A Single Black Rose

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

pretty_sean wrote:

Sean is the kindest and gentlest man I’ve ever met. He’s shy and quiet but once you get to know him, it’s like you’ve known him forever.

Today I met him again. He invited me inside his trailer when he realized that I’ve waited for him since morning. He made me coffee and we chatted for hours. He’s such a nice guy.

* * * *

When Arvin finds out about the incident, he is adamant that Sean goes home immediately and doesn’t go anywhere by himself, at least until they have things sorted out. Sean is glad to have Osborn, and Buddy and Coco of course. He’ll feel even better once Nate is back home. But Nate hasn’t even answered his phone and Sean is feeling more than a little miffed.

Nothing wrong is found with the roses. For all intents and purposes, the flowers are just that—flowers. There’s nothing remotely dangerous attached to them, no poisoned thorns, nothing. And Sean is thinking that he’s so going to kill Nate if Nate were to crack jokes on Snow White or whatever.

Nobody saw who brought the flowers into the set, either, and so far none of the florists called have admitted to the flowers being theirs. It is like the flowers have come from nowhere.

Sean feels a lot better once he is at home. He throws himself into an armchair and fishes out his cell, checking to see whether there are any missed calls or text messages from Nate. There are none. He sighs and calls Nate but it goes straight to voice-mail. Again. Sean huffs in annoyance. Where the hell is Nate?

Sean is exhausted, mentally and physically. Hours on the set, then the scare with the roses, he just wants to crash and sleep until next week. He pulls himself up to his feet and drags himself upstairs to their bedroom.

* * * *

Nate steps out of the cab and pays the driver. He looks up at their house which is dark and silent. But then it is way after midnight and Nate fervently hopes that Sean is inside, sleeping. He has taken the first flight out of L.A. to Vancouver after that call from Sean, premiere be damned. Osborn has filled him in on what happened while he was in the cab.

He is about to unlock the front door when it opens. Osborn. Looking rumpled but alert, smiling widely at Nate.

“Nate! Let me take your bags. Sorry I couldn’t pick you up at the airport but Arvin told me not to leave Sean alone.”

“That’s okay, man.” Nate slips inside. “Where is he? Is he okay?”

Osborn nods. “Yeah, he’s sleeping, and he’s okay. He was a bit pissed-off though, saying that people were fussing over nothing, and he couldn’t reach you.”

Nate laughs slightly. “Well, I’m here now. Good night, Osborn, you go get some rest. And, oh, thanks for everything.”

“Just doing my job, Nate.”

Nate heaves his bags and heads toward the stairs.

* * * *

Nate finds Sean lying face-down on their bed, his back half-exposed and dimly lit by the bedside lamp. Nate stands at the door for a moment, drinking in the sight of his boyfriend. He misses this, misses Sean, and he has only been away for a couple of days. Coco, their big mutt, is sprawled on top of Sean’s legs and as Nate comes closer, she lifts up her head and whines softly, as if to tell Nate not to disturb Sean. Nate shakes his head, smiling slightly as he puts his bags away. Over the years that Nate has known Sean, Coco has become more Sean’s than his, and if he didn’t love Sean himself he would have been jealous at how easily Sean has won Coco’s heart.

It’s unlike Buddy who has been sleeping on the rug in front of the hearth and who is now sniffing at him, wagging his tail delightedly. Nate kneels down, rubbing Buddy’s head, calling out to Coco quietly, “C’mon, girl, out you go, both of you.” He lets the dogs out, shutting the door with a click.

Stripping down to his boxers, Nate lifts up the coverlet and crawls up to lie down beside Sean. He noses at Sean’s neck, inhaling deeply at his scent and rubbing softly at the back of that neck. Sean stirs and mumbles into his pillow, turning his head toward Nate, his eyes fluttering open.

“Uh—Nate?” Sean’s voice is husky soft with sleep. He lifts his head, knuckling at his eyes, a little bit of drool coming out from the side of his mouth. Sean squints shortsightedly at Nate, and Nate just wants to kiss him silly.

“Nate, is it really you?”

“Nope. My plane crashed and this is my spirit haunting you.”

Sean groans. “You idiot.” Sean hits Nate’s arm, his head hitting the pillow back. “Seriously, dude. Aren’t you supposed to be in L.A. now? You know, premiere, red-carpets, ring any bells?”

“Nope, I’m the knight in shining armor, coming to rescue the damsel in distress from evil flowers and—ooh.” Nate’s eyes widen as Sean manhandles him on his back and kisses him hard on the mouth, tongue slicking in wet and insistent, biting hard at Nate’s lower lip, grinding his hips down over Nate’s.

“There, does that feel like a damsel in distress to you?” Sean says breathlessly as he releases Nate’s mouth.

Nate drags Sean back down and tells him in not so many words that no, Sean is certainly not a damsel in distress.

* * * *

Nate gets up to go to the bathroom, takes a quick shower and dries himself perfunctorily. He wets a hand towel and goes back to the bedroom. Sean is already half asleep, lying back looking sated and well-f****d. He looks at Nate through half-lidded eyes as Nate wipes his stomach clean from the half-dried semen there. He turns and parts his thighs obediently when Nate nudges him, soft and pliant under Nate’s firm hands, moaning a little when Nate wipes between his ass cheeks and down on the inside of his thighs.

“Sean?”

“Hmm?

“About that thing that happened. You have to promise me that you’ll be careful, okay. Please?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I will.”

Throwing the towel on the floor, Nate turns Sean onto his side, Sean’s back to his chest and he wraps an arm firmly around Sean, his hand over Sean’s heart, feeling it beat evenly. Sean’s already snoring softly, twitching slightly in the circle of Nate’s arm. Nate lies there for long moments, sleep eluding him, worry coloring his thoughts. He finally falls asleep when dawn breaks.

* * * *

pretty_sean wrote:

One thing I love about Sean is that he’s such a genuine person. He’s real, unlike some actors who act nice in front of fans when in reality they hate those people who support them. Sean isn’t rude at all. You can sense that what he shows you is the real him, one who will not only smile and greet his fans, but will also let you know if he was upset or tired. He is such a down-to-earth person and I’m floored with his attitude. He treated me like an old friend and he made me feel very special.

* * * *

Nate stays close to Sean the following day. He is glad that he doesn’t have any filming to do since he is supposed to still be on leave. Sean is under his watchful eyes every minute and every second. He is happy for the chance to see Sean in action, realizing for the umpteenth time what a fine actor Sean is.

Sean looks calm and composed but Nate knows him well enough to know that underneath the cool exterior, Sean is worried. It is evident from the tell-tale, minute twitching of his jaw that only Nate can see, the way he forgets his lines more often than usual. Nate had wanted him to ask for a day off but Sean insisted that he was all right. So, here they are on set, Sean working with Nate watching him from the sidelines.

The day passes uneventfully much to Nate’s relief. He waits by their SUV, smiling up at Sean as he approaches, beeping their car open.

“So, you start your shoot tomorrow?” Sean asks.

“Yeah, might as well work since I’m already here.” He looks around. “Where’s Osborn?”

“Locking up. He said he won’t be long. He just wants to make sure that the trailer is secure.” Sean opens the back door and starts to go inside when he stops short, going very still.

“Sean?” What’s wrong?”

Sean straightens up and turns to face Nate. He looks pale, his eyes wide in shock. He moves aside wordlessly and gestures toward the backseat of the SUV.

Nate peers inside, somehow knowing what he is going to see inside. He is right.

Another huge bouquet of roses, pink this time.

With a single black rose right in the middle.