Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sam sat at the bar of the Stardrop Saloon alone, just like he did almost every night, casting longing glances over at the game room. It was Friday night, the night when he should be playing pool with Sebastian while Abigail ran commentary or played Prairie King. He hadn’t seen either of them since they’d been home for Winter Star several months ago. Abigail was off living the adventure of her dreams with her new girlfriend, and Sebastian was settled into an apartment in ZuZu City. Both of them had gotten exactly what they wanted out of life. Meanwhile Sam was about to turn 30, still here in this tiny, middle of nowhere town, doing absolutely nothing with his life. He drained the rest of his beer at the thought, motioning for Gus to bring him another when his phone buzzed twice in quick succession. He pulled it out, sighing softly when he saw it was from Sebastian.

Sebastian: Hey, dude. Hope you’re okay. Wanted to remind you that my offer still stands.

Sebastian: Getting out of P Town really helped me. I think it could help you too.

Sam closed his eyes, trying to drive away the dull ache in his head. He didn’t want to have this conversation again. Before Sebastian had even moved, he wanted Sam to come live in the city with him. It had been a childhood dream that had grown with Sebastian into adulthood. But they weren’t children anymore. Sam couldn’t spend his days goofing around with his best friend, no matter how much he might have wanted to. He had responsibilities that he couldn’t get out of. Sebastian couldn’t seem to understand that.

Sam: Thanks. You know I can’t leave my mom though. She needs me.

It was his usual excuse, one that he’d given Sebastian time and time again. Sam’s dad had taken yet another tour. Kent had told them it was because it was what was best for their country, that he had an obligation to protect and serve, but Sam was fairly certain he just liked his life better without them. Sometimes, in his worser moments, he imagined his dad living a second life, with another family he actually adored. The thought didn’t even make him angry anymore. Kent was basically a stranger to him by this point. What he did or didn’t do with his life wasn’t of any concern to Sam.

The only good thing his father had ever done was give them Vincent. Sam loved that little dude more than he loved anything or anyone in his entire life. Not that Vincent was really little anymore. He was just starting high school at a very elite, very expensive boarding school outside of Grampleton, and he was excelling. Vincent had managed to get a scholarship, but it wasn’t enough to completely cover the costs of tuition and the room and board. Sam had to take more shifts at the JoJa Mart to help cover the extra costs. Even though he hated his job, it was worth it. Anything to make sure that Vincent had a good life ahead of him. Sam couldn’t stand the thought of him being stuck here like he was.

Sebastian: Whatever. Let me know if you change your mind.

Sam grunted in response to the message, completely aware that Sebastian couldn’t hear him. He wasn’t even going to bother texting him back. He was tired of having the same conversation over and over again. Actually, he was just tired in general, tired of his sucky job, tired of taking care of everyone in his life except for himself. He muttered a thank you to Gus as the other slid a beer his way. Was it his third or his fourth tonight? He’d lost count, and honestly, he didn’t care. Three, four, ten, it was all the same. It wouldn’t do much to fill that gaping hole inside him, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t valiantly try.

Raised voices behind him broke Sam out of his thoughts before he could spiral farther. He blinked, turning his head ever so slightly to get a glimpse of Elliott and Leah talking at one of the hightop tables behind him. He wasn’t sure what either of them were still doing in Pelican Town. He didn’t know them well, but he was pretty sure both of them had the means to move if they wanted to. It wasn’t like they had any family connections here, after all. Yet for some reason, both of them stayed. It was almost like they enjoyed living in the middle of nowhere. Sam snorted at the thought. Artists and their weird habits.

“Elliott, for a romance author, you really don’t get enough action,” Leah teased. Part of Sam felt bad for eavesdropping, especially when he realized they were talking about Elliott’s sex life, but what else was he supposed to do in a town this small? “You’re starting to get… is there a word for when you’re horny and angry? Horngry?”

Elliott let out an indignant little huff. “I do just fine, thank you very much,” he told her. Now that didn’t surprise Sam. Elliott was downright gorgeous. Tall, lean, and that hair . Not to mention that he was supposedly filthy stinking rich thanks to both his bestselling romance novels and his family’s inheritance.

