Work Text:
“It’s a bad day.” Paul hit send on the text without giving himself time to question the decision. The oscillating fan weakly propelled stuffy air in his direction. He sighed. At least now he’d started this shitty conversation he didn’t want to have.
The read receipt let him know that Ted was following along in real time, message received. Paul groaned. He felt rushed. He keysmashed some random buttons without hitting send, hoping to buy himself some time by at least letting Ted see an ellipsis. How was he supposed to better articulate what he was trying to say…? He stared at the phone while his head throbbed.
To Ted’s credit, he waited ten minutes before calling. He could be very patient sometimes, and it was really fucking charming.
Paul dreaded the noise of the phone and the sound of his own voice, but he knew this would be the quickest way to get it over with. Hunched over, sitting cross-legged on the floor, Paul set his cell on the ground in front of him and jabbed at the speaker button.
“So ‘it’s a bad day’ like something happened? Or ‘it’s a bad day’ like it’s the rough brain headache fuckery giving you a hard time?” Ted could be very direct sometimes, and it was really fucking helpful.
“The second one.” Paul mumbled the words, grateful to be understood. “The heat.”
“Oh, gotcha. I’m sorry baby, that sucks.”
“Yeah.” Paul rested his head in his hands and squeezed the sweaty pressure in his skull.
“I’m still coming over.”
“Ted…”
“Paul.” It was his cut-the-crap, no-nonsense voice. “There’s no reason for you to do the Suffer In Silent Solitude bullshit. We were already planning on hanging out. I still wanna see you.”
“But it’s, I…” Paul pinched the bridge of his nose and screwed his eyes shut. “I’m in a terrible mood. I don’t want to accidentally be an asshole to you.”
“Yeah yeah yeah, big mean Paul.” Ted teased. “I’m so scared."
Paul couldn’t help but grin. “You should be.”
Ted chuckled, and Paul could perfectly picture the adorable, fond expression on his face. So when Ted asked “Are you just trying to spare me the horrible ordeal of being around you, or do you actually want some alone time?” Paul was powerless to resist, and he answered with the truth:
“I just want you.”
Thirty minutes later, Ted let himself in through the front door that had been left unlocked for him. Paul didn’t bother to get up from the spot where he was laying on the floor, flat on his back in the converging path of the fans placed on opposite sides of the living room. Without saying a word, Ted kicked off his shoes and flopped down to lay beside Paul.
For a while, the only sound was the hum of the fans.
“I hate this.” Paul grumbled.
“Yeah.”
“I’ve always hated this.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Fucking summer.” Just saying the word made Paul sneer. “I’ve always had, like, the opposite of seasonal affective whatever. Everybody else is miserable when it’s winter, cold short days, and they love this time of year. But I love those shorter darker days, you can wear real clothes with layers instead of just sweltering in sweaty tank tops all the time, and there’s interesting weather like rain instead of this, just, CONSTANT…” He rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes. “Too. Fucking. Bright. All the time. I’m losing my mind. Did you see it was light out until almost 10:30 last night?” Ted gave a hum of acknowledgement as Paul’s ranting picked up more steam. “Like I don’t know, it freaks out my lizard brain or something, it feels WRONG, the days aren’t supposed to be this LONG, it’s alarming and it’s too much and I’m exhausted. And none of these older buildings in this godforsaken town have air conditioning, and every year I tell myself I should break down and get a window AC unit, but I feel guilty about the environmental impact, and even if I didn’t- I can’t STAND how much noise those fucking things make, I can barely handle the buzzing of the goddamn fans, I hate how NOISY everything is in the summer, and even if I put up with all that and this was an air conditioned little paradise prison, then the best case scenario is just for it to be freezing inside but then a huge shock-to-the-system temperature change outside, I mean that’s what it’s like going in and out of the office, just back and forth between either stifling hot or freezing cold it gives me a headache and like a low-level sore throat for two straight months, and I hate smelling like sunscreen, and I hate having that little ridge on my nose from wearing sunglasses, and this morning was the first time of the season that I woke up with those fucking irritating little like heat rash bumps on my wrists and they always go away really quickly and it’s not even like they hurt I mean it’s fine everything is FINE I know it’s not actually a big deal, it’s just all these little things that happen to my body and I just feel gross and wrong and everything gets under my skin and everything under my skin is failing and overwhelmed and I’m losing my goddamn mind and I just…” He scratched the chewed nubs of his fingernails through the damp roots of his sweaty hair. “I hate this.”
“Yeah.”
For a while, the only sound was the hum of the fans.
Ted got up with a grunt, stretching and popping his joints as he lumbered off towards the kitchen. Paul heard the opening of the refrigerator, the pouring of two glasses of water, the churn of the faucet refilling the pitcher before the clunk of it being placed back on its designated shelf next to the butter. The sounds were soothing. Small, familiar gestures. Ted knowing where things belonged in Paul’s kitchen. Paul recognizing this practical way that Ted liked to take care of him.
“Come on.” Ted was standing over him, waiting. Paul groaned as he hauled himself up into a seated position and leaned his back against the couch. Ted sat down across from him and handed over one of the cups. They clinked their glasses together in a half-hearted little cheers on the floor.
After forcing himself to take several gulps, Paul put his water aside and dipped his fingertips into it. He sighed as he rubbed the moisture against his temples. “Thank you.” There was no response. Paul blinked, taking a good look at Ted for the first time since his arrival.
