quite ready yet, but would you like a drink in the meantime?' Reuben asked, examining the bottle Tomas had brought. 'This should be perfect, great choice,' he grinned, and Tomas couldn't help but feel unduly proud of himself as Reuben decanted the liquid into two stemless wine glasses. 'For you,' he offered Tomas one of the glasses with a warm smile.

'Thank you,' Tomas smiled back, helping himself to a small sip of the pale, dry liquid. Reuben's gaze followed the glass to his lips, and flitted down to his throat as he swallowed. He trailed his eyes back up to meet Tomas's own once again, a curious smile playing around his lips. Reuben took a step forward so there were mere inches between them and slid a bold hand around Tomas's waist, gently drawing him forward so their torsos were flush together.

'Thanks for coming over,' he said softly, his breath dancing across Tomas's parted lips. 'I've missed having you around.'

Tomas didn't have time to reply before Reuben's soft lips were pressed against his. He instinctively attempted to seek out a mental a to-do list that should have been more important than this, but for once he came up lacking. He had to admit he'd missed having Reuben around this week too. As much as he'd tried to bury his growing feelings in his work over the months since they'd met, there had always been a part of him that had wanted to be right here, holding on to Reuben's back as his lips were coaxed apart and Reuben's tongue was toying with his own as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

A groan rumbled deep in Reuben's throat, and the tone seemed to shift; he pressed into Tomas, urging the man to step backwards until he was pinned against the refrigerator. Tomas was only vaguely aware of the wineglass he was still holding as Reuben kissed him deeply, one hand on the small of his back and the other cradling his head. He eventually slowed the pace a little, sliding his hands to Tomas's shoulders before running them slowly down his sides and over the curve of his backside, squeezing gently and pulling his hips forward. Tomas moaned softly, sliding his hand down to rest around Reuben's waist.

They were interrupted by a soft beeping noise coming from somewhere near the oven, and Reuben slowly pulled himself away. His ragged breath ghosted across Tomas's face as he panted softly, resting their foreheads together with a silly grin.

'Sorry,' he whispered, pulling his bottom lip between his perfectly straight teeth, the corner of his mouth pulled up to suggest that he would otherwise be smiling. 'I got a bit carried away there...'

'I'm not complaining...' Tomas breathed, a little surprised at how easily that had slipped out.

'Tomas are you flirting with me?' Reuben teased, his expression sliding into a happy grin accompanied by a soft chuckle. Tomas was spared from actually answering as Reuben settled for pressing a quick kiss to his forehead and tore himself away so he could attend to the beeping timer, leaving Tomas flushed and a little turned on with his back still against the fridge.

Tomas cleared his throat quietly, taking a deep gulp of wine.

'Um, do you need me to help with anything?' he offered once he'd regained a little more composure.

'Nah, everything's pretty much done,' Reuben flashed him a dazzling smile from the stove, turning the burners off one by one. He looked so at home there, somehow. 'Tell you what, you can take that upstairs and I'll have the rest of this up in a minute.' He nodded towards the open bottle of wine on the counter top.

The upper room was dimly lit when Tomas entered, with a few lamps scattered around adding their light to the soft glow of a pair of candles on the table in the centre of the room. Tomas smirked at the set-up; it was the same low table which Reuben used when meeting with his clients, an array of cushions encircling it on the floor in lieu of chairs. A warmth spread through him at the thought of Reuben doing all of this for him, and the feeling only intensified as he recognised the soft music as the Vivaldi record he'd occasionally commented on a few of the many times Reuben had played it.

Tomas set the wine on to the table and walked over to the tall windows on one side of the room. He'd always been preoccupied with the telescopes or his laptop when he'd been here in the past, so he'd never really allowed himself the time to admire the exquisite views from the tower. For the most part the darkness beyond the windows reflected back a distorted image of the room inside; the only source of light on the mountain was an illuminated red beacon higher up near the peak. But where the view wasn't consumed by the darkness of the surrounding hills he could see the city below stretching out beyond the horizon, the sprawling orange lights of the street lamps glowing like embers. He silently watched a ship pull into the far-off docks for a few minutes before turning back to the room.

His gaze fell onto the leather sofa next to the staircase, and he felt his face flush as vivid memories of his last visit resurfaced. He realised now that his actions had mostly just been a physical distraction from the mental turmoil he'd been experiencing at the time; he had just needed something to make his brain shut up for a little while. It had worked, but although he hadn't necessarily thought about how a "first time" with Reuben should go it probably hadn't been ideal. Still, it had been good and it /had/ been quite a while since he was last so intimate with another person, so part of him thought that getting it out of the way might have been a good thing in that respect. And it wasn't like he hadn't wanted it...

