Before Dooku left for Portland on Saturday he dropped off his elderly cat Beowulf for Sören to catsit, with a promise to return by no later than 4 PM on Sunday to pick the cat up. Sören didn't tell Dooku about his plans with Sharon, since Dooku was a bit rushed on his way out, though Dooku did get some pettings of both Beowulf and Snúður in before he left, and Dooku also gave Sören the contact info of his vet just in case, but also gave the vet a glowing recommendation for Sören's own cat.
You better not be dating that vet, Sören thought as Dooku left, and he once again felt angry at himself for having such a weirdly possessive reaction. Yes, he loved Dooku, but they were just friends. Sören didn't want to make things weird by telling him. Even so, he ached.
Sören found himself feeling a little randy again after he saw Dooku out to his Jaguar, impatient for Sharon to get here. However, they weren't going to be getting "down to business" right away - they'd made plans that morning to go hiking through the woods off US Route 26 since it was going to be a sunny day and it was peak fall foliage time. After that hike, they were going to grab a bite to eat somewhere. Sören was horny for Sharon, but he genuinely liked her company too and didn't want to just spend the entire time in bed, or at least not this visit, anyway.
Sören also had additional reason for wanting to go out, grinning over at a backpack he had waiting by the door. Sharon and Beowulf weren't the only guests Sören had that weekend.
When Sharon arrived a little after 1 PM, Sören grabbed the duffel bag, pet the cats on his way out - Beowulf was old and mellow enough that he seemed to get along with Snúður, or at least they could be in the same space without killing each other - and ran out to Sharon's RV, regretting his exuberance when he had an asthma attack.
Sharon had Nine Inch Nails playing in the van, which didn't help Sören to feel less horny. He gave her a big hug and a kiss, and affectionately tweaked a dreadlock. "You look cute," he said.
"Oh please, I'm not dressed to impress or anything." Sharon had her blonde dreadlocks in a ponytail and was wearing a green plaid flannel shirt and faded jeans, an outfit that proved she was making herself at home in the Pacific Northwest.
"You're cute, and that's that. And we sort of match." Sören was wearing a red plaid flannel shirt over the KMFDM shirt he'd met Sharon in, and darker blue jeans. He gave his glasses a wipe before putting them back on, smiling at her.
"Well, you're cute." Sharon booped his nose. "OK, I've got GPS on but when we get to wherever we're going you have to tell me where to turn off, right?"
"Right." Sören nodded. "I've been here a bunch of times though, I'll remember." He made a face. "Amazingly, one of the things I can remember."
As they rolled out, Sharon nodded over at the backpack. "What's in the bag?"
"Severed heads."
Sharon almost spat her iced latte. "Sören, I swear to god."
"It's some stuff. It'll be easier if I explain it when it's time for me to get it out. But in the meantime..." Sören unzipped one of the backpack compartments and took out the bag of gourmet jellybeans that he'd bought earlier in the month with Karen, that he hadn't finished yet.
Sharon's eyes widened. She took a few jellybeans and ate them. "Oh my god, jellybeans," she said through a mouthful, but it came out "ermagerd, jellerberns."
Sören laughed. "Yes, jellerberns."
Sharon gave him a little swat and took some more. "I haven't had jellybeans in forever and these are so good. Where did you get them?"
"There's a candy shop in town. When we get back from hiking, if you want to go, I'll take you to the candy shop." Sören couldn't resist and started singing, "I'll let you lick the lollipop, go 'head girl don't you stop, keep going till you hit the spot, whoa..."
Sharon threw her head back and howled, then she sang back to him, "I'll take you to the candy shop, boy, one taste of what I got, I'll have you spending all you got, keep going till you hit the spot..."
Sören's face was on fire, his mind racing with thoughts of eating Sharon out. He stole a sip of her iced coffee and then Sharon said, "You're incorrigible."
"Takk." Sören grinned. "But there is an actual candy shop where you can get actual candy."