With his long legs stretched out in front of him, casually leaning back on his wiry arms, Ted looked like an advertisement for summer chic. A pair of aviator shades was propped up on top of his head, reflecting light in his thick dark hair. Nearly half the buttons were unfastened on his loud Hawaiian shirt, dark chest hair standing out against his sun-kissed skin. And the shorts. No particular pattern or anything, just some lightweight breathable kind of khaki material. But from this angle they were showcasing Ted’s thighs just right. And on top of all that, he had That Look on his face. The fond gaze that always distracted Paul, shimmering hazel eyes he just wanted to get lost in…
“GODDAMMIT.” Paul huffed. “I really wanna fuck you.”
Ted’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “Well… I think that can be arranged.”
“No.” Raising his bent arms, Paul grasped his hands behind his head and squeezed his fingers to try to get some of the frustrated energy out of his body. “It’s way too hot, I’m already losing my mind, everything is so uncomfortable. All I want is to have you on top of me, but also the last thing I want is to have you on top of me. You’re too hot.”
“I like to think I’m just the right amount of hot.” Ted smirked. “An approachable level of hot. An attainable quantity of hot.”
It took Paul’s lethargic brain a moment to realize how his phrasing had set up Ted’s joke. He let out a weary laugh as soon as he caught on, and then he heaved an exhausted sigh. “You know what I mean. But also, yeah now that you mention it- In addition to being too high of a body temperature for my senses to handle, you are absolutely also too attractive right now. You look like a hot sexy person who actually belongs in hot sexy summer, and I just look like a depressed gym rat.” He hadn’t had the energy to work out today, but he was still wearing the threadbare old tank top and running shorts that he’d thrown on this morning when he was still feeling optimistic about that goal.
He leaned his head back into his hands, shutting his eyes with a pained grimace. “And I’ve just been complaining about everything since you got here, and I feel fucking disgusting but showers are even more stressful than usual when the air feels so goddamn soupy like this but I know I also need to shower cuz I’m sweaty, so basically yeah I couldn’t possibly be less sexy right n-“
The words were swallowed up as Ted leaned in. His kiss was insistent, pressing Paul back into the couch. But he was also deliberate- As Paul’s eyes snapped open, he realized that Ted had kneeled in front of him and was leaning in carefully so that their lips were the only parts of their bodies that were touching. His hands were braced on the couch cushions, spreading his arms wide across Paul’s field of vision. Blocking out the overwhelming brightness of the day.
Paul melted, moaning into Ted as he yearned for more. He longed to bury his hands in that wild hair, to tug at that shirt until the buttons popped open… But as much as he hated to admit it, he was already suffocating. This was exactly what he wanted, but he couldn’t handle it. The heat generated by their bodies was pulsing between them, Ted’s intensity rolling off of him in waves. Their lips were a blazing point of contact, and before long Paul was whining in frustration, unable to handle any more.
Ted pulled back. Panting. Looming over Paul. “You are a hot sexy person. You look like a hot sexy person.” His tone of voice was still light, but he was absolutely devouring Paul’s body with his eyes. As that hungry gaze wandered from his exposed triceps to his bare thighs to his heaving chest, Paul experienced a fleeting moment of seeing himself from Ted’s point of view. And it was impossible to deny the fact that Ted clearly liked what he saw.
Paul gulped. He released the fingers he’d been grasping behind his head, starting to reach towards Ted, determined to push through the sensory overload…
“No.” Ted corrected him gently. ”Your hands stay behind your head.” Paul’s knuckles bonked into the back of his skull as he rushed to obey.
“That’s it.” Ted purred. “That feels good to just do what your told, doesn’t it?” Paul nodded, hypnotized. “Have you been thinking too hard? Is it time to turn off your brain for a while?” With each question, Ted leaned closer and closer. Whispering into the side of Paul’s neck. Ghosting his lips right over the surface of Paul’s quivering skin. Scorching closeness, but not quite touching. “I’ve got a plan for you,” he murmured. “I’m gonna help you feel better. I’m gonna make you feel good. All you need to do is listen to me. How does that sound?” Pulling back a bit, Ted made deliberate eye contact. “Are you gonna be a good boy?”
A broken, stuttering groan tumbled out of Paul as he lurched forward to bring their lips together. “Please yes, Ted god please, yes…” He desperately gasped out the words between kisses, lightheaded from the rush and eager for more. “I’ll be good for you, whatever you want please, Ted god THANK YOU this is exactly what I want, please yes I wanna listen to you yes!”
“Okay okay, okay!” Ted chuckled. He carefully reached behind Paul’s head to take his hands. Interlacing their fingers, he pinned Paul’s palms down by pressing them into the couch cushions. After one more quick peck on the lips, Ted straightened his arms and pushed himself back to put some distance between them. But the pressure on Paul’s hands remained steady and reassuring. “Breathe for me, baby.” Ted’s words made Paul realize that his head was spinning. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to focus on slowly inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth several times. “Can you drink some more water for me?” Paul answered with a nod.
Ted released his hands after one more comforting squeeze, and then Paul felt his fingers being wrapped around the cool glass. He was suddenly incredibly thirsty, polishing off the rest of the water in two seconds and then taking several additional gulps when Ted handed over his own cup. He sat there catching his breath for a moment, and then felt himself blushing as he giggled. He mostly kept his focus on the water in his hands, but smiled shyly as he briefly looked up at Ted through his lashes. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” Ted looked ridiculously smug. “You good?”