The sound of Reuben's footsteps ascending from below pulled him from his train of thought and he made his way back towards the table as the blond head of hair appeared through the floor, its owner's jovial smirk not far behind.

'Sorry, this isn't too weird is it?' Reuben asked as he set the large tray he was carrying on to the floor next to the table and started transferring a number of dishes across. 'I cook for friends all the time but I only realised last minute that it's usually someone else hosting and apparently I don't have any proper furniture here.'

'It's fine,' Tomas laughed easily, following Reuben's lead and seating himself amongst the cushions on his own side of the table. 'It's all very... you.'

Reuben seemed to like that comment; the smile he was trying to conceal behind a sip of wine was different from his usually well controlled expressions, and Tomas felt a little proud of himself for managing to evoke it.

'Thanks for cooking,' Tomas added as he spread a cloth napkin across his lap; the smell of the pasta in the wide bowl in front of him was making his mouth water and he couldn't wait to try it.

'My pleasure,' Reuben smiled back. 'Please, go ahead.'

A hum of approval escaped Tomas's lips as he tasted the food, Reuben watching him with a careful smile as he immediately helped himself to a second forkful.

'How does it taste?' Reuben asked, starting his own meal more slowly.

'Incredible,' Tomas replied honestly. 'Where did you learn how to cook?'

'My grandmother taught me,' Reuben replied with a hesitant smile.

'That's nice,' Tomas smiled back. 'Are you close?'

'We were,' Reuben sighed softly. 'She passed away when I was seventeen.'

'Oh, I'm sorry,' Tomas cringed. It had taken him all of two minutes to potentially ruin the entire mood, but Reuben just shook his head.

'It was a long time ago.'

'What was she like?' Tomas ask tentatively. 'I never knew my grandmothers...'

'She was an amazing woman,' Reuben said with a fond smile, gaze focused on his food. 'She was incredibly wealthy all her life, but regardless of how many house staff she kept she always refused to have someone to cook for her. We lived with her for a while when I was young and I would always sit with her in the kitchen while she cooked, so I suppose I just picked it up as I helped her out.

'She never really got along with my father though, so he eventually convinced my mother that we should move to our own place closer to the city. I cried so much when we left,' he recounted with a chuckle. 'But when she died... God, I literally owe everything to her. Like I said, she didn't like my father and she never really forgave my mother for marrying him - and that feeling just got worse as she grew older. She used to say that the only good thing he'd ever done was give her me. And then when she died... it turned out she had changed her will without telling anyone and left everything she had to me, on the condition that I went to university to study what I wanted to study rather than the business management course my father had forced me to apply to.

'He was furious; he kicked me out after that, but Grandmother had left me her house and cars too so I moved back in there by myself and was able to go between there and student accommodation for the first year, which was when I'd bought this place and was having it remodelled... And coincidentally I got into astrology through someone I met on my first day at uni too so I just... I don't know who I would even be right now if it wasn't for her.'

'She sounds wonderful,' Tomas told him earnestly, once more regretting all the things he had ever said or thought about Reuben's wealth.

'Wow, I've made the mood altogether too heavy, sorry,' Reuben laughed awkwardly.

'You haven't,' Tomas smirked. 'You've never really talked about yourself like that before, it's nice to hear...'

'Well I guess you found the chink in my armour there, Star Boy,' Reuben said with a sad smile and helped himself to a large gulp of wine, oddly quiet once his glass was back on the table.

'...Is there something else?' Tomas urged softly; he didn't seem like he was finished. Reuben wrinkled his nose and considered Tomas carefully before speaking again.

'I never got the chance to come out to her,' he shrugged. 'I was always too scared because she was so important to me. I still think about it a lot...' he gave a hollow laugh. 'The one thing in my life I really regret, probably.'

Tomas didn't know what to say, so instead found his hand reaching across the table to curl around Reuben's fingers as they toyed with the rim of his wine glass. Reuben seemed surprised for a brief second, but smiled warmly as he adjusted his hand to fit more comfortably into Tomas's.

'Speaking of regrets...' Reuben sighed, squeezing Tomas's hand gently. 'I'm sorry about Monday.'

'What?' Tomas's stomach dropped.

'No, no not like that, shit,' Reuben assured him. 'I don't regret that it happened, not at all, just... how it happened, maybe? You were very emotional, I would hate for you to think I was taking advantage... but god you were so willing, I just couldn't help myself. I'm sorry.'

Tomas smiled, giving Reuben's hand a grateful squeeze. 'I don't think that. I feel really dumb about how big a mess I was, and it probably wasn't the best thing to do, but I don't regret it either. I really think I needed it at the time, you know?'

'I get it,' Reuben's smirk turned devilish. 'Hopefully next time neither of us will be subject to such emotional duress or carnal urges and we can feel just as good about it in the aftermath as we will during.'

