Leon couldn’t put his finger on it, but it felt like there was something wrong with his boyfriend’s face.
“How are you feeling today?” James asked, sliding off his shoes and dropping his overnight bag next to them.
It wasn’t quite a weekend bag, since they hadn’t spent a full Friday through Sunday together yet, but Leon was hopeful they’d get there soon. Now that he’d officially met James’ mom, maybe Leon would be invited to their Saturday lunches, and they could trek back and forth between their places.
Not seeing James at work the past three days had made Leon realize he was perhaps more attached to James than he’d thought. It was in no way a bad thing. If anything, the fact that he could form meaningful connections like the one he had with James, and was building with Aspen and Noah, was a huge relief. He never wanted to be like his mam, drifting from one loser guy to another, never really finding love or value in other people. His string of failed relationships and surface-level friendships throughout his twenties had made him wonder if history was doomed to repeat itself, but he had never cared about anyone the way he cared about James.
Which was partially why James’ abnormally large grin was concerning him.
“I’m okay,” Leon said slowly. “I had a last-minute therapy session to talk about how this week went with the ADHD meds. I didn’t crash as badly yesterday, so Caden wants me to try for another week. After that, Yarmen and I napped for a while. How are you?”
“I’m good! I’m really happy to see you,” James said.
His grin softened a little around the edges, going from “I’d happily burn the world down and laugh about it” to “I’m considering burning the world down, would you like to join me on this epic adventure?”
Leon shook his head at his utterly unhelpful thoughts.
“I’m happy to see you, too,” he said, a little surprised when James crossed the short distance between them to give him another hug.
Leon would never say no to a James hug. Since they’d started having sex, James had gone from giving pretty good hugs to giving fucking phenomenal hugs. He pressed himself tightly against Leon, fitting himself to every curve and dip of Leon’s body. He didn’t try to distance their hips or groins anymore. As one of Leon’s least favorite middle school dance chaperones would have said, there was absolutelynoroom for Jesus between them.
Tonight, as James pressed his hips forward against Leon’s leg, there was a noticeable difference from their usual Friday night hugs.
Leon raised a skeptical eyebrow, and James grinned at him, grinding his packer-free crotch against Leon.
Oh my god. Was that what this was? Had James come over ready to play?
“Are you excited, my little mensch? Is that what your face is doing right now?”
James’ face scrunched up, and he took a step back to glare at Leon. “What do you mean, is that what my face is doing?”
Leon laughed and cupped James’ cheeks, smooshing them together until he yanked his head away.
“You have such a gorgeous smile, with your cute dimples and crooked tooth. I know that smile, even if it’s a bit rare–in the office, at least.”
On weekends and sometimes on late nights after work, James smiled plenty, but in the office and right after work, it took a lot to earn his smile.
“Okay…and?” James said in an exasperated tone.
“And whatever expression you were making when you got here was not your usual smile.” Leon tipped his head to the side and studied James. “So, I’m asking, are you excited right now? To spend the night together? And maybe…”
“Maybe what?” James asked, his tone a little less exasperated, a little more genuinely curious.
Leon cupped James’ crotch, and James immediately leaned into it, a soft breath escaping as a small curve returned to his lips.
“Maybe spend some sexy time together?” Leon said. “I noticed you’re not wearing your packer. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that has some significance?”
James bit his lip, but that grin kept trying to peek out. “It…wasn’t entirely intentional, but yes, I find it a lot easier to jump into things when I don’t have to deal with it.”
Leon was more than willing to jumprightinto things if that’s what James wanted tonight.
“Is that right, darlin’?” he purred, never tiring of the way James always reacted to the endearment.
“Yes, p-please,” James said, his breath hitching when Leon rubbed the heel of his hand over James’ crotch.
“You’re so sweet. My little mensch…always waiting patiently for things to heat up between us, but tonight…” Leon trailed off, unable to fully express what was going on in his head.
It was a distinct change in their dynamic, and it made Leon feel…a lot. He was definitely turned on, but more than that, he felt desirable and like they were taking the next step in their relationship. Typically, Leon would initiate things, either directly or with a kiss or touch. James would often escalate their encounters, but he wasn’t ever the one to start them. Tonight, he’d walked into Leon’s house, ready and excited to be with him.
