Fic: The Green of Envy
Title: The Green of Envy
Author:
ashling_lily
Wordcount: 2,561
Rating: PG
Pairing: Ray Toro/ Tyson Ritter
Summary: Ray understands that Tyson gets along with everyone. He’s that type of man, despite what the world has dealt him. And in their new line of ‘profession’, it was a necessity. But this Nickolas fellow was rubbing him the wrong way entirely.
Disclaimer: This entire story is fake, and I do not claim affiliation with any of the person’s mentioned, nor of any elements taken from the Leviathan Series.
Warnings: Mentions of human/animal experimentation, manipulation of genetics
Author’s Note: I was originally going to write something else entirely, but by the time it got to 28 pages in length and it was the day before posting finished, I decided to try something else. This is also an AU based around the Leviathan Series. All you really need to know is that countries like England, France and Russia figured out how to manipulate DNA and create giant ‘beasities’, such as a zeppelin-esque whale. Oh, and also that Gerard is the Captain of a giant turtle submarine. That’s about it.
Thanks tonuclearxsquid for the betaing :D
Ray gritted his teeth as he watched Tyson talk animatedly with their newest passenger, a Mister Nickolas Wheeler. They were sitting at the kitchens table, shoulders brushing as Tyson examined Nickolas’ hands. While he understood why Tyson was examining the other man’s hands, he didn’t particularly care for the amount of time Tyson spent on holding the other man’s hands.
Forcibly turning himself away, he headed for the bridge, hoping to distract himself. Ever since they had rescued Nickolas from the south of Austria-Hungary, Tyson had been spending a ridiculous – at least to him – amount of time with the man. Yes, he too had experienced similar conditions as Tyson, what with being experimented on from a young age and having his life strands twisted with those of animals – an illegal and morally offensive act – but… Ray missed Tyson, as absurd as it sounded, and he hadn’t been able to spend any quality time with his lover ever since they had picked the other man up.
Entering the bridge, he ignored Frank’s knowing grin and leant against the back wall. In front of him, the sea parted way in front of the view glass, bubbles, various bits of seaweed and small fish coming into view before disappearing.
“So,” Frank started, casually, tilting the controls. “How has our newest passenger settled in?”
“Fine,” Ray bit out shortly, crossing his arms. “He’s as right as rain.”
“Has young Tyson been helping him settle in?” Frank asked innocently, a small smirk quirking his lips.
“Of course,” Ray snapped. “He’s been explaining things to Mr Wheeler ever since we rescued him. He’s been the perfect host.”
Frank was grinning at him, his face entirely too smug. Ray had always known that he was a bastard. “Perfect? I’d say he’s been more than that. He’s been very accommodating-” Ray growled and took a threatening step forward just as Gerard walked in.
The captain jumped, hands raised. “What’s happening?” Ray huffed and looked away, determinedly looking out the view glass.
Frank however, gleefully, spun his chair around and explained. “Ray is turning a very ugly shade of green, Captain,” he said, grinning. “He’s almost as green as the Robin.”
“What?” Gerard said, turning and blinking at Ray. “Why are you green?”
Ray glared at Frank. “I am not jealous! Nor am I turning green,” he added for Gerard’s benefit. “He’s got it in his head that I’m - unhappy about our new passenger.”
Frank snickered loudly. “You should have seen his face earlier!” he crowed. “The muscles twitching and jerking as Tyson escorted the man on. It was beautiful. Like the plays in the theatre, pure theatrical delight!”
Ray glared at him again and stomped out of the room, ignoring the Italian man’s hysterical laughter. It was probably time for Frank to take another swim in the waste tanks, he mused darkly. That should make him less likely to poke fun at his relationship.
Pausing at the entranceway into the kitchen, he listened to the murmur of voices from inside. He didn’t particularly want to walk in there and listen to Tyson and Nickolas cha away in German, with no idea of what they were saying, nor did he want to hide in his rooms like a boy told off by his parents. Deciding on his best alternative, he unscrewed the porthole into the Robin’s innards and climbed down. Instantly the smell of salt, waste and something distinctly fishy met his nose.
Ignoring the way the smell made his nose burn slightly, he started to check over the various beasties that made up the Robin’s insides. Like all ships created by the British, the Robin had been spun from the Life Threads of various animals. The main bulk of the ship was that of a turtle, significantly larger than any other turtle found on earth and bred to hold the weight of a metal hull on its back. Inside the beast, its innards had been twisted so that space for various other beasts could fit into it, and allow the Robin’s crew to travel underwater.