“If you were doing “just fine” you wouldn’t be biting my head off every chance you got,” Leah replied matter-of-factly. Her voice lowered to the point that Sam had to strain to hear him. “ And you wouldn’t be looking at Sam like you’re starving and he’s a four course meal.” Color quickly spread across Sam’s cheeks. Wait, was that really what Leah had said? He hadn’t noticed Elliott staring at him before, but now that she mentioned it, he could feel Elliott’s eyes on his back. Sam swallowed the saliva quickly pooling in his mouth. This had to be a mistake. There was no way that Elliott could ever be interested in him.

“Alright,” Elliott admitted, the word nearly a hiss. “I’ll admit that I’ve been… wound a little tight recently, and I apologize.” He paused, and Sam exhaled. He hadn’t realized he’d even been holding his breath, not wanting any kind of sound to keep him from hearing the conversation behind him. “It’s just difficult to find a compatible partner when you have interests like mine. And I’m getting bored with always having to travel into the city.” Interests? What was Elliott talking about? Sam silently begged Leah to ask him for clarification.

“I’m sure there are tons of guys who’d be into you domming them.” Sam’s hand jerked when he heard Leah say that, knocking over his mostly fully glass of beer. He jumped back with a startled little yelp, his stool clattering to the floor. Great, now everyone was looking at him and his pants were soaked through. This was turning out to be an even better night than he expected.

“Sorry,” Sam quickly said to Gus, attempting to mop up his mess with the tiny drink napkin he’d been given. Gus gave him a small smile, grabbing a washcloth and beginning to wipe up the spilled drink.

“Hey, no broken glass, no problem,” Gus assured him, picking up the glass and adding it to the tub of dirty dishes. “Accidents happen. You want another? I won’t charge you.”

“Uh, no, I’m fine,” Sam stammered, glancing over to where Elliott and Leah were sitting. He accidentally met Elliott’s gaze, watching as the other’s scanned down his body, eyes lingering on his wet crotch. Sam quickly looked away, hoping Elliott couldn’t see how brightly he was blushing. “I’m just gonna pay my tab and get out of your hair before I cause any more trouble.” He quickly pulled out his wallet and paid what he owed, plus what he hoped was a reasonable tip. Ugh, he didn’t have that much cash left, and his paycheck was still a few days away. He pushed the thought to the side, unable to worry about that now. All he wanted was to get out of here as quickly as possible before he did something even more humiliating.

“Sure thing, kid. See you tomorrow.” Sam gave him a little half wave as he headed out the door. This time, he resisted the urge to look over at Elliott and Leah, even though he could feel them both still staring at him. Great. He was sure he’d return as the topic of their conversation now, and they wouldn’t just be talking about how Elliott was checking him out. Maybe he’d lay low for a couple of days, avoid the Saloon until people forgot about it. Drinking alone in his childhood bedroom, which really hadn’t changed since they’d moved in 20 years ago, would be a brand new low for him. He hadn’t realized that was even possible, and yet here he was. Always finding new lows to fall to.

The house was dark except for the light coming from the TV. His mom was laying on the couch, staring vacantly at an infomercial for some kind of weird mop. She didn’t even acknowledge his presence as he walked by her to get to his bedroom. Now that Vincent was off at boarding school, it was like she had lost her zest for life. Most days she didn’t even move from the couch, no matter how much Sam encouraged her. He couldn’t imagine how she’d act if he actually took Sebastian up on his offer and moved to the city. He pushed the thought out of his head, focusing instead on getting cleaned up and into bed. He had an early shift the next day, and he couldn’t be late. He already had two warnings. He couldn’t risk another one. Morris might actually fire him this time.