"Excellent, I'd like to pick some up for myself, and for my roommate Frankie, since she puts up with me." Sharon grinned too. "But then I hope we go to, you know, the metaphorical candy shop."
"I think I've got some metaphorical candy," Sören said.
"Metaphorical Candy is my Fall Out Boy cover band."
Sören wheezed, loving it. He gave Sharon a big kiss on the cheek for that, wanting to grab her and snog her properly, but they were on the road so a cheek-kiss would have to do for now. Sharon tweaked his nose and kissed his cheek in return, grinning. God, she's beautiful, Sören thought to himself, feeling a flutter at her dimples, her bright blue eyes. He was tempted to tell Sharon to pull over and take her in the camper part of the van and eat her out then, but he behaved himself... for now.
They nibbled jellybeans on the way to the forest. When Sören saw the correct turn coming up he let Sharon know, and Sharon turned off the highway down a winding road through the woods, gravel and leaves crunching under the tires. Even in the space of the forest closer to the highway, Sharon's breath caught at the evergreens mixed with the blazing deciduous trees and so many of them.
"That's one thing I can't get over about up here compared to the Bay Area," Sharon said in a hushed, reverent tone of voice. "I mean sure, we've got Muir Woods and all that but it's also so... urban, most places. Out here there's so much more green."
"It's why I stay here," Sören said, nodding. "The forest, the mountains, the ocean within a reasonable drive..." Sören felt a tight ache in his chest, knowing eventually he'd have to leave this place if he stayed with Mark, but he was hoping that when that time came, at least for awhile Mark might consider settling elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest, like Washington State or British Columbia.
Speaking of Mark... Sören's cell phone went off with a text notification ringtone, as if thinking about Mark had summoned him. Sören took out his cell phone and sure enough...
Sören, where is Hells? A few seconds later: And where are my action figures?
Sören giggled. He wasn't going to reply to that just yet.
"What's so funny?" Sharon asked.
"You'll see."
Sharon gave Sören a suspicious look.
They got to a place where Sören had Sharon pull over. They hopped out of the RV, Sören taking the backpack with him, and Sören led her ahead on a trail through the forest. They walked in sllence down the trail, taking it all in. Sören kept glancing over at Sharon, the look of awe on her face. He started taking photos early, and got a couple of her as well, wanting to preserve this moment - even dressed down as she was, Sören thought Sharon was absolutely gorgeous, and her wonder in the beauty of the autumn forest especially so.
The reason why Sören wanted to come here wasn't just because of the glorious cover of trees along the trail, the fallen leaves that crunched underfoot, the smoky smell of autumn mingling with the crisp scent of evergreen, but because there was an end to the trail - a cliff with an absolutely glorious view of surrounding mountains and other forests on those mountains. "Oh my god," Sharon breathed as she got there and saw it. "I can see forever."
Sören laughed, and gave her a squeeze.
A squeeze became a kiss, deep and sensual. When they pulled apart, breathing harder, Sören looked into those eyes, as blue as the endless sky above, and he held back saying the words that rose in him: I love you. But he felt it, just the same.
They sat on the ground together, taking a break for water and to continue looking at the view. The water came from Sören's backpack, and now it was time for Sharon to see what else was in there.
Sharon raised an eyebrow.
"I'm trolling my boyfriend," Sören explained as he arranged Hells and the KISS action figures on a large stone near the cliff's edge, so he could get a photo of the view. "I started teasing him about his KISS dolls performing slave labor and he got all indignant and it was so cute, so now..."
"So what, you broke out his KISS dolls? They've escaped?" Sharon looked at the way Sören was arranging them and howled. "They're riding a unicorn?"
Sören nodded. "Well, two of them are." Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons were on the back of Hells again, and Paul Stanley looked like he was dismounting and scouting. Sören made Peter Criss stand near them and point in the distance as if he spotted something.
Sören snapped a couple photos of the arrangement, and the one he was most satisfied with, he sent in an attachment back to Mark, saying simply: No context required.
Mark shot back a reply text almost immediately. You better return them unharmed.