Walking down the narrow pathway that followed the Robin’s spine, he headed for the stingray tanks. They had picked up a couple of messenger rays while back in London getting information about the mission, and it was always necessary to give the beasts a check over. They sometimes went a bit mad when moved to a new environment and did all types of stupid things if you weren’t careful.
Crouching down near one of the tanks, Ray tapped at the water, calling one of the sting rays to the surface. It swam up gracefully and brushed against his hand, its skin gliding against his palm. Smiling, he ran a hand over the animal, making sure that it was healthy and uninjured. The green stripe down its back marked it as a ray that would head for London port when released. Sighing, he petted it one more time before sitting back against the walking platform, watching as the ray sunk back down into the water to frolic with its tank-mates.
“Ray?” Looking up, Ray nodded at Gerard. The captain hesitantly approached, being careful not to disrupt the various organisms that made up the Robin’s insides. Although Gerard regularly wandered around the Robin whenever he pleased, he would very rarely ever be found inside its innards. If he was coming down here, he obviously thought that it was important. “Can we talk?”
“Yes. Sure.” Leaning back on his arms, Ray patiently waited for the man to reach him and sit down.
Gerard slowly sat down before focusing his gaze on him. “Frank told me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Ray instantly replied.
“Well, okay, maybe not wrong,” Gerard amended quickly. “But it’s bothering you, this thing between Tyson and Nickolas.”
Ray sighed and looked up at the red of the Robin’s insides. “I – he – I shouldn’t be upset,” he said at last. “Ever since we started this mission for the Zoo, picking up the people that the Institute experimented on, he’s always been there helping them along and being useful, it’s just... this time…” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Usually they don’t get along as… well, as he and this Nickolas fellow are, and I…”
Gerard hummed in sympathy and patted his shoulder. “I understand my friend. I do. It’s hard, keeping relationships secret, especially when all you would really like to say is that ‘He is mine and no you can’t have him’.” Gerard shrugged. “I wish that I could say it got easier with time, but… that’s not necessarily true.”
Ray sighed. “How do you and Frank do it? How do you keep from going insane when the whole world refuses to contemplate that you should be together?”
“We’re lucky, we’ve got the Robin,” Gerard replied, shrugging. “And you eventually get used to touching less in public, and keeping yourself contained while around other people. It’s never easy, but habits begin to become ingrained.”
“I just wish…” Ray sighed and shook his head. “In some ways I wish that he had never been experimented on, so that he would not be so alone sometimes, and so that he would not cling so desperately to these people that we find. But then I think, without it, would he and I have ever met? Would we be together as we are now?” He shrugged. “It’s all fanciful imaginings, but you’ve got to wonder sometimes.”
Gerard patted his shoulder again. “Fanciful imaginings are all well and good, but it is reality that we have to work with. Talk to him,” he continued, giving Ray’s shoulder a firm squeeze. “Talk and just spend time in his company. It’ll help.” The captain glanced around. “It will help more than sitting down here will.”
Ray sighed. “Perhaps you are right.” Sending the Gerard a small smile, he got to his feet and helped the other man to his feet. “One quick question though; how much longer until we reach England?”
-)-(-
Ray sighed as he climbed into his and Tyson’s bed. Only Mikey was supposed to remain awake to ensure that the Robin stayed on course, yet Tyson and Nickolas continued to talk into the night. None of his subtle suggestions seemed to have registered with Tyson, so in the end he had given up and headed for bed, ignoring Frank’s knowing grin and Gerard’s concerned eyes. He was perfectly able to go to bed without his lover; he had done it many times. The fact that said lover seemed to want to spend his time with another man (that he met only a few days ago) had no impact on his actions or behaviour. Despite what Frank had said, he did not pout.
Turning the handle next to his bed, he dimmed the lights just enough to sleep comfortably but ensured that the room was bright enough that if Tyson did wish to come to bed, he would be able to see. Forcibly ignoring the glaringly empty section of the bed, he closed his eyes and focused his mind on the matter at hand: sleep.
Two hours later though, he threw his blankets off in disgust and sat up, leaning against the metal wall. What could they be talking about? What on earth could be so fascinating that they had to stay up all night? Could they not talk about it during the day? Namely, when he wasn’t waiting for Tyson to get to bed?
Irritably, he crossed his arms and glared at the door, hoping that if he just thought hard enough, that Tyson would come through the door. After another few minutes of this however, he sighed angrily and got up, running a hand through his hair and straightening his clothes. He was just going to get a glass of water. That was it. Water. He was most definitely not going to check on them and see if Tyson had noticed his absence.