Sam pulled out his phone once he was showered and curled up in his slightly-too-small twin bed. He pulled up his favorite search engine, fingers hovering slightly above the keyboard as he considered what he wanted to type in. He’d given up on pornography months ago. It just didn’t satisfy him the way it had when he was younger. But Elliott’s conversation with Leah and the way he had looked at Sam stirred a heat inside him that he hadn’t felt in a long time. So instead, he typed “what is domming” into the search bar. He had a pretty good idea of what the results would be–he wasn’t completely stupid, and he’d seen a lot of porn–but it never hurt to make sure his intuitions were correct.

The search led him down a rabbit hole that kept him up half the night, and the next morning he had to literally run across town to make it to JoJa Mart on time. It was worth it though. There’d actually been a lot for him to learn, once he’d sifted through the porn and weird matchmaking sites. He couldn’t believe that Elliott, who always seemed so gentle and kind, could actually be into that . It made Sam realize that even though they’d lived in the same small town for over ten years, he really didn’t know Elliott at all.

Three days later, Sam found himself standing outside of Elliott’s immaculate beach side home. He wasn’t sure what had brought him here. Curiosity? Lust? His complete lack of shame? He hadn’t been invited. He didn’t even know if Elliott was home, or if he actually even had a passing interest in Sam. Maybe Elliott had just been ogling him because he was one of the only available men in town. He thought about turning back, about ignoring his impulses and getting back to his daily life. It might have been more tempting if his daily life hadn’t sucked so much. So he gave in and knocked on the door, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he waited for his fate.

He stood there so long that he wondered if maybe Elliott wasn’t home after all. Just as he turned around, Elliott opened the door. “Oh,” Elliott said, clearly surprised to see Sam standing there. “Hello, Sam. What can I do for you?”

Sam chewed on his lower lip, trying to decide if he was really going to go through with this. He supposed it was too late now that he was here and Elliott was staring at him expectantly. “I, uh, are you busy?” he asked, wincing at how stupid he sounded. He cleared his throat in an attempt to even out his tone. “I was hoping we could talk.”

Elliott perked up at that, his expression suddenly brightening. “No, I’m not busy at all. I was just answering a few emails, but I think I’ve accomplished enough for the day,” he replied. “Come in. Just make sure you take off your shoes. I try not to track sand everywhere, as impossible of a task as that may be.” He stepped out of the doorway as he spoke, allowing Sam to come through the door. Sam took off his shoes, carefully setting them on the rack next to Elliott’s. His Converses looked more ratty than ever next to Elliott’s leather wingtips. “Let’s move to the living room so we can chat. Would you like something to drink?”

Sam found himself nearly asking for a beer, just barely managing to stop the words before they came tumbling out. He probably needed to be sober for this. The drinking could wait until after. “Um, water would be great, I guess,” he muttered, following Elliott into the living room. The inside of the house was just as beautiful and pristine as the outside, and rows of bookshelves lined the walls of the living room, filled nearly from top to bottom with books. “Whoa. It’s like a library in here.”

Elliott chuckled, walking into the attached kitchen. “I have quite the soft spot for books,” he admitted, opening the fridge. “Would you prefer still or sparkling?”

“Huh?” Sam ripped his eyes away from the books to look at Elliott again.

“For the water.” Elliott grinned at him, holding two liter sized bottles of water. “Still or sparkling?”

“Sparkling is fine,” Sam told him, sitting down on the couch. It was a beautiful, brown leather. Sam skimmed his fingers along the surface, marveling at how smooth it was. He took the glass from Elliott when he brought it over to him, taking a sip in an attempt to calm his nerves. Elliott sat in the chair across from him, crossing his legs at the knee. “So…” Sam really didn’t know where to begin. How exactly did you ask someone you barely knew if they would dom for you? “I kinda overheard you and Leah talking at the Saloon on Friday.”

Elliott groaned, head falling back against the chair. He looked mortified. “Sam, let me apologize. Leah was exaggerating in how long my gaze lingered, I swear.” He looked Sam over, head tilting to the side. Sam watched the way it made Elliott’s hair shift across his shoulder. “Although I can’t promise I won’t admire you again, I can at least attempt to be more subtle about it. It was never my intention to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Sam let out a nervous little laugh, heat blooming across his face. “Thanks, I guess. But that’s not the reason I came here.” He toyed with his lower lip again, noticing how Elliott’s gaze seemed to zero in on his lips. “I actually wanted to discuss your… interests.” Elliott’s brow furrowed, his eyes quickly lighting up when he realized what Sam was referring to.