“I’m really good.” Paul sighed. “You really know how to help me feel better.”
The amused expression on Ted’s face softened just a bit. “Feels good. Helping you feel better.”
For a moment, they simply sat on the floor gazing at each other.
Paul cleared his throat, trying to get the butterflies in his stomach to calm down. “No pressure, of course. If that was just some spontaneous dirty talk and you’re not actually in the mood.”
Ted scoffed. “Babe. Come on. Who’s got two thumbs and is always in the mood?” He waggled his eyebrows as he pointed at himself by jabbing both thumbs towards his chest. “This guy.” Paul rolled his eyes, grinning as Ted continued. “And I do have kind of a game plan in mind if you’re up for surprises, if you wanna just turn off your brain and lemme try some stuff. Or is there anything specific you want on the agenda?”
“I would love to just turn off my brain and let you do whatever you wanna do.” Paul rested his hand on Ted’s knee, then immediately winced at the blazing temperature of their combined body heat. “Ugh… Sorry in advance if I get distracted sometimes by these moments with the goddamn heat. I’m really uncomfortable, and it’s really fucking with my head, but I wanna push through it. I wanna be close to you, my stupid brain just doesn’t wanna be close to you.”
“We’ll make it work.” Ted assured him. “And if you need a break or you’re just not feeling it, we can stop any time.”
“Totally,” Paul agreed. “I’ll safe word if I need to, I’ll tell you.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
For a moment, they simply sat on the floor gazing at each other.
It was Ted who broke the spell this time, hopping to his feet and reaching down to grab Paul’s hands. “Step one is gonna be your least favorite, but you’re gonna hear me out.” Paul was confused, but allowed Ted to hoist him up and lead him down the hall. When they passed the bedroom and entered the bathroom instead, Paul frowned.
“This isn’t gonna be a regular shower that stresses you out.” Ted insisted. “Cuz you’re not rushing to get ready to go anywhere, and you don’t have to put clothes on your damp skin afterwards, and you’re not gonna feel guilty about sea turtles or whatever cuz you’re not singlehandedly destroying the planet with your water consumption.”
Paul gave an exaggerated pout. “How am I supposed to keep being cranky if you keep anticipating all the arguments I’m gonna make?”
Ted’s only response was to wink. He reached over and turned on the faucet, filling the small space with the echoing rush of the water. Paul stripped as he watched Ted adjusting the knob, dipping his hands into the stream of the shower to test the temperature. By the time he turned around, Paul had deposited his clothes in the hamper and was leaning back against the wall.
Ted froze, drinking in the sight from the other side of the room. Paul only blushed a little bit. Ted snapped out of it quickly, checking the water one more time before walking over. He cupped Paul’s face in his hands, and the moisture on his skin was refreshingly cool. “Your only job with this shower is to relax. Keep the temperature nice and low. Take your time. I’m gonna get a few things organized, then I’ll be waiting in the bedroom when you’re ready.” He stroked his thumbs across Paul’s cheeks. Paul sighed out a huge breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding.
If he had to guess, he’d probably estimate that he spent about thirty minutes under the brisk, pounding patter of the shower head. He scrubbed the sweat off his skin. He turned the temperature low enough to give himself goosebumps. He relished the cedar scent as he rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. He knew that Ted liked the aroma, and he smiled to himself as he anticipated the reaction.
He ended with a mini cold plunge, cranking the hot water all the way off and gasping under the freezing blast. Once he finally turned everything off and stood there catching his breath, he shivered in the silence. His head was still throbbing. Everything was still too loud, too bright, too much. But it did feel good to exert some control over the cause. It was almost a comfort. What a relief to choose when to overwhelm his own system, instead of waiting for the sensory overload to catch him unaware.
After he toweled off and exited the bathroom, he found that the blinds had been closed on all the windows. He sighed. It usually depressed him to block out the light during the day. It was upsetting in a primal way, yet another factor that set his lizard brain on high alert with that uncanny sense of this doesn’t feel right. But of course, getting rid of the sunlight also meant keeping some of the heat out. The darkened space was already cooling down a bit, and the dimness was a lot easier on Paul’s tired eyes. He was glad that Ted made the executive decision to shut the blinds while Paul wasn’t in the room to be stubborn about it.
“What’s cooking, good looking?” Ted was leaning against the bedroom doorframe, long limbs backlit by the soft glow of the lamps. He had stripped down to his underwear, the elegant lines of his skin only interrupted by the dark boxer-briefs that sat low on his hips.
Paul short-circuited at the sight, flooded with a dozen impulses at once. He wanted to kiss and taste and grab, he wanted to bend over backwards and sink to his knees and climb Ted like a tree. He wanted so many things, so urgently, so suddenly… He ended up stuck there simply blinking for a second, incapacitated. As soon as his shuffling feet received the message from his horny, sluggish brain, he stumbled into Ted’s arms and held on tight.
“Ooh, so eager…” Ted’s low laugh rumbled deep in the back of his throat. “It’s okay baby, I’ve got you. I’m gonna take good care of you.” As Paul whimpered and peppered kisses all over every inch of skin he could reach, Ted gently guided them across the floor. Before long, Paul felt the back of his legs bump into the bed. Then Ted spun him around by the shoulders and gave him a gentle shove. Bent forward at the waist, Paul’s upper body bounced into the mattress. But only for a moment. Only until Ted bent over to press his chest into Paul’s back.