Edging his door open, he headed for the ladder and started climbing. Straining his ears, he listened for the tell-tale sign of voices, but he couldn’t hear a thing. Maybe they had moved to somewhere else on the ship? The bridge maybe? Pausing he glanced down the corridor to the room that Nickolas had taken. No. No of course not. Tyson would never. Shaking his head he hurriedly climbed the rest of the ladder. They must be in the bridge. They must.
Reaching the top, he swiftly headed for the hull before a voice made him freeze. “Evening.”
Spinning around, Ray blinked. Tyson was lounging comfortably at the kitchen table, a cup of tea nestled between his hands. Alone. “Uh, evening.” He frowned and looked around. “I thought… has Nickolas gone to relieve himself?”
“No,” Tyson replied blithely, sipping at his tea.
“Oh. Has he gone to fetch something?”
“No.”
“Um… then… why is he not-”
“Sitting here having tea?” Tyson suggested, raising an eyebrow at him. “Because he went to bed shortly after you did. I’m surprised that you did not notice him yawning. Then again, you were so intently focused on your bootlaces it would have been hard for you to notice.”
Ray felt the beginnings of a blush on his cheeks. “Oh… um…”
The other man set his tea aside and stood up. “You know, Frank told me something interesting just before he went to bed.” Before Ray could say anything, Tyson stepped forward and pressed a finger to Ray’s lips. “Apparently, he thinks you’re jealous of Nick.” Ray tried to say something, but Tyson just pressed his fingers more firmly against his lips. “And as much as I’m sure he exaggerated and embellished the tales of your grinding teeth and scowls to sink the navy’s fleet, I think-” Tyson raised an eyebrow “- I think that he is correct.”
Sighing, Ray glanced away. “You probably shouldn’t tell him that, it’ll just inflate his ego,” he muttered, lips brushing against the Tyson’s finger.
“I wouldn’t have to if he had only been lying,” Tyson retorted, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Ray’s waist. “You dummkopf, why are you jealous?”
Taking the opportunity to also wrap his arms around Tyson, Ray shook his head and hid it in the other man’s neck, pressing close against the scarf that was wrapped around his neck. “I don’t know. You two just seemed to get along so famously, and you only ever spoke in German, and you have this-” here he nosed at Tyson’s neck, where the gills created by experiments were hidden by the scarf “-to connect you. I just felt… out of place.”
Tyson huffed. “We speak German because that is the only language that Nick knows, and if I did not speak to him, I doubt that Mikey would. We have many things in common, partially because we are both Clanker and partially because we have, as you have put, a shared physical condition. However,” Tyson continued, pulling back to meet his eyes. “That does not change how I feel about you. Nor does it mean that you have no place with me.” Tyson squeezed him gently. “You’re mine, as I am yours, and although Nick and I enjoy each other’s company, you mean something else entirely to me.”
Ray sighed. “I have truly been a dummkopf, haven’t I?” Tyson nodded. Shaking his head, he bent forwards and once again hid his face in Tyson’s neck. “Forgive me?”
“Of course. If you promise to stop being so idiotic,” Tyson responded, smiling gently to cushion his words.
“I’ll try.” Squeezing the younger man, Ray pulled back and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I am surprised though. Usually you are not this eloquent while speaking. Are you secretly a master of the heart now?”
Tyson grinned. “Well, no, but I have had the past two hours to think of what I was going to say once you got suspicious enough to investigate.”
Ray froze, staring at the other man. “You mean that you – and he wasn’t – that you…” Blinking as Tyson laughed at him, he scowled as it all made sense. “You were waiting for me.”
“Of course,” Tyson replied, still grinning. “I knew that you would come up eventually. All I had to do was wait.”
Growling, Ray yanked the other man close and, ignoring his stupid smiling lips, pressed a kiss to them. “You, Tyson Ritter, are the bane of my existence.”
“I love you too. Now, I’m fairly certain that we have a bed somewhere…?”
It took barely a minute for them to get back to their room.
Author:
ashling_lilyWordcount: 2,561
Rating: PG
Pairing: Ray Toro/ Tyson Ritter
Summary: Ray understands that Tyson gets along with everyone. He’s that type of man, despite what the world has dealt him. And in their new line of ‘profession’, it was a necessity. But this Nickolas fellow was rubbing him the wrong way entirely.
Disclaimer: This entire story is fake, and I do not claim affiliation with any of the person’s mentioned, nor of any elements taken from the Leviathan Series.
