Work Text:
Joel rang the doorbell at Aaron’s flat and waited patiently for him to answer. The smell of cooking eggs wafted out when the door opened. He was shortly greeted by a warm good morning and an even warmer kiss once the door closed.
Aaron pulled away from the kiss and ran his hand along Joel’s jaw. “Did you forget to shave this morning?”
This was too good for Joel to pass up. “Not at all. I missed having a mustache and decided to grow out a full beard. What do you think?” He managed to keep a straight face for a full ten seconds as Aaron’s eyes widened in horror and he attempted to stammer out a response. But then it became too hard to keep up the facade and he broke out laughing. “My God, the look on your face!”
Aaron made that exasperated sound that Joel loved to evoke. He shook his head although he couldn’t quite hide his smile. “I don’t know why I put up with you,” Aaron grumbled. “Come on, breakfast is ready.” He led the way to the kitchen table where two full plates awaited.
Joel just grinned at him. “You know you adore my sparkling wit as much as my stunning good looks,” he replied, taking his seat. He dug in with an appreciative moan of delight. The omelette was delicious: cheese, chives, and soft enough to cut with a fork one handed. He moaned again, partly because it really was that good, but mostly because he knew what effect that would have on Aaron.
Sure enough, Aaron had paused in the act of pouring out coffee for the two of them in favor of staring at Joel. Ha, another point for me Joel thought. Some day Aaron would unwind enough to tease him back, but for now Joel liked to keep him on his toes. He stopped eating long enough to ask, “What are your plans for today?”
Aaron set the two mugs of coffee on the table and took his seat across from Joel. “Another busy day searching for work. I have a few contacts I can reach out to who might have a need for a former police officer,” Aaron said. “What about you?”
“This and that. I have some errands to run before my eleven o’clock reading.” He wiped his face with a napkin and grimaced a little as it caught on his stubble. “And I’ll be stopping by the barber,” he said with a heavy sigh.
“That sounded heartfelt. What’s wrong with going to the barber’s?” Aaron asked.
“Oh, nothing’s wrong, really. I hate to spend the money, little though it is, so I wait as long as I can before I go. But mostly I resent the necessity. I can use one of those Rolls safety razors but it’s rather difficult with only my right hand. One more thing I still haven’t gotten used to.” He tried to recapture his early cheerful mood and wished he hadn’t said anything. Nothing like his lightning quick mood swings to ruin a meal.
Aaron didn’t seem to notice. He finished his coffee and shrugged. “I could shave you, if you like,” he said. “Back in the Navy I used to assist the barber from time to time.”
Joel hesitated before answering. He hated accepting any sort of charity or pity. But he didn’t think that was what Aaron was offering. And come to think of it, there were worse ways to start his day than having an ex-copper do him a service. His grin came back and he resumed eating. “Sounds good to me,” he said.
And that was how Joel found himself lying on the settee with his head tilted back over the arm. This had been his favorite piece of furniture ever since that remarkable encounter when Aaron brought him off twice. He closed his eyes and thought about some of the other carnal things they’d done on the settee as he listened to Aaron bustle about gathering his tools and whipping soap flakes into a lather. He was working up to a fair bit of stiff when he heard the rhythmic rasp of a razor against a strop. Joel opened his eyes and sat up. “You don’t use a safety razor?” he asked.
Aaron peered at the edge of the blade while he answered. “I tried a Rolls once and didn’t care for the results. I need a sharper blade to get through my stubble. Besides, I like the ritual involved in caring for my own tools.” He gave the blade a few more precise pulls across the soft leather. This time when he looked at the blade he was satisfied. “There we go. Here, put this towel over your clothes. Ready?”
Joel nodded to indicate he was and lay back to allow Aaron access to his face. But it turned out he wasn’t ready at all. The lather filled bristles of the brush against his face felt different to the impersonal touch of a paid barber. Aaron took his time, gently stroking the brush against his skin, applying the lather with his typical careful precision. Each swipe of the brush was like a tiny caress. The lemony aroma with just a hint of lavender surrounded him, and it dawned on Joel it smelled exactly like Aaron. The realization that he’d be marked with that scent all day was doing nothing to relieve the pressure in his trousers.