“YES, fuck, Ted green green green yes please…!” Paul’s desperate whine was muffled against the sheets.
“Yeah, I thought you’d like that.” Ted dragged his teeth against Paul’s shoulders. He scratched his nails down Paul’s sides. He leaned forward until Paul was trapped under his weight, pinned to the bed, squirming beneath him. “You’d be satisfied with this. I could just fuck you into the mattress for a while, and that’d be good enough for you.” He was grinding into Paul’s bare backside the entire time he spoke, and Paul could hardly breathe.
“But that’s not what I wanna do.” Ted’s words made Paul slam his fists into the bed, frustrated and petulant. Ted held his wrists down to prevent any further bad behavior. “There’s no rush. We’ve got plenty of time…” Ted emphasized the point by rolling his hips against Paul’s ass at an excruciatingly deliberate, unhurried pace. “And I think you need to slow down a bit. We’ve gotta cool you down. Wouldn’t want you getting overheated.”
It was absolutely true that Paul’s internal temperature had skyrocketed. The memory of his shivery shower seemed like something from a different lifetime. All he could feel now was Ted’s fiery breath, Ted’s burning embrace, the suffocating weight of Ted’s scorching body surrounding every part of him. It was utterly overwhelming, it was almost unbearable. But Paul was more than willing to withstand the heat, because the only thing worse than the heat was the need.
So it was very difficult to listen when Ted announced that they’d be switching gears. Paul took a deep breath. He clenched and unclenched his fists. He nodded.
“Yeah?” Ted asked. “Are you gonna be good for me? Lemme hear you say it.”
Doing his best to process the request, Paul struggled to push through the feeling of his brain boiling in his skull. “I, fuck, Ted… I, I’m gonna be g-good. Wanna b-be good for you.”
“Good boy.” The praise made Paul moan immediately, so Ted kept it up. “Yeah, that’s right. You’re my good boy Paul, so good for me.” He dragged his hands up Paul’s arms, pressing down into his shoulders to hold him in place as Paul attempted to buck back against Ted’s body. “Now we’re gonna talk through just a couple things I need you to do for me.” Grabbing a fistful of damp hair, Ted gently tugged Paul’s head up in the direction he wanted him to look. “See the towel?”
Blinking, distracted by the aching pleasure radiating from his scalp, Paul finally realized that a towel had been laid out in the center of the bed. He nodded weakly.
“On your back.” As he stepped back to release Paul, he punctuated the command with a swift slap on the ass. Paul’s sharp cry of surprised pleasure did not deter Ted’s focus. “Come on, baby. You can do it.”
Scrambling on shaky limbs, Paul pulled himself forward and flopped onto the towel. Once he’d rolled over onto his back, he saw Ted standing with his hands on his hips as if he were overseeing a worksite. “Good. Now reach up over your head, you’re gonna grab whichever bars you’re most comfortable holding onto for a while.” Paul lifted his trembling hands, stretching out to angle his arms away from his head. He kept his eyes on Ted as he fastened his fingers around the black metal bars of the headboard. “There you go.” Ted nodded in approval as he knelt on the mattress. “You’re allowed to move your hands any time. But I think you’re gonna want something to hold on to.”
Ted crawled forward until he was hovering over Paul. Hands and knees on either side of Paul’s body. Close, but not quite touching. He leaned in for a kiss that became a perfect moment of transition- Paul was desperate at first, whimpering into the contact and writhing on the towel. But as Ted continued to provide that steady, reassuring pressure against his lips, Paul felt his frantic heartbeat gradually slowing down. By the time Ted pulled back just enough to rest their foreheads against each other, Paul was able to force himself to take some deep, calming breaths.
It was exactly what Paul needed. Ted seemed to be developing an uncanny sense of knowing exactly what Paul needed. Even when Paul didn't know himself.
"You're doing really well." Ted's voice was as rich and smooth as honey.
"I... Ted." Paul sighed as Ted leaned back to watch and listen. "Thank you. For everything today. For coming over. You're really helping me feel better."
Ted beamed, bursting with pride. He looked so fucking gorgeous, and it was so fucking gratifying to have played a role in making him that happy, and Paul suddenly felt overwhelmed by just the sheer improbability of fucking compatibility, what an incredible thing that two people could have such complementary desires and connect with each other in spite of the random chaos of their separate lives, and ugh yep now his vision was blurring and the back of his nose was burning.
"Shit." Paul rolled his eyes at himself, grunting out a self-deprecating groan as the tears spilled over the brim. "Sorry. I'm fine, it's just been like that all week. Drop of a hat."
Ted's only response was to lean in. A kiss first on one wet cheek, then the other. His mustache tickled against Paul's skin. "I'd give you a hug, but..." He smirked as he leaned back. "I've been told that I'm simply too hot."
The laugh that bubbled up out of Paul sounded light and bouncy in his own ears. "Simply too hot," he agreed. "I appreciate the offer, but yeah I would definitely pass out from your body heat right now."
"Well then... Let's try to get you cooled down, shall we?"
Paul cocked his head, curious. Ted slithered off the bed, strutting over to the door with cocky self assurance. Before exiting the room, he glanced back over his shoulder. "Close your eyes."