Sören texted back: They'll return if and when they see fit, and certainly no more harm than however long they've been doing slave labor nonstop. Sören added a smiley emoji and a heart to the message before sending it.
Sören giggled, and Sharon laughed too, shaking her head. "You're so bad," she said.
"I know."
"But you're also so good for taking me here." She gestured to the view in front of them, the forest around them. "This is such a little gem. And you don't drive, right?"
"I used to drive," Sören said. "My best friend, Nico, started driving me up here months ago. At night, you can see the entire fucking Milky Way without light pollution, that's how much we're in the middle of nowhere out here. I was actually going to suggest we come up here at night, but I didn't want you to feel, you know, unsafe..."
"Awwwww." Sharon hugged Sören and gave him a little kiss. "You're a precious bean. I'd never feel unsafe around you."
Sören kissed her back. "OK, but you know, I didn't know that."
"You're a gentleman."
"I'm not so sure about that." Sören snorted. "But I guess I tend to err on the side of caution because..." His voice trailed off. "Well, anyway. Nico took me up here at night, and this place is gorgeous in the daytime in spring, too, we'll have to go in the springtime. There's such a peace here, a peace that Nico knew I needed after." There it was again.
Sharon raised an eyebrow. "Sören, what happened to you?" she said quietly.
"Shit." Sören ran a nervous hand through his curls. "I don't want to spoil our afternoon..."
"Sören, you're..." Sharon shrugged. "Not quite my boyfriend, but we're intimate, close, all the same. So out with it. You can tell me. I won't judge you."
Sören told Sharon as little as he could get away with about Seth, including the fact that Seth had raped him repeatedly. Including the ordeal of Seth putting him in a car accident, which had tipped him over the edge to leave. "I had a rib fracture and a dislocated shoulder. Nico had me stay with him for a few weeks because, you know, I couldn't take care of myself with all that. He fed me. He helped me get changed. And honestly, I needed to stay there anyway - he made me feel safe again, for the first time in months." Sören swallowed hard, eyes burning, thinking of how kind he'd been, understanding, compassionate. "And not just because he was nice to me but he... ah." Sören gestured around the forest. "Somehow, he got Seth in his car, drove him up here one night, and beat the shit out of him. Seth left town."
"Nice." Sharon clapped appreciatively. "I've never met Nico, but he sounds like a great guy." Sharon gave him a pointed look. "He must really care about you."
"He's like the big brother I never had," Sören said. "Well, I mean, he's old enough to be my dad, technically, but... we're that close. Like brothers."
"Mhm," Sharon said, giving Sören a look of disbelief.
"What?" Sören blinked slowly.
"Like brothers, eh? Like the Sam and Dean Supernatural slash kind, or..."
Sören facepalmed, his cheeks burning. "Oh my god, Sharon."
"Hey, listen. It just seemed like the way you mention him, that wistful look in your eye..."
"Nico and I aren't a thing, Sharon." Sören wanted to crawl in a hole in the ground and die. He felt like all of him was on fire now. "That ship sailed months ago."
"It sounds like you're still carrying a torch for him and it's about to burn that ship."
Sören blinked. Oh, if only you knew about me and burning ships... Sören sighed then, forcing his mind away from the madness and regret of the past, to the madness and regret of the present. "I don't even think he's gay. I mean, he just sees me as his idiot brother, I think, who he looks out for." Sören shrugged.
And where have we seen that before, a little voice nagged at the back of Sören's head.
Sören shoved that train of thought away as quickly as it came on. Yeah right. Wishful thinking much?
"I'm just saying, him dragging your asshole ex out here and beating the shit out of him for hurting you sounds like something a lover would do," Sharon said. "I could tell Mark had the hots for you back when we were in Sausalito and you seemed really oblivious to that..."
"Jæja, so um... you want to head back?" Sören got up without waiting for a response.
"OK," Sharon said. She glanced over at the stone where Sören had arranged Hells and the KISS action figures and said, "Don't forget your friends, there."
