ArchivedLogs:Unsubtle

Unsubtle
Dramatis Personae Shane, Steve	2016-01-25 "I just feel like such a dinosaur." (set some time after tooootally no kissing at all.)
Location <NYC> Harbor Commons - Commonhaus - Lower East Side
Accessible to all residents of the Commons via electronic keycard, this three-story building holds a number of facilities freely available for the shared use of all Commons residents. The stone-floored foyer is high ceilinged -- balconies on the two upper floors look down into this entrance, leaving just the wide skylit ceiling three stories up to trickle light down through the whole of the house. Through wide wood-and-glass doors the spacious dining area is visible on the left; on the right, heavier doors beside the elevator lead to the similarly large kitchens. There are four single-user toilets on this floor, two apiece by the foyer and the dining room. Though a wide staircase runs all the way up, there is also an elevator tucked to one side. For the adventurous, though, there's another way up through the house -- through the center of the house where the balconies look down, an enormous climbing structure has been erected, solid wood platforms softened with carpeting, held together with strong spiderwebbed steel cables. Interlaced in an intricate maze that spirals up through the whole of the house and down to the basement, it provides a crazily winding path to duck and wriggle and worm through, with exits -- if you can /find/ them -- dispensed out onto each upper balcony and into the basement below. It's a quiet night, the snow lying serene outside, belying the ferocity of the battle that had taken place by daylight. It's getting late by the time Steve returns to Commonhaus, but there's no weariness in his movements. His navy blue peacoat is open over a blue-green ombre thermal shirt and heavy brown corduroy trousers. There's snow crusted on his combat boots, though not really as much as one might expect given the length of the stroll he had taken. He's shrugging out of his coat as he enters, stowing it in the coat closet, humming 'One Big Union for Two' ever so softly. There's one small blue figure nestled up in the giant labyrinth of a climbing maze, laptop in front of him, bowl of soup, mug of something still faintly steaming. Shane leaves his things on the platform he's been curled up on, though, swinging around to the outside of the maze and clambering down to drop lightly one story down to the ground. He looks already dressed for bed, barefoot, thick soft pajama pants, a warm fleecey sweatshirt unzipped with no shirt beneath. He leans in towards Steve as he approaches, the flat slits of his nostrils twitching. Twitch. Snuffle twitch. Steve watches Shane drop down without any alarm. Waves, smiles, blushes just a touch. "{Hey.}" He flushes a much deeper pink when Shane starts sniffing at him -- he smells mostly like coffee, crisp snowy air, and Jax. "What...?" There's a small flutter of gills from the tiny sharkboy; a moment later his mouth splits into an /exceptionally/ toothy grin. "{/What/} what. {His smell all /over/ you, dude, anyway you two light up that fucking fort like goddamn fourth of July that was no subtle?}" Shane's French is brightly cheerful. Steve opens his mouth -- once, twice -- but no words come out. The blushing only grows deeper. Finally, he manages, in an abrupt tumble of rustic continental French, "{We weren't trying to be.../subtle/. It's just -- we were talking and...}" He runs a hand through his touseled blond hair. Sucks in a deep breath. "{I know your family has been through so much, and it's maybe unwise for me and your father to be...courting? Dating? Whatever we're doing, but --}" The air he hadn't expended saying that escapes him in a small, helpless sigh. "{I love him. A lot.}" "{Talking. Right. /Talking/ usually happens with /mouths/.}" Though Shane stops here, frowning as he looks up at Steve's face. "{... okay that might also involve mouths but /you/ know my /meaning/.}" He leans in up close to Steve, snuffling at the bigger man again before shuffling back over to the climbing tower. "{Of course you do he's fucking awesome. /Everybody/ should be kissing him /all/ the time.}" Steve's cheeks are, at least, not growing any /redder/. "{That. Uh... Well. Yes. I know your meaning.}" He's even smiling a little, if ducking his head, embarassed, still. "{I'm glad this isn't distressing to you.}" He wanders over, too. Sits down on one of the lower platforms. Shane is scaling back up the outside of the structure, sort of lazily. "{You /hurt/ him, I'll be fucking distressed. But that glowing, /that's/ him happy. Why wouldn't I want him...}" He stops here, slightly up and to one side of Steve, hanging on to a cable with one hand and leaning dooown into the other man's personal space again to PEER. Poke a thoughtful finger at Steve's chest. "{Oh. Oh /man/.}" He sways slightly where he hangs, looking downward. "Did the super-soldiering enhance, like, /every/ goddamn thing?" "{I don't want to ever hurt him,}" Steve says softly. "{He was. Very happy, yes.}" Though here his brows furrow just a little -- pensive more so than upset. Not for long. Though he does not seem much bothered by Shane's proximity, his frown turns to one of brief confusion at Shane's question. Then wide-eyed mortification, the blushing returning full-force, even while he laughs. "Oh gosh. That's...kind of /personal/." "Personal?" The widening of Shane's huge black eyes and furrow of his brow here looks rather perplexed by this statement. "What since when? {Anyway if you're planning on using it on my dad this is just.}" He considers for a moment. "Quality control." "Since...since..." Steve sputters, the red creeping up to his ears. "Because I'm not comfortable discussing. That. With you?" He doesn't sound altogether certain about this. "I'm pretty sure he can decide for himself whether he. Likes. It." "Oh!" The enormous black pools of Shane's eyes open even wider, a small flutter rippling through his gills. "Huh!" The lilt of this and the tilt of his head look genuinely surprised here. He swings himself back up onto the steel cables of the maze, pulling a little higher away from Steve. "{Sorry!} I just -- did they even /teach/ you guys about sex back in your day because there's some things you should probably --" He cuts himself off here with another duck of his head, another flutter of gills. "{No, right, sorry!}" His head shakes as he climbs back up to his abandoned laptop several feet higher. "It's alright." Steve relaxes a little now. "But you're right. There really wasn't any...sex education? {We were just expected to figured it out when we got married.}" He shrugs his broad, muscular shoulders. "{Though in reality few people waited that long.}" Then, leaning back to rest his head against another platform, he studies Shane. "I appreciate that you're asking because you want to see your father happy." Then, more quietly, "Is there any...resource you would...recommend?" "Uhhh --" Shane is tucking back in underneath a blanket, picking his bowl of soup back up as he nests again on his platform. "Normally, yeah, Pa. You know he teaches sex ed, right? He's brilliant. But -- under the circumstances." Shrug. "{He runs a blog too. About sex. I mean, sex education, really.}" His cheeks puff out for a moment, fingertip swiping against his mouse. Fingers tapping briefly against his keys. A moment later he's sent an email to Steve with a few different links listed. "S'a couple of sites. Should help." "I know. He teaches that." Steve nods, running his fingers down one of the cables holding up the platform. "But I think it'd be hard -- /difficult/. For him to teach me." His hand goes to his pocket when the phone in it buzzes. "Thanks. I want to do right by him, I really do. I just feel like such a dinosaur." "You /are/ basically a fossil, dude." Shane's grin returns, quick and toothy. "Just sort of a sexy one. Go. Study hard." He turns his attention back to his computer. "And do right by him." Steve blushes again -- it's /hardly/ noticeable anymore -- but he smiles again. "Well, I hope I'm not quite as calcified as all that." Then, as he hops back down to the floor. "Goodnight, and will do."