13

"You seem to be in a bad mood"

Archibald commented as Timothy dried his hair, droplets of water cascading down his body slowly as if tracing the marks he had- telltales of the intense activity he engaged in half an hour ago.

Usually sex was the best cure to reduce his stress level and calm him, sort of like an unconventional therapy. But now despite the fact his body was relaxed, refreshed and understandably aching, his mind was still rambling relentlessly .

Timothy had a lot to absorb after the talk with his father, he couldn't stop calculating, processing, analyzing and thinking about the near future. He had a lot to deal with , starting with the management of the firm which was a difficult task as itself to handle and ending with him being the one to take over the case of Carmichael.

He held so many concerns regarding the heavy weighted responsibilities that were practically dropped on him.

Timothy although a capable and successful man was still anxious to fill in a role he deemed as nothing but a burden more than opportunity.

He knew losing his senses was the last thing he should do right now but he couldn't help the fear that he might fail grip onto him.

And that man calmly staring at him with his signature confident smirk did nothing but aggravate him!

Archibald was a pain in his ass in more than one way. The last thing he wanted was to share his problems with him, mainly because he was one of said problems.

"I'm fine"

He muttered finally and flopped on the bed, he was in no hurry to return home, Lizzy spent the weekend at her friend's place and would be back only at late Saturday.

"I don't think you are..."

Archibald let his fingers caress Timothy's warm skin, making patterns on his stomach. Timothy shivered as goosebumps were created as reaction.

"Want to share?"

He pressed .

"No "

Timothy breathed out. Archibald was the last person he'd share his concerns with, mainly because he was one of them.

"I think you do"

He just never knew when to give up and back off and it annoyed Timothy.

"I don't care what you think!"

He snapped and threw Archibald's hand away.

"Definitely a bad mood " he teased.

"Whatever, I just want to sleep. "

Timothy rolled so his back faced Archibald, closing his eyes. It was weird to admit but even though the man next to him was annoying him, something about his presence was calming and he preferred being here than anywhere else. Maybe because right here with Archibald he was himself .

"Goodnight."

He felt Archibald wrap his hand around him as he whispered in his ear .

He never thought cuddling was his thing up till now, mostly because he never experienced it with a man but it sure was nice and what other choice did he have?

Archibald got anything that he wanted so he went along. Or so he liked to think.

_____________________________________

Archibald watched silently with a smirk as Timothy settled in his arms, pressing his back to Archibald's chest.

It was baffling how comfortable he seemed in his position, almost carefree and a thought passed through Arch's mind- How many men were in his place?

It didn't come from any ill rooted or misguided feelings,  it was simply curiosity. The fact Timothy was in his late twenties and still seemed far from coming out of his closet , made Arch wonder for how long would he keep the pretense? hooking up with guys on one end and living as the ideal straight man on the other.

Perhaps Timothy liked his double life?

No, it couldn't be. Arch refused to believe that but Timothy also didn't seem like the type to lack courage so why was he living like that?

Was he afraid of disappointing his parents?

But surely nowadays people were more tolerating and accepting, or maybe it was naive of him to think like that?

Either way, Arch knew that Timothy couldn't continue living this way. Those kind of stories always had a bad ending - the illusion would break at some point and the hard truth would be revealed . For some reason Archibald wanted to be there when Timothy would reach that point. Curiosity was of course his main reason - he wanted to see this drama unfold and moreover the contrast of someone else's life compared to his. They were both gay but while Arch felt in his own skin, Timothy was uncomfortable and struggling. Their  environment was different as well- Arch was mostly accepted by his surrounding, his parents supported him. Timothy on the other hand didn't seem to think he'd be accepted and while  Arch didn't personally meet his parents, he didn't think them to be much different from his. They loved their son , no?

But then the sadness lurking in Timothy's eyes made Archibald question that. What was the source of that darkness? and why did it bother him so much?

But other than curiosity there was another thing he couldn't quite explain that made him want to be there just for the sake of being there.

He didn't try to pinpoint it, it wasn't much of a concern, so he just let his eyes close as he drifted away with his thoughts.

_____________________________________

Timothy stirred from his sleep as light kisses were gently scattered on his chest. He opened his eyes slowly to stare down at Archibald that seemed quite devoted to the task,  and while it felt nice it also tickled.

"Enough..."

Timothy groaned and pushed his head away while trying to hold back from laughing.

"Good morning to you too ",

Arch smirked and closed the distance between them, kissing Timothy passionately. He let his tongue tease Timothy's lips before parting them and tasting him better. Timothy on his end knew where this was headed and while he wanted to melt into the kiss there was something he needed right now more than morning sex.