After Sören packed them up, he and Sharon went back down the trail, hand-in-hand. "I'm sorry if I hit a nerve," Sharon said after a few minutes of awkward silence.
"Hi Sorry If I Hit A Nerve."
Sharon gave him a look, elbowed him, tweaked his nose, and then she said, "I want to see you happy."
"I don't... want to talk about... you know. That subject. Anymore," Sören said, face on fire again. "No offense."
"None taken. I know what it's like to want something you think you can't have."
Sören looked at Sharon, who looked back at him. Sören froze for a moment, hoping this wasn't Sharon wanting more than what he could give her. And then Sharon patted and said, "Oh no, not you. I like what we have. No more, no less."
"Good." Sören gave her a little kiss, relieved.
"I have a crush on my roommate, Sören."
"Ah." Sören nodded. "So you're hoping candy is the way to her heart?"
"I'd buy her candy anyway to be nice. But." Sharon shrugged. "It makes living with her kind of awkward now. We were doing so well as friends! And then she had to be so goddamn adorable. And, well..." Sharon's voice trailed off. "Never mind."
"Never mind what?"
"I think you need to meet her. I've told her about you and she's really interested in meeting you. Not this weekend but sometime soon-ish, hopefully. You're better off just seeing for yourself."
"What, does she have, like, four arms?"
Sharon laughed. "No, Sören, she does not have four arms. Four eyes, like you, maybe."
Sören stuck his tongue out at her, then he said, "All the better to ogle you with, my dear."
"Mhm." Sharon kissed him again, and grabbed his ass.
As soon as they got in the RV they shared a passionate, hungry kiss that led them to the camper part of the RV, giggling all the way. Sören took off Sharon's jeans and panties and went to work - she was already wet for him, which Sören loved, and he devoured her, licking and sucking her clit until she climaxed, gushing on his face with a cry. He sipped her flowing juices, savoring, and then he kissed her to share the taste with her.
"That's one," Sören said, grinning. "More later." His finger teasingly brushed a nipple through her flannel shirt.
Sharon and Sören went to the front of the RV again and she turned the van around and got back on US Route 26. A computerized GPS voice guided them back to Corvallis, and Sharon got directions to the plaza where the candy shop was located.
In the candy shop, Sharon's face lit up like a big kid. She and Sören spent quite awhile browsing, oohing and ahhing at the seemingly endless selection of sweets. On a whim, Sören unloaded the backpack again and took pictures of Hells and the KISS action figures inspecting different varieties of gummies, and one where Gene Simmons wrapped a rainbow gummy worm around his neck like it was a snake or a feather boa.
"Hey, you have to buy that," the clerk shouted.
Sören bought a small bag of rainbow sweet-and-sour gummy worms, which he was planning on doing anyway when he spotted them. Sharon got chocolate-covered pretzels and chocolate-covered coffee beans and chocolate-covered almonds.
"Wow, you must really like this girl," Sören teased.
"Well, some of them are for me. And we can share too." Sharon gave him a kiss. Then she cackled, "Maybe we can share her, if it works out."
Sören kissed her back with a little groan and a frisson down his spine. The thought of being in a threesome with lesbian sex involved... now there was a return to the devil-may-care days of Toronto, before he was roofied. He didn't want to go back to his days of clubbing and anonymous sex, he'd outgrown that, but a little walk on the wild side, he could go for.
The clerk gave them a disapproving look, as if the implication they were in some bisexual open relationship was offensive, and Sören decided to move Hells's head like a ventriloquist dummy and say, "It's 2017, man." Then the unicorn muttered, "Silly humans."
Sharon snorted. "And what does the unicorn get up to? Do I want to know?" She glanced at the KISS action figures. "Er."
Sören facepalmed and howled, shaking with laughter. "Er is right." He shoved Hells and the KISS action figures back in his backpack, still giggling at the sheer wrongness, delighted that Sharon was on the same level of wrongness. God, I love you.