Paul gladly obeyed. He focused on his breathing as the footsteps padded down the hallway. In the silence of the room, he gradually became aware of a buzzing sound. Ted must have placed two of the oscillating fans on opposite sides of the room to point directly at the bed; the soft whoosh of the airstreams tickled over Paul's skin as they moved from side to side.
The footsteps came closer and closer again, then once Ted re-entered the room there was only stillness. It was obvious that he was simply standing in place near the bedroom door. Looking. Paul could feel his gaze. He struggled not to squirm.
There was a clink, a clunk, a few things being placed on the bedside table. The mattress dipped with Ted's weight as he seated himself between his assortment of mystery items and Paul's naked body. Another moment of stillness. Silence. The maddening impatience, but no option except to wait. Paul's arms flexed as he squeezed at the bars of the headboard. Ted let out a dark, delicious little chuckle.
"Take a deep breath for me."
Hearing the command made Paul realize that all of his muscles were tensed in anticipation. He released the breath that he'd been holding, then forced himself to inhale slowly through his nose.
"Good. One more just like that, big breath." Ted's voice was angled towards the nightstand, facing whatever he'd brought. Paul felt his heartbeat picking up speed in his chest. In the same moment as he whooshed the last bit of air out of his lungs, he felt Ted leaning over him. Then he could do nothing but gasp.
Chilled, weighted darkness pressed in against Paul's eyes. The removal of the light was bliss; even with his eyes closed, the glare of the lamps against his lids had still been making his head throb. But now the cold compress was serving as a blindfold, freeing Paul from the burden of any visual stimuli. And the weight of it was such a solid presence, layers of a washcloth folded over several times, heavy and damp and bracing. The relief was immediate and profound, a gasp of surprise followed immediately by a sigh of pleasure. “OH, omigod, fuuuuuuck…”
“Yeah?” Ted's touch was gentle, smoothing the edges of the washcloth against Paul’s cheekbones.
“YEAH. That feels so fucking good, god, Ted thank you thank you so much, fuck…”
“Good. And there’s another one waiting in the fridge, so I can switch em out if this one warms up too quickly.”
“holyshitpleasekissme!” Paul couldn’t control the desperate babbling that rushed out of his mouth; Ted had activated the part of his brain that found practical, attentive preparation to be absurdly sexy. “That’s fucking amazing, you’re so fucking amazing, please I need you to kiss me so fucking bad…!”
He was so caught up in his begging that he almost didn’t register the clinking sound, something being picked up off the nightstand and then put back down. But as soon as their lips met, the context clues clunked into place: Ted must have just sipped from a glass of ice water, because his mouth was absolutely freezing. Paul moaned into the kiss, and Ted took the opportunity to insert his tongue. The icy intrusion made Paul shiver with delight.
As the cold began to fade, Ted pulled away and leaned back towards the bedside table. Paul immediately began to mutter “Green green green, that’s so good…” Before he knew it, he was also giggling hysterically. “God, you’re so fucking FUN!”
He could hear the smile on Ted’s lips. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
The kisses traveled lower this time. Frost that ghosted over Paul’s jawline. Chill that teased at Paul’s neck. He shuddered and twitched, nearly losing his mind when a frigid bite mark was forced into his shoulder. Even Ted’s teeth were cold.
“You’re doing so good for me baby, good boy…” The praise made Paul feel lightheaded, struggling to keep up as Ted leaned away again. “You keep holding tight to that headboard for me, okay?” Paul nodded as he squeezed at the bars, eager to please and hungry for more. He didn’t have the bandwidth to wonder what would happen next; this moment of yearning was all that existed. But as soon as the next sensation hit him, he realized he should have seen it coming.
Revisiting the throbbing bite mark he’d just left on Paul’s shoulder, Ted soothed over the spot with an ice cube held between his front teeth.
“HOLY FU-“ Paul barely managed to stifle a scream. Instead, he squeaked out “green!” as many times as he could. He was incapable of stringing together any other words, but he needed to express how badly he wanted this. He didn’t want this to end.
Bending forward, Ted dragged the ice all over Paul’s body. He moved at a steady pace for the most part, leaving behind a dripping trail of goosebumps. But that just meant it was impossible to anticipate when he would linger. The first instance was Paul’s forearm, right below the big blue veins in the crook of his elbow. It was probably only a few seconds, but the searing burn of the cold felt like it would last forever. Paul became overwhelmed by the pounding of his pulse, his blood laced with ice and circulating throughout his body with a glacial thrum. He wanted the sensation to last forever, but he also needed it to end, it was exquisite and too much in the best possible way. He panted and whined and did his best to withstand the onslaught, but he was only an instant away from needing to cry out yellow… And then Ted moved on, skimming his tantalizing torture on towards Paul’s wrist, then repeating the sadistic routine on the other arm. Refilling his mouth with a fresh ice cube a couple of times, he repeated the pattern again and again, tracing along at an unhurried speed and then occasionally stopping in one spot for almost too long. Paul squeezed his eyes shut under the cold compress, struggling to maintain his sanity each time the biting numbness was held against his nipple… His navel… His inner thigh…
“PLEASE!” He finally grunted out the word through clenched teeth when he couldn’t take anymore. “Ted, please god pleeeeease I need, NEED, please Ted!”