“ Oh .” Elliott smirked at him, clasping his hands around his knee. “If I had realized that was what you were interested in, I would have invited you over myself.” Sam glanced away from him, unable to meet his smoldering gaze. It still seemed to bore right through him. “Is this visit purely informational, or are you hoping to come to some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement?”

Sam’s mouth went completely dry, and he took another shaky sip of his water. He regretted going with sparkling. The bubbles weren’t combining well with his flip-flopping stomach. “The second,” he admitted, the words coming out softer than he expected. He forced himself to raise his voice back to a normal volume. “If you’re interested, I’d be willing to try. You, you know… doing that to me.” He swore Elliott’s smile was nearly predatory by this point.

“How could I ever deny such a gorgeous young thing?” Elliott asked with a dramatic sigh. Sam shifted to the edge of his seat, ready to do whatever Elliott asked of him. Apparently he looked too eager, judging by the way Elliott laughed. “My sweet, sweet boy, as much as I’d love to devour you right this instant, it’s not that simple. There are things we must discuss, and I prefer to at least have dinner with my subs before tumbling into a night of pleasure.”

“Things?” Sam slumped back against the couch, trying not to feel as disappointed as he felt. He needed release, both physically and emotionally, and he was hopeful that Elliott could give him both. “What kind of things?”

“A “no” list, for instance,” Elliott explained. “My no list, for example, is fairly short. I don’t share fluids with untested partners, I don’t do blades anywhere near my hair, and I don’t do gags.” That grin was back. “At least, not on me. I’m happy to gag you if that’s something you're interested in.” Sam felt his cock twitch at just the mention. He’d never tried it before, but he thought it might be something he was very interested in. “Other than that, I’m fairly open to going wherever the mood might take us. I have a variety of implements I like to use for my partner’s pleasure, depending on their preferences, and I’m always delighted to acquire new additions.”

“I…” Sam trailed off, his face flushing. How could Elliott speak like that without even batting an eye? Sure, they were alone, but they were basically strangers. Strangers who were apparently going to have hot, kinky sex together. “This is kind of embarrassing but… I actually don’t have a lot of experience. I’ve only ever been with one person. So I’m not really sure what kinds of things I like or don’t like. And…” Okay, this next admission was going to be an important one, considering what Sam was here asking for. “I’ve actually never like… bottomed or whatever. Is that going to be an issue?”

Elliott’s eyes widened, though he managed to keep the rest of his expression fairly composed. “Sebastian never wanted to top with you?” he asked. Sam let out a nervous little chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. Was it really that obvious that Sebastian was who he was talking about? “How long has it been since the two of you broke up? Since he relocated to the city?” He paused, realizing he hadn’t actually answered Sam’s question. “And no, that’s not an issue for me. I appreciate your honesty, as it allows me to better plan what I would suggest for our first time together.”

Sam definitely wanted to hear more about that , but he had something he needed to clarify first. “So Sebastian and I were never actually like, a thing,” he explained, his face burning hotter. He hadn’t expected to get into all of this so soon. “There’s just not a lot to do around here, and we were young and horny. So we fooled around sometimes.” Elliott wasn’t the first to assume they were dating. Even his mom had been completely convinced they were a couple. They’d considered it, but with Sebastian wanting to move and Sam wanting to stay, a friend-with-benefits situation had been easier. “But I can still get tested. Dr. Harvey does that, right?” Elliott nodded, opening his mouth to reply, but Sam quickly cut him off. “Wait, how many partners have you had?”