There was a pizza-and-Italian restaurant in the same plaza as the candy shop. Sharon and Sören decided to go there, and were quickly seated. The restaurant had the option to buy pizza by the slice which also meant getting to buy different varieties. Sharon did however get two pieces of four-cheese pizza in addition to pizza with toppings. "I like cheese," she said. She tweaked Sören's nose. "In case that weren't obvious being with you."
Sören booped her nose across the table.
Sören decided to take out Hells and the KISS action figures again, seating them around the coloring paper and crayons that their table had tucked away in case families with kids showed up, and took pictures, making Sharon laugh. Then when their pizza was served, Sharon put the ones with just cheese on them off to the side, since they would be the hottest and need more time to cool, and Sören moved the plate closer to Hells and the KISS action figures, as if they were sharing the pizza. He sent off a couple texts to Mark with the latest pictures from the candy shop and the restaurant.
A few minutes later, as Sören had a mouthful of pizza, Mark sent another text. Candy and pizza? You complain to me about slave labor but they're not getting proper nutrition?
Sören almost choked on his pizza. He showed Sharon the latest text and Sharon clapped like a seal, tearing up.
Mark wasn't done. You can't give them some vegetables? Or meat?
Sören thought for a few minutes, considering his response, and then it came to him, knowing Mark would get the reference. Right. If they don't eat their meat, how can they have any pudding?
Some moments after that, Mark sent back: Shine on, you crazy diamond.
_
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA KITTY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SMOL FLOOFS."
Sören beamed.
"You said you got a cat." Sharon raised an eyebrow. "There are two."
"Jæja... that's Beowulf." Sören pointed to the Norwegian Forest Cat sunning himself on the cat condo near the living room window. "That's Nico's cat, I'm catsitting while he's gone for the night. This right here is Snúður." He stooped to pet the tuxedo cat as he came forward. Snúður headbutted him, purring loudly, and rubbed against him as Sören gave pettings. "Þvílíkt sætt litla elskan. Ó, hvað góður, snaggi litli köttur..."
Sharon giggled. "I love hearing you speak Icelandic." She got down on her knees to pet the cat too. "What's his name mean?"
"Cinnamon Roll."
Sharon laughed harder. "Goddammit, Sören, why do you have to be so fucking adorable?"
Sören grinned, feeling himself blush fiercely. "I could say the same about you."
Sharon grabbed Sören's hands and helped him up, and they looked at each other for a moment, eyes locked, and then they fell on each other, kissing passionately all the way to Sören's bedroom.
Sören started undressing and Sharon did too, and then she said, "Wait here a minute," and ran off to the living room where she'd left a duffel bag for overnight. She came back with it and put it down on the dresser near the antique mirror, then she resumed undressing.
Once Sharon was completely naked, and smiling at Sören's erection, she said, "I have something for you. Well, two somethings."
"OK," Sören said, wondering what it was.
"The first is a piece of news. I went down to Planned Parenthood. I'm HIV negative and don't have any STDs, and I am also now on birth control."
"Excellent," Sören said.
"I can prove it to you if you want, I can show you the paperwork and my thingie with the Pill -"
"No, I believe you," Sören said.
"All right then. The second is..." Sharon opened up the bag and produced a strap-on dildo, black with a black harness.
Sören's eyes lit up and he laughed and howled appreciatively. "Oh my god."
"You ever been pegged, Sören?"
Not in this life. A flash of memory of Nerdanel having sculpted a phallus, bending Fëanor over and taking him. "No," Sören said, "but I take it, so..." Sören crinkled his nose and bit his lower lip, his cock jolting. "Wow. Fuck, that's hot."
"I thought you might like that."
Sharon and Sören got on the bed together and just held each other for a moment, looking tenderly into each other's eyes, petting. "What do you want to do first?" Sharon husked.
"I want to eat you some more."
"I won't say no to that."