“Oh I’m sorry, do you need something? I can’t really tell.”
“You smug son of a bitch!” Paul huffed. “Fucking please, I’m begging you!”
“Hmm…” Ted was seated on the bed between Paul’s parted legs. As he spoke, he held the melting remains of a cube between his fingers. Little touches that lingered against Paul’s thighs. Toying with the ice. Toying with Paul. "I guess you are begging me, and I do appreciate that. I’ll even admit that it’s really cute when you get impatient. Acting out like a little brat.” A sharp pinch from freezing fingertips made Paul yelp unexpectedly. “But I can’t really tell what you’re begging me for. ‘Please’ what?”
“Uuuggghhhh!” Groaning in frustration, Paul attempted to articulate, something, anything. “I, just… MORE! You! I, Ted…!” This was always the hardest part. Ted making Paul say what he wanted, despite Paul feeling so crazed that he barely had two braincells to rub together. The idea of assessing his desires in order to specify something he wanted felt absolutely impossible. So Paul tried to cheat a bit by simply blurting out the first thing that popped into his head: “Fuck me!”
“Oh, is that what you want?” Paul nodded. “Hmm…” Ted crunched down on the ice cube he’d been holding, munching thoughtfully. “I could do that. Maybe I could take my time, stretch you open first.” Dragging his frigid fingertips to the apex of the thighs, he parted Paul’s lips just enough to tease at his entrance. “Or maybe I could shove my cock into you with no warning, just take a second to get you wet really quick.” Paul didn’t even hear the sound of Ted spitting; he just felt the glob of saliva land on his clit. His back arched as the drool trickled lower and lower. It was fucking cold.
“Then again…” Ted smeared the moisture up and down, stroking the outside of Paul’s pussy. “I don’t know if that’s what you really want.” Paul whimpered and whined, grinding against Ted’s hand and trembling from the temperature. “You obviously wanna get fucked. You’re so. Fucking. Desperate for it.” Paul pushed against the headboard, trying to get better leverage. Ted wrapped his free hand around Paul’s hip to hold him in place, and Paul cried out at how blazingly hot that grip was now that his skin had cooled down. “And I think you’ve earned it, baby. I think you’ve been a good boy.” Paul felt Ted’s thumb against his clit… A broken moan stuttered out of his mouth as he rocked back and forth as hard as he could… He was so close…
“I’ll fuck you. But we’re gonna try something different.” And with that, Ted removed both hands and scooted backwards off the bed.
A wretched sob ripped its way out of Paul’s throat. He clung to the headboard, he dug his heels into the mattress, he bucked his hips wildly. His entire body had an involuntary reaction, frustration coursing through his veins in response to his ruined orgasm. After a moment he realized he was still grinding into the empty air, pathetically rutting at nothing in his search for relief. He groaned, defeated, letting his weight sink into the bed. A bead of moisture trickled down his cheekbone towards his ear. He couldn’t tell if he was crying or if it was just a drop of water from the washcloth.
As the high of the adrenaline fizzled to a low simmer, he became aware of the stillness in the room again. He could tell he was being watched. He relished the exhibitionism for a moment, tilting his head back to expose his throat, flexing the muscles of his torso as he stretched. He grinned. “Holy shit. Green.”
Ted’s merry little chuckle came from the foot of the bed. He must have been standing there just enjoying the show this whole time. His footsteps came closer. His weight sank into the mattress as he sat down next to Paul. “You should see yourself…” One hand came up to cup Paul’s cheek. “Fucking incredible.” His kiss was gentle. Paul sighed against his lips.
After placing his fingers against the compress to test the temperature, Ted offered “I can go get the other one from the fridge if you want?”
“I mean… Selfishly, yes, I would love that. But this has already helped me feel a lot better. We can take a break or do something for you if you want?”
“Babe.” Ted scoffed. “This is the opposite of you being selfish. I’m having a hell of a time.” He brushed his fingers up and down Paul’s arm. It was a gesture he did all the time, but now he was using a lighter touch than he usually did. Still taking care not to get too close with too much body heat. “I’m totally still into this if you are.”
Paul beamed. “I’m totally still into this.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll run to the fridge and be right back. Do you need some water or anything?” Ted asked.
“No thanks. I’m already gonna need to pee soon, so unless you’ve got a piss kink I don’t know about…”
“Hey now.” Ted’s flirtatious wink was evident in his tone of voice. “Don’t go trying to guess spoilers for the second act.” Paul cackled.
Once Ted returned from the kitchen, he gingerly removed the room-temperature washcloth and replaced it with the new one from the fridge. Paul kept his eyes closed, wincing at the brief glare of the lamplight against his lids. He shivered as the new cold compress sank into his skin. The sensation also caused his hips to twitch, and Ted couldn’t resist the opportunity to comment “Ooh, someone’s feeling eager.”
“You have no idea.” Paul smirked.
“Oh really?”
“Ted…” Immediately losing any sense of sassy self-control, Paul heard his voice already slipping into a whimpering plea. “I need to come for you. The denial was really fun, but now you’ve got me so fucking sensitive, please, please I’m losing my mind.”
“Well… I am tempted to just watch you squirm like this for a while…” Ted laughed when Paul squeaked out a tremulous whine of objection. “But I suppose you’ve had enough teasing for one day. Let’s get to the main event.”