Aaron set the bowl down and picked up the razor. He placed one large hand on top of Joel’s head and gently pulled the blade across one cheek. The scrape of the razor against his skin sent tingles across Joel’s face. Aaron shook off the froth back into the bowl and repeated the action. Another scrape, another tingle, and soon one side of his face was smooth. Joel watched Aaron’s face as he moved to the other cheek. He loved the intense look of concentration in those dark eyes focusing only on the task in front of him. His chin was shaved in another broad stroke which cleared the way for Aaron to place his warm fingers there. He used this new grip to help him make the finicky short strokes around Joel’s upper and lower lips, using the care and precision Joel had come to expect from his tightly wound lover. He could feel the puff of Aaron’s breath trailing across his exposed skin in ways that made him shiver. For the first time he realized someone touching his face could be erotic.
Now that big hand pushed Joel’s head back to access his neck. Joel held his breath in anticipation, waiting for the scrape of metal across his exposed throat. Instead Aaron grunted and said, “Hold on, I need a better angle.” Then he straddled Joel, sitting across his thighs. “There, that’s better.”
It might have been better for Aaron but it was causing some trouble for Joel. He’d already been in a bit of a state, and now this position was forcefully reminding him of how much he enjoyed being pinned by a strong man. Aaron leaned over him, one hand back on top of Joel’s head to keep him steady, the other moving the sharp blade down from his jaw line and over the soft skin of his throat. Joel’s erection was straining against his drawers now, he desperately wanted to frot against the other man but didn’t want to risk jostling him. Aaron was oblivious to Joel’s situation and continued to repeat his actions, carefully removing the lather and stubble with each precise movement. Joel closed his eyes and gave himself over to Aaron’s ministrations. He lay still, barely breathing, surrounded by Aaron’s body and Aaron’s scent. It was such delicious torture to be so fully aroused yet unable to move.
Joel couldn’t have said how long he lay there, trying not to pant and hopelessly turned on, until finally Aaron said, “That’s that. Stay still while I clean up.” There was a shift along his thighs and then a warm damp towel was brushed against his face. Aaron wiped the remaining lather off his skin, then followed up with a gentle caress of his hand. “Much better. You can open your eyes now.”
Joel did and found himself entranced by Aaron’s coffee colored gaze. He just stared for a moment, still overwhelmed by their closeness. He couldn’t remember a time when he was this fully aroused with all his clothes on. He wanted nothing more than to drag Aaron down and create some more reasons to love this settee.
But Aaron moved away before Joel could gather enough of his wits to remember how to move. “You need to go now if you want to run your errands and keep your appointment. Would you mind picking some things up for me while you’re out?”
Aaron didn’t sound anywhere near as flustered as Joel felt. Oh, God, there he went again. Aaron had just been helping out and Joel read too much into it. Aaron obviously wasn’t as affected by their closeness as he had been. Joel stood up and tried to will his erection down. “Yes, of course, I’ll be glad to run some errands for you. Thanks for the shave,” he said, fighting to keep his voice casual as he gathered his coat.
“You’re welcome. Here, take this list,” Aaron said and handed him a piece of paper.
Joel glanced down at it and read eggs, cheese, milk, before his talent kicked in. The impressions rushed in with such force he had to sit down. Aaron’s tightly bound passion hit him right in his heart, as well as points farther south, which was to be expected. But this time he saw images too. He saw his own face as though through Aaron’s eyes, with all the lust and longing written plainly across his features as the razor removed the shaving lather. He processed this for a few moments then managed to tear his eyes away from the paper and look up at Aaron.
The cheeky bastard was grinning at him! “You did that on purpose!” Joel exclaimed, amused and frustrated at the same time.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Aaron said with affronted innocence. “You’re the one who said you had an appointment. Now off with you. You can come back tonight, if you have the time.” And he practically pushed Joel out of the flat.
It hit Joel as he stood in the hallway that he was going to spend the next few hours surrounded by Aaron’s scent. And every time he looked at this paper he would be overwhelmed by both the visual and emotional impressions from Aaron’s feelings. Apparently he was wrong earlier when he thought Aaron was too uptight to tease him. Oh, he’d be back tonight, that was for sure. And he’d be sure to bring a few tricks with him as well.