Sören didn't get down there right away, but lingered, making love to Sharon's entire body, kissing her neck and shoulders, nuzzling and licking her furry armpits, making her moan and giggle, lapping and suckling her nipples, kissing and licking and nibbling her stomach, thighs. At last his tongue brushed her cleft - she was even more drenched than she had been this afternoon - and he began to lick slowly around her clit, not licking directly just yet, teasing her. His cock throbbed at the moans Sharon made.
His cock ached even more when he began to feast on her in earnest, lashing his tongue, sucking her clit hard, tongue dipping inside her to taste her more fully as his fingers rubbed her clit. When he went back to sucking her clit his fingers played in her, and Sharon started to rock against his face, fucking himself on his fingers, her cries louder and louder. Sören was relieved Dooku was in Portland for the evening, not hearing this.
Sören brought Sharon to climax after climax, loving the telltale contractions, the way her juices dripped when she came. He slurped at her noisily, made satisfied "mmmmm" sounds that made Sharon beg for more, grabbing his curls. He lost count after seven orgasms, but finally Sharon needed a break for a little while to recharge and he held her, kissing her. She licked her juices off his face, giggling.
"You have the most amazing tongue," Sharon told him.
"You taste fucking delicious." Sören kissed her deeply.
Sharon moaned into the kiss and started rubbing against him again. Sören was ready to go back down there, but before he could slide down, Sharon grabbed him and husked, "I want you inside me now." She hooked a finger through the Prince Albert piercing in the head of Sören's cock, a captive bead ring. "I want to feel that thing. I've been dying to since I first saw the outline of it in your swim trunks. I mean, I did sort of through the condom, but now..."
"Now we don't need them."
Sharon lay on her back, and looking into her eyes, Sören eased into her slowly. They both moaned at the feel of their bodies joined as one, nothing between them. When Sören was all the way inside they kissed deeply, Sharon reaching out to hold him.
Sören took his first thrust and they both cried out at the sensation. Sören thrust slowly, keeping himself in check, not wanting to come too soon at Sharon's tight, slick heat kissing his cock. With one hand he reached to play with her clit and the fingers of the other stroked her face, played with her locks, whispered over her skin making gooseflesh, teased her nipples. Sharon whimpered and moaned, rolling her hips back at him.
"That bead. In the ring. Oh my god." Sharon's eyelashes fluttered as a shudder went through her. "Sören..." She whined. "Oh. Fuck. Sören..."
"Is good, já?"
"Já." Sharon giggled, and Sören did too, kissing the tip of her nose.
They kissed again, tongues searching, dancing. Sharon's hands slid over Sören's back. They kissed again and again, and when Sören began to kiss Sharon's neck, the noises she made were so arousing that Sören sped up a little, not able to help it. That was what Sharon wanted, rocking back at him. "God, Sören, yes, god, that's fucking good..."
Sören took his fingers off her clit for a moment and stuck them in Sharon's mouth. She sucked his fingers with such heat in her eyes, blazing blue, that Sören sped up again. Sharon dug her nails into Sören's back and nibbled on his neck, and Sören groaned, continuing to push and pull, starting to lose himself in the sweetness of her enfolding him. His fingers rubbed her more insistently. Sören needed to slow himself down, not wanting to come before she did.
But at last Sharon urged him on, begging "harder, faster," and Sören gave in to her. When she had a look of surprise on her face and gave a little catch of breath, Sören braced himself, and then he groaned as Sharon screamed, clamping around him, squeezing and squeezing. "Sören. Sören. Oh god. Oh my fucking god, Sören, YES..." She laughed and sobbed as her body shook and she continued squeezing, pulsing around him.
A couple delicious thrusts later and Sören was done, coming inside her with a cry and a shuddery gasp. They moaned together into a kiss, and then nuzzled, pet each other, smiling fondly.
"That was great," Sharon said.
"That was fucking awesome."
They kissed again, and after a few minutes laying there, Sharon's fingers brushed a nipple again and she grinned and asked, "Want to go again?"
Sharon wanted it from behind, getting on her hands and knees, facing the mirror, with Sören getting on his knees behind her.