Paul breathed out a sigh of relief as Ted settled between his parted legs again. He had no idea what would happen next, but he was at least glad to hear that another extended torture session might not be on the agenda.
So he was completely unprepared for what happened next.
It wasn’t just the fact that there was no warning. It wasn’t just the fact that Ted immediately started to stroke his pussy. It was the lube on his fingers. The slickness instantly coated Paul’s folds and made him long to be filled, the sensation made him feel soaked and slutty and desperate, and also holy shit it was freezing fucking cold.
The compress almost fell off of his face as a result of how violently he arched his back and threw back his head. He was unable to speak, but Ted understood the question behind his choked gasping sounds.
“So I Googled a few things while you were in the shower.” Ted’s tone was casual and detached, and it made Paul’s head spin. “Apparently it’s not a good idea to store lube in a cold place longterm, cuz that could break down the chemicals and shit. But tossing it in the freezer for an hour or so before you wanna use it? Seems to yield pretty good results.” He tapped his fingers against Paul at a maddening pace, lightly spanking his pussy. With his other hand, he squirted another dollop of the chilled lube right onto Paul’s clit. “What do you think?”
It took a moment to register the fact that he’d been asked a question, but then he nodded fervently as he strained to catch his breath.
“Well I’m glad you like it,” Ted cooed. “Cuz there was one other topic I learned about that I thought you might also enjoy.”
The fingers disappeared, and Paul let out a harsh cry as they were replaced with something else. He blinked underneath his makeshift blindfold, struggling to figure out what the hell was happening… Cold, that was the first thing his brain latched onto. Exquisite, piercing, so-much-it’s-almost-painful cold. Something was being held up against him, teasing at his entrance, and it was just as cold as the ice cubes had been. But it was too big to be an ice cube? And it was the wrong shape, there was kind of a pointed end…?
The answer came to him suddenly, and Paul’s jaw dropped. “Ted Spankoffski. Did you put one of my vibrators in the freezer?”
“That was the idea. Innovation that excites, amirite?”
Paul let out a shrill, tittering laugh. Now that he understood what was going on, he was able to identify which toy he was about to get fucked with: Based on the curved end and the texture of the silicone, it was definitely his g-spot stimulator. It was the most simple, straightforward toy in his collection; just six inches of vibration for the times when he wanted to hone in on that one area. On the one hand, Paul appreciated the fact that Ted had known to avoid the more complicated options for this first time the two of them were experimenting with this type of scenario. And he was definitely glad it wasn’t one of the toys that involved any clit stimulation, because he wouldn’t be able to handle this kind of concentrated attention on that part of his body. But on the other hand, none of the temperature play he’d done before had ever targeted his g-spot. He had no idea whether this was gonna feel really fucking good or really fucking nope-yikes-that’s too-much-get-it-out-of-me-right-now. He grinned. He couldn’t wait to find out.
In the instant it took him to process those thoughts, Ted had turned the vibration on to the lowest setting. Paul moaned wantonly as the toy was traced along his folds, up and down, occasionally grazing against his clit with startling intensity. “That was an interesting Google search too.” Ted might as well have been talking about the weather, he was so politely impersonal and he transformed Paul into a twitching writhing mess. “Just like with the lube, it’s a bad idea to store toys in the fridge longterm cuz it can wear down the material and cause condensation and shit. But for toys that are safe to submerge under water, it’s totally fine to just let them chill in ice water for a while before play time. And I remember you saying this was one of your favorite toys to use in the bath, so…”
“GOD!” Paul jumped with a jolt as the frigid tip of the toy started to barely press into his hole. “You’re so fucking cute, I can’t believe, how did you remember I said that like one time a month ago or something, fuck that’s really, HA,” he knew he was babbling, but he was too distracted to edit himself. “What does that say about me that, like, that’s super romantic to me. Fuck flowers, fuck dates, romance is taking notes about the sex toy collection.”
“Sounds to me like you’ve got your priorities in order, baby.” Ted’s voice was taking on a husky tone. When he hit the button twice to increase the vibration setting, a raspy groan rumbled out of his chest. “Fuck Paul, look at you… Your cunt stretches so well, you’re taking it so good.” He pushed in just a bit, a shallow start to fucking Paul with the first couple inches of the toy.
“Ted…” Paul lost the ability to form any other coherent thoughts. All he could process was the trembling from the cold, and the cold moving deeper, and the heat of his body rising up to meet it. He automatically started to rock back and forth, pushing against the head board in sync with the pace of Ted’s thrusts. For a while, the only sounds in the room were their panting breaths and the squelching wetness.
The toy gradually moved a bit deeper, a bit deeper, and then Ted hit the vibration button one more time just as he firmly pushed at a slightly different angle to press the toy up into Paul’s body. It would have been impossible to stifle the scream. Paul’s hands involuntarily left the headboard and clapped down over his mouth, muffling the sound of his own voice. Everything he was feeling was almost too much. The punch of pressure in his core threatened to split him apart. The throbbing pulse of the chill inside of him was heightened by the contrast against his own body heat, fire and ice battling beneath his skin. Even his own voice threatened to overwhelm him, the wild sound buzzing in his skull. The only thing that made this pleasure bearable was the fact that it would surely end soon; it was too intense to be sustained for very long. Paul was rapidly approaching the end, and he longed for release even as he savored every second.