"Breakfast" he breathed out,  flustered from the kiss as he averted his face in order to avoid Arch's eager mouth.

"I need breakfast, then we can do what you'd like to do".

Timothy raised one eyebrow in surprise as he watched Archibald... pout?

"One round then I'll order breakfast ", he nuzzled Timothy's neck, laying deep kisses and nibbling lightly.

Timothy was trying his hard to resist the sweet temptation, but his body was slowly succumbing to the pleasure.

"Please stop..."

he breathed,  stifling a moan as Arch's fingers grazed against his nipples.

"You know you want it " .

That man was impossible. Did he really want it? his body was sour and aching but he was still very much aroused and lust filled.

He was contemplating what to do, knowing at the end it wasn't up to him to call the shots, but Archibald didn't seem to mind this little game of seducing the reluctant Timothy.

The atmosphere was cut at the sound of a phone going off. Timothy,  startled stretched his hand to reach his phone on the nightstand, pushing Archibald off of him at the process.

A frown started to form on his face at the name flashing on the screen.

"Not going to answer to daddy dearest?"

Archibald watched the screen with a raised brow.

Timothy glared at him before scrambling to his feet and running downstairs, the phone still ringing.  He rushed to the bathroom,  closing the door behind him before finally answering.

"Good morning dad" , he greeted.

"What took you so long?  did I wake you up?"

"Uh no, I was just taking a shower ".

"Oh, well me and your mother at your front door but it doesn't seem like there's anyone home."

Timothy stiffened as color left his face.

"Uh yeah, um me and Lizzy spending the weekend at a hotel ".

"Really? that's good to hear! " his father chuckled "good thinking son, conquer your lady. " he added meaningfully and Timothy could hear his mother scolding her husband for acting crudely .

"Well, guess we should've checked before coming. Anyway have fun you two !"

"Thanks dad".

With that the call was over and Timothy sighed in relief,  his heart beating fast.

"Done there?"

He jumped as Archibald knocked on the door, he opened it with an annoyed glare.

"Breakfast would be here in a few minutes, meanwhile want a massage?"

Timothy blinked in confusion, tilting his head at the random suggestion.

"Come on, I'm good with my hands as you already know and I think your body would really appreciate that ". he shrugged.

"Thanks but I'll give up--"

Timothy didn't even finish his sentence before he was dragged to living room, too stunned to react as Archibald flopped on the sofa with him in his lap.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Timothy managed last.

"Your body is so stressed, there's so much tension built in your shoulders." Arch's warm hands caressed Timothy's shoulders carefully with a bit if a pressure, they trailed down his back and then right up.

"It's not good for your health you know? your body could only take that much before it'll break. "

His hands felt so nice that Timothy forgot any objections and closed his eyes in surrender to the expert hands taking care of him.

"Feels good right? you'll thank me later ".

Archibald slowly created circles on Timothy's back before focusing on his stiff shoulders, squeezing there and pressing his thumbs to their connection point before rolling them.

"Ah..."

Timothy moaned at the gentle yet firm treatment he was getting, he could feel his muscles relax. It hurt a bit but a good kind of pain.

He almost protested as the sound of the intercom buzzing was heard,  signaling that breakfast arrived.

"We can continue later, in bed "

Archibald whispered in his ear.

They got up, Timothy headed to the kitchen to sit at the table and Arch went to fetch the food. They silently munched, no one attempting to start a conversation,  it was a good kind of silence, not the awkward type.

______________________________________

"You're heading home?"

Archibald watched Timothy as he pulled on his pants and buttoned his shirt. He hummed in response as he passed to wear on his shoes.

Lizzy was supposed to return late but he wanted to make sure he was in the house before she arrived.

"Don't forget your tie "

Archibald winked before handing him the item, Timothy rolled his eyes in response. He started to go down the stairs, pausing to cast last glance at the desirable man laying on the bed.  His heart squeezed a bit - he wanted to stay just a bit more, maybe they could eat lunch together? maybe Archibald could give him a massage again?

What the hell am I thinking?

Timothy rushed downstairs, internally scolding himself for those thoughts. This man wasn't his friend, no matter how much he enjoyed his company - admitting it out loud or not.

This whole situation was a big mess, a hindrance that he'd be happy to get rid of because what good did it bring him?

He was now keeping one more secret, one more thing that could destroy his life if revealed.  Carmichael or not, his father would not appreciate this whole affair. All he could do was pray that Archibald would get tired of him quickly and get rid of him for the sake of another plaything to entertain him. But deep down Timothy was having doubts about all this, did he really want Archibald to get tired of him, to find someone else?

He couldn't answer those questions but maybe the painful squeeze of his heart was a clear enough answer.

What is wrong with me ?