Tomas flushed as Reuben raised their clasped hands to his mouth to softly kiss Tomas's fingers.

'U-uhm, yeah...' he stammered, taking his hand back and shovelling some pasta into his mouth so he wouldn't have to say anything. Reuben just laughed at him.

'So, what was this thing you wanted to show me?' Tomas asked after a few moments of eating in silence.

'It's not quite time yet,' Reuben allowed the swift change in topic with a glance at a nearby clock of which there were several ticking softly beneath the music. 'Have you really not figured it out yet?' he smirked.

'N-no... should I have?' Tomas asked warily, wondering if Jerry might have been right after all.

'Some astrophysicist,' Reuben scoffed, teasing eyes twinkling in the candlelight. 'There's a meteor shower tonight.'

'Oh' Tomas intoned, a passing memory of a hastily crafted poster on the common room notice board surfacing. 'I did know about that.'

'Sure you did,' Reuben grinned. 'Anyway, I thought it would be nice to watch it together.'

They finished their meal and the bottle of wine chatting happily, Tomas recounting most of the horrible things that had happened to him that day and Reuben joking about his misfortune being linked to the meteor shower and the alignments of the planets, but Tomas was pretty sure he was just making that up to annoy him.

Tomas helped Reuben back down to the kitchen with their used dishes, napkins and cutlery when they were done. Reuben's phone started to ring as he dumped his tray next to the sink; he pulled it out of his pocket and rolled his eyes at the Caller ID.

'I hate to be so rude, but would you mind if I took this?' He asked, gently squeezing Tomas's arm.

'It's fine, go ahead,' Tomas smiled.

'I'll be right back, go back upstairs if you want,' Reuben leaned in to kiss him quickly before leaving the room to take his call. From the sounds of the muffled reverberations, he'd gone a little way down the stairs to the entrance hall to talk.

Tomas turned to the sink and turned on the water tap, vaguely reminded of Reuben's birthday party when he'd attempted to rinse a wine stain out of his shirt here. He grabbed a sponge and one of the pots Reuben had used to cook the pasta, wanting to at least help him clean up in return. He had gotten through the pots and cutlery and was on the second to last bowl when Reuben reappeared.

'Sorry about that-' he started, before he realised what Tomas was doing. 'Tomas no, you don't have to do that.'

Tomas turned to him and smiled. 'I want to, it's the least I can do to thank you for the amazing meal. I'm almost done anyway,' he demonstrated by rinsing the bowl and placing it in the drying rack.

'You're so kind,' Reuben murmured against the nape of his neck and he wrapped his arms around Tomas's waist from behind.

'Who was on the phone?' Tomas asked, picking up the final bowl.

'Oh, one of Sam's friends I vaguely know took a notion that he wanted to photograph the meteor shower, but apparently he has no clue how to use a camera so he's been bugging me with questions all day.'

'And you do?' Tomas smirked. As many telescopes as he had, Tomas had never recalled seeing a camera at Reuben's.

'Photography and Art History,' he murmured, planting another kiss on the back of Tomas's neck. 'That's what I did at university.'

'Oh,' Tomas nodded, placing the final clean bowl into the drying rack with the others. 'That's cool.'

Reuben just hummed against his neck, passing him a towel as Tomas rinsed his hands and turned off the water.

'Did I tell you I saw Jerry today?' Tomas smirked. He had completely forgotten to mention it until Reuben had mentioned Sam.

'Ew really?' Reuben pulled a face. 'After everything else today, I'm so sorry that happened to you.'

Tomas laughed, turning around to face Reuben, who moved to rest his hands against the counter on either side of him, pinning him against the sink. Tomas was reminded of his birthday party once more.

'I can't believe you made out with him,' he teased.

'Yeah but that was like three weeks after you started running round my house with your tight little butt in those unfairly well-fit trousers every day,' Reuben shot back. 'I had to make out with someone. And in my defence, he isn't completely unfortunate looking, he's just an asshole.'

'You're the third person I've heard call him that today alone,' Tomas laughed.

'That's because it's true,' Reuben smirked, kissing him softly.

'You know,' Tomas bit his lip, reaching a hand up to toy with the buttons on Reuben's shirt. 'You looked so hot that night, I really, really felt like I was going to cave when you invited me to the club.'

'I wish you had,' Reuben whispered, closing the small gap between them to kiss him deeply.

Tomas broke away a short while later as Reuben's hands began to wander towards his belt buckle.

'What are you doing?' he panted.

'Why do you think there was no dessert?' Reuben smirked, reclaiming his lips as he undid the fastening of Tomas's jeans.

'Reuben, you don't-' Tomas began to protest as Reuben moved to kiss his neck, trailing kisses down Tomas's torso as he slowly sank to his knees.