With his hands covering his mouth, the washcloth suddenly made him feel claustrophobic. He tossed aside the wet scrap of fabric and was instantly blinded by the light, just one more piece of overstimulation to heighten the moment even further. He blinked as he adjusted to the lamplight, and then his brain nearly exploded when his eyes landed on Ted.
The way Ted was watching Paul… He looked fucking ravenous. His gaze kept flicking from Paul’s covered mouth to Paul’s heaving chest to the toy between Paul’s legs, and he was practically drooling at every sight. But he was also still focused on the task at hand, keeping up the same consistent pace as he drove the vibrator into that sweet spot over and over again. He was completely ignoring his own erection, which was leaking a damp spot onto the tent in his underwear.
Paul was immediately struck with a craving that he did not question. “I want you to come on me.” Reaching down to place his own hand on the vibrator, Paul took over the rhythm. “I’ll get myself off, you get yourself off. I’m gonna come when you come on me. Please, Ted?”
The sound of Paul’s plea snapped Ted out of his stupor. He nodded dumbly, reaching down to pull his dick out over the waistband. As soon as he closed his fist around his cock, his eyes rolled back in his head. “Fuuuuuuck…”
“Yeah, you need it don’t you?” Paul settled into his new solo pace as he spoke, one hand working the toy and the other stroking his clit. “You’ve been taking such good care of me, I need you to take care of yourself now. Get yourself wet for me.”
He expected Ted to reach for the lube, but instead he simply dipped into the mess between Paul’s legs. Once his fingers were slick and he went back to stroking himself, the sound he made was absolutely obscene.
Paul felt like he might pass out. “Ted, Ted please… christ SHIT you look so good right now Ted, your fucking cock, I, I… umph!” Paul bit his bottom lip as he lost his voice for a moment, delirious and dizzy from pleasure.
“Are you gonna come for me, baby?” Ted growled. “I can last longer if you want me to, but if you’re ready then I’m ready.”
“Omigod please!” Just the thought made Paul feel so relieved he could cry. “Please come for me Ted, I need you all over me, I wanna come with you please please please give it to me!”
It was exactly what Ted needed to hear. A harsh, guttural cry erupted from him as he came, shooting out spurts of white. He kept his eyes open the whole time, watching his cum land all over Paul’s stomach and chest. Paul felt lightheaded from the heat of that gaze, the hot sticky load, the boiling pressure of vibration deep inside, and the next thing he knew he was toppling over the edge. It really felt like he was falling, or rather like he had been thrown over the side of a cliff, shot from a cannon and projected forcefully out into space. Stars exploded behind his eyes as static crackled in his ears, and the orgasm teetered dangerously close to that feeling of oh-no-this-high-is-too-much-and-the-crash-back-down-to-earth-is-really-gonna-fuck-me-up. Just as the shaky panic started to take hold, he felt hands on his waist, thumbs rubbing reassuring little circles into his hips. He groped blindly to wrap his hands around those arms, grateful for the tether, unsteady but holding on as he settled back into his body.
He kept his eyes closed for a long moment. Catching his breath. Listening as Ted did the same. His hands were still resting against the arms that he’d clung to, so he slowly brushed his fingers up and down the soft skin. As the pounding pulse in his ears started to slow down, he registered some of the words Ted was murmuring. “Goddamn Paul, that was fucking incredible… You did so good for me, you made me feel so good… So good for me, baby…”
It was getting easier to anticipate the fond expressions that would show up on Ted’s face, but sometimes it was still a bit overwhelming to actually see them directly. When Paul blinked his eyes open, his breath caught in his throat. There was such a warm, soft little smile staring back at him. It was a lot.
Ted seemed to feel like he’d been caught in the act; he quickly rearranged his features into a casual smirk. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” They gazed at each other for a second. “Thanks for holding me down.” Paul rested his hands on top of where Ted’s were still wrapped around his waist. “That was a big one to come down from. I felt like I was gonna float away.” Ted simply responded by picking up Paul’s hands and bringing them to his lips, placing a little kiss on the back of each knuckle. “Hmm…” Paul pretended to be deep in thought. “I also want to give you lots of little kisses, but I came too hard to ever consider moving again and you’re all the way over there…”
“Well do I have hugging privileges again, or am I still too hot?”
“You are, and will always be, too hot. But we’re both all gross and sweaty now anyway. Although I’m also covered in jizz, so I guess that’s a cuddle-at-your-own-risk consideration.”
Leaning in with a wicked grin, Ted licked a broad stripe up Paul’s stomach. Gladly joining in, Paul scooped his fingers across his chest and then brought them to his mouth. They made quick work of it, and Ted was soon sprawled across Paul’s chest and leaning in for a kiss. With quiet little moans, they licked at the remnants of cum in each other’s mouths. Then Ted rested all of his weight into Paul as they wrapped they arms around each other.
Paul sighed into the crook of Ted’s neck. “I like having you on top of me.”
Ted mumbled into Paul’s hair. “I like being on top of you.”
Their breathing synced up, chests rising and falling in unison. Ted inhaled deeply through his nose. “Your hair smells good. Is it that same shampoo or whatever, something with cedar?”
The butterflies in Paul’s stomach all started blushing at once. “Um, yeah. You can try it out too if you want, we can go take a shower in a bit. But weighted blanket time first.” He squeezed his arms tighter around the hug for emphasis. “We’re in no rush.”
“No rush.” Ted agreed.