Elliott arched his brow, attempting to hide his smile. “Is that a question you really want to know the answer to?” Sam considered it for a moment before nodding. Elliott was quite a bit older than him, or at least Sam assumed he was, and he seemed to be pretty adventurous. Sam assumed he’d had quite a few sexual partners. Elliott considered the question for a moment, tapping his fingers against his leg as he counted. The longer he took, the more nervous Sam felt. “Hm, let’s see. I believe when I last checked my count, it was around 57, give or take a few in either direction. I’ve been in a bit of a dry spell the last couple of years.”

Sam’s eyes widened comically. “You’ve slept with 57 people ?!” he gasped, hand flying up to cover his mouth. He hadn’t meant to have such a strong reaction. He swore he wasn’t a prude, but that seemed like a lot of people. Sam didn’t even know 57 people.

“It depends on how exactly you want to define “partners,”” Elliott said with a shrug. He didn’t seem embarrassed even in the slightest. “I enjoyed all of them in different ways. It didn’t always involve penetration. If they experienced an orgasm, then I add them to the count.” That only made Sam feel slightly better.

“If they did?” That seemed very specific. “What about you?”

“Pleasure isn’t always about reaching a climax.” Sam gave him a look of disbelief, and Elliott laughed. “Not to say I don’t enjoy indulging in one, but my main goal in these encounters is always my partner’s enjoyment. It’s never my own. If we decide to move forward, you’ll quickly learn that yourself.”

Sam frowned, feeling a little uncertain. He enjoyed savoring his partner’s climax. And he really enjoyed… “That’s not like, an always thing though, right?” Sam asked. Elliott blinked at him, waiting for him to go on. “Because, uh, one thing I always liked was when Se–” He caught himself before he said Sebastian’s name. Even though Elliott knew that’s who he was referring to, it didn’t seem right to state it so clearly. “My partner would… come on me. Like on my chest or face or whatever.”

Elliott chuckled, the sound coming from low and deep in his throat. “I’m certain that’s something we could arrange, sweet boy, if it would further add to your enjoyment. I think you’d look stunning painted in my release.” The thought had Sam’s mouth watering, and he found himself leaning in towards Elliott again.

“We could do that now, if you wanted,” he said, his earlier shyness apparently gone completely. “I guess you just shouldn’t get it in my mouth before we get tested or whatever, but I’d totally be down.”

“Needy boy,” Elliott scolded, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Sam swore all the blood in his body rushed to fill his cock when Elliott called him that. “Be patient. Everything in good time.” He pulled out his phone, and Sam frowned when his attention was taken from him. “Are you free on Sunday? I’d like you to come over for dinner so we can get to know each other a bit better. That should give us enough time for the tests to come through, assuming Harvey can be quick about it, and iron out any other details.”

Sam swallowed thickly. Sunday. That wasn’t that far from now. He could wait until Sunday. “Yeah, I should be free then,” he told him, nodding slightly. “Just let me know what time. And if I can bring anything.” He really hoped he didn’t need to bring anything. He could barely cook a frozen pizza.

“Just yourself,” Elliott assured him, getting up and leading Sam towards the front door. Sam shivered when he felt the gentle pressure of Elliott’s fingertips at the small of his back. “Let me see your phone, darling.” Sam unlocked his phone before handing it to him without question. Elliott typed in his number, sending himself a text before giving it back. “I’ll let you know if I have any follow-up questions. You should feel free to text me as well.”

“O-okay,” Sam stammered, staring at the new message thread. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening. He felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. And his cock was throbbing . He was certain Elliott could see the bulge in his jeans, though the other had the decency to at least pretend he hadn’t noticed. “I guess I’ll see you on Sunday then.” He bent to slide on his shoes, attempting to subtly adjust himself in the process. It had been a long time since he’d been this worked up. He’d have to go down to the pier and calm down before he walked home.

“I suppose you will.” Elliott leaned against the doorway as Sam headed down the stairs, his eyes never leaving him. “I’ll be thinking of you every second you’re away. I hope you’ll be thinking of me as well.” Sam closed his eyes, letting out a soft groan. By the way Elliott laughed, Sam figured he knew exactly what he was doing to him. They’d only had one conversation, and Sam was already in trouble. He couldn’t imagine what Sunday would bring.