"I feel like I'm in heat," Sharon said, her voice shaking as Sören just teased her, rubbing the head of his cock against her lower lips, pushing in just the tip but not taking her, not just yet. "There's something so fucking hot and... primal... about just... you in me bare, raw, skin to skin..."
"God, yes." Sören groaned at the sight of his cum leaking out of her.
"No worries, no regrets." Sharon gave a moan as Sören's cock brushed her lower lips again. "No fear of getting pregnant." She grinned into the mirror - Sören grinned too, he loved her smile - and Sharon giggled.
Sören pushed into Sharon who cried out "yes" when he was all the way in, grabbing a fistful of her dreadlocks, and slamming into her, showing no mercy, his free hand reaching around to rub her clit. Sharon fisted the sheets, white-knuckled, and rocked her hips back at Sören as hard as he gave it, whimpering, growling, making inhuman noises. "Yes yes yesyesyes fuck me Sören fuckmefuckmefuckMEEEEEE-"
A few minutes later Sharon came hard, shrieking like a banshee, and Sören came hard too, feeling like the entire universe was exploding out of him as he came inside her. When Sharon rose up, with Sören still in her, his chest to her back, she tilted her face and they took a moment to kiss, and Sören wrapped his arms around her tight, never wanting to let go.
They lay back on the bed and tangled up together, coming down from their climax. Sören was dazed, and not just from the orgasm.
He finally let himself say it. "I love you." His eyes misted.
"I love you too," Sharon husked, petting him. She kissed him again.
"Jesus." Sören was getting more obviously choked up, and Sharon tenderly kissed his tears. "I'm sorry -"
"No need to be sorry. I love your sensitivity." Sharon rubbed his curls.
"I don't want you to think I'm getting, like, hung up..."
"I know you have a boyfriend, Sören. We love each other, we're catching feelings, but we're... friends with benefits. We have something good. I know you get it."
"I do. I'm not asking for marriage or children or anything."
Then Snúður hopped up on the bed with a "prrrp?" - he'd brought Sharon a toy mouse - and they gave the cat skritches before Sharon tossed the mouse, for Snúður to play fetch. "You have this kid."
"Jæja, I guess I do." Sören gave a throaty chuckle. "Watch, I'll end up with a bunch of cats..."
Snúður came back with the mouse. Sören threw it this time.
Sharon kissed the tip of his nose. "If I talk to Frankie -"
"Which you totally should."
"She knows about you already, so, like. That shouldn't be an issue."
Sören nodded. "I hope not."
Sharon gave Sören a look. "You should talk to Nico."
Sören facepalmed. "I... no." Sören gave her a look in return. "Besides." Sören decided to tell someone, somewhere. "Shit is already complicated enough."
"How can it be complicated with two people?"
"There's someone else I. Ah. Kind of like."
"Oh really?" Sharon grinned. "Out with it, then..."
"You're gonna think I'm creepy -"
"What is it, Hells? One of the KISS dolls?" A wicked look. "All of the above?"
Sören had told her the story of Hells's name on the ride back from dinner. Sören gigglesnorted, then shook his head and said, "My teaching assistant, Karen."
"Oh! Well, I mean... are you violating any rules..."
"No. I would if she was a student, I can't date students, nor would I want to. I mean, I do have some hesitation with us working so closely together because I don't want her to feel sexually harassed, don't want to create a hostile work environment..."
"If you ask politely, tell her it's OK to say no, and explain you don't want things to be awkward if she does..." Sharon shrugged. "Might be worth a shot."
"I don't know." Sören rubbed his curls, rubbed his beard, made a face. "I'm really nervous."
Sharon smirked. "Hi Really Nervous, I'm Sharon."
Sören grabbed her nose and she grabbed his, and they laughed together, kissing.
At last Sharon sat up, then she climbed off the bed and went over to get the strap-on. Sören grinned as he watched her put it on. "You ready for a ride?"
Sören nodded enthusiastically. "I love going for rides."