'Tell me not to and I won't,' he murmured. Tomas just bit his lip in response - Reuben was too sexy to refuse. The blond grinned at the lack of reply, sliding Tomas's underwear down with his jeans.

'Oh god,' Tomas mumbled as Reuben's lips found their target.

...

'Will you be warm enough? Maybe I should lend you a coat,' Reuben wheeled around without waiting for an answer, leaving Tomas by the front door as he disappeared into a storage closet built into a wall on the other side of the entrance hall, reappearing moments later with a thick ski jacket similar to the one he was already wearing, and handed it to Tomas.

'Thanks,' Tomas said softly, putting it on over his own light coat. He hadn't expected to be spending the night outside when he'd left.

Tomas was still feeling a little reticent following what Reuben had just done to him in the kitchen; he had enjoyed it a little too much, and it had ended way quicker and more suddenly that he'd ever have wanted it to, but the sight of Reuben had been so...

'What are you blushing at? It's just a coat,' Reuben laughed.

'Shut up,' Tomas mumbled, trying to get a handle on his imagination. Reuben simply grinned at him before leading him out the door.

He hadn't allowed Tomas to return the favour with the excuse that they were running out of time, but Tomas was slightly relieved about that anyway. It had been years since he'd given someone a blowjob and he though he might need slightly more mental preparation than what had been available to him.

They climbed up the slight incline of the hill which was essentially Reuben's back garden, and the blond laid out a blanket from a picnic basket he'd brought for them to sit on. The other contents of the basket included another bottle of wine, snacks, a torch and a small radio.

'Woah,' Tomas breathed as he sat down once everything was set up. The view from here was even more impressive than from inside the tower.

'Cool, huh?' Reuben grinned. 'I love living here.' He sighed happily, laying back on the blanket. He tugged at the back of Tomas's coat and Tomas lay down beside him with a small smile.

'The radiant is in Gemini, so watch for them from there,' Reuben commented, before pointing towards the sky and adding 'that one.'

'I know where Gemini is,' Tomas muttered.

'Sorry,' Reuben laughed. 'I don't know where you draw the line between Really Serious Space Science and hippy bullshit,' he teased.

'Constellations are fine,' Tomas smirked. 'It's just organisation, really.'

'It must be so boring being you sometimes,' Reuben joked, laughing again when Tomas hit him lightly.

They were silent for a while, watching the sky. Eventually, a streak of light briefly cut through the starry blackness from near where Reuben had been pointing.

'Did you see that?!' Tomas grinned, eyes trained on the spot where he'd seen the first meteor.

'No,' Reuben said softly. Tomas turned his head and felt himself flushed when he realised Reuben had been watching him the whole time. Reuben leaned forward to kiss him softly, eventually rolling over so he was lying half on top of Tomas.

'Can I ask you something?' he said softly as he lifted his head.

'Sure,' Tomas replied, pushing a stray strand of hair back behind Reuben's ear.

'Are you in?' he asked, smiling at Tomas's touch.

'What do you mean?'

'I mean...' Reuben sighed gently. 'This. Us. Like, you aren't going to freak out or run away or stop me anymore?'

'Is this about the phone thing?' Tomas crumpled his brow. 'That was-'

'A mistake, I know,' Reuben cut him off. 'But I felt so shitty all week about it because I thought you were ignoring me, I just want to know that isn't just some throwaway pointless thing.'

'It's not,' Tomas assured him. 'You know my career has to come first for me, and I'm really not good at r-... this kind of thing...' he sighed, then smiled. 'But if it's you, I really want to try. I'm in.'

Reuben's face broke into a wide, happy smile which Tomas couldn't help but mirror.

'I'm fine for you to set the pace, you know,' Reuben told him. 'I guess I just needed to hear that.'

Reuben lowered his head to kiss him again as Tomas's arms wrapped around his waist.

'You gonna miss the shower,' Tomas pointed out between kisses.

'I don't care,' Reuben mumbled, as another meteor streaked behind his head.

Hello! A couple of things:

1. Working full time is butts.

2. I should have an update for Cartwright Hall soonish... I just need to write one more scene and then tidy things up (although I have literally no idea how it's going to go yet but wish me luck figuring that out).

3. I've set up an author tumblr which you can find at vertebraewrites dot tumblr dot com. There's literally nothing on it yet but I have a few character sketches and stuff which I was thinking of posting, and I've been wanting to try to sketch some of Reuben's house but I'll let you know here if I ever do post those anyway in case you don't have a tumblr to follow. Also if you have any questions or requests or want a oneshot or want to send me any prompts or literally anything, my ask box is always open :)

(also I haven't fully proof-read this because I need to go to sleep but please do let me know if there are any glaring mistakes and I'll try to fix them asap)