Warnings: Mentions of human/animal experimentation, manipulation of genetics
Author’s Note: I was originally going to write something else entirely, but by the time it got to 28 pages in length and it was the day before posting finished, I decided to try something else. This is also an AU based around the Leviathan Series. All you really need to know is that countries like England, France and Russia figured out how to manipulate DNA and create giant ‘beasities’, such as a zeppelin-esque whale. Oh, and also that Gerard is the Captain of a giant turtle submarine. That’s about it.
Thanks to
nuclearxsquid for the betaing :DRay gritted his teeth as he watched Tyson talk animatedly with their newest passenger, a Mister Nickolas Wheeler. They were sitting at the kitchens table, shoulders brushing as Tyson examined Nickolas’ hands. While he understood why Tyson was examining the other man’s hands, he didn’t particularly care for the amount of time Tyson spent on holding the other man’s hands.
Forcibly turning himself away, he headed for the bridge, hoping to distract himself. Ever since they had rescued Nickolas from the south of Austria-Hungary, Tyson had been spending a ridiculous – at least to him – amount of time with the man. Yes, he too had experienced similar conditions as Tyson, what with being experimented on from a young age and having his life strands twisted with those of animals – an illegal and morally offensive act – but… Ray missed Tyson, as absurd as it sounded, and he hadn’t been able to spend any quality time with his lover ever since they had picked the other man up.
Entering the bridge, he ignored Frank’s knowing grin and leant against the back wall. In front of him, the sea parted way in front of the view glass, bubbles, various bits of seaweed and small fish coming into view before disappearing.
“So,” Frank started, casually, tilting the controls. “How has our newest passenger settled in?”
“Fine,” Ray bit out shortly, crossing his arms. “He’s as right as rain.”
“Has young Tyson been helping him settle in?” Frank asked innocently, a small smirk quirking his lips.
“Of course,” Ray snapped. “He’s been explaining things to Mr Wheeler ever since we rescued him. He’s been the perfect host.”
Frank was grinning at him, his face entirely too smug. Ray had always known that he was a bastard. “Perfect? I’d say he’s been more than that. He’s been very accommodating-” Ray growled and took a threatening step forward just as Gerard walked in.
The captain jumped, hands raised. “What’s happening?” Ray huffed and looked away, determinedly looking out the view glass.
Frank however, gleefully, spun his chair around and explained. “Ray is turning a very ugly shade of green, Captain,” he said, grinning. “He’s almost as green as the Robin.”
“What?” Gerard said, turning and blinking at Ray. “Why are you green?”
Ray glared at Frank. “I am not jealous! Nor am I turning green,” he added for Gerard’s benefit. “He’s got it in his head that I’m - unhappy about our new passenger.”
Frank snickered loudly. “You should have seen his face earlier!” he crowed. “The muscles twitching and jerking as Tyson escorted the man on. It was beautiful. Like the plays in the theatre, pure theatrical delight!”
Ray glared at him again and stomped out of the room, ignoring the Italian man’s hysterical laughter. It was probably time for Frank to take another swim in the waste tanks, he mused darkly. That should make him less likely to poke fun at his relationship.
Pausing at the entranceway into the kitchen, he listened to the murmur of voices from inside. He didn’t particularly want to walk in there and listen to Tyson and Nickolas cha away in German, with no idea of what they were saying, nor did he want to hide in his rooms like a boy told off by his parents. Deciding on his best alternative, he unscrewed the porthole into the Robin’s innards and climbed down. Instantly the smell of salt, waste and something distinctly fishy met his nose.
Ignoring the way the smell made his nose burn slightly, he started to check over the various beasties that made up the Robin’s insides. Like all ships created by the British, the Robin had been spun from the Life Threads of various animals. The main bulk of the ship was that of a turtle, significantly larger than any other turtle found on earth and bred to hold the weight of a metal hull on its back. Inside the beast, its innards had been twisted so that space for various other beasts could fit into it, and allow the Robin’s crew to travel underwater.
Walking down the narrow pathway that followed the Robin’s spine, he headed for the stingray tanks. They had picked up a couple of messenger rays while back in London getting information about the mission, and it was always necessary to give the beasts a check over. They sometimes went a bit mad when moved to a new environment and did all types of stupid things if you weren’t careful.
Crouching down near one of the tanks, Ray tapped at the water, calling one of the sting rays to the surface. It swam up gracefully and brushed against his hand, its skin gliding against his palm. Smiling, he ran a hand over the animal, making sure that it was healthy and uninjured. The green stripe down its back marked it as a ray that would head for London port when released. Sighing, he petted it one more time before sitting back against the walking platform, watching as the ray sunk back down into the water to frolic with its tank-mates.
“Ray?” Looking up, Ray nodded at Gerard. The captain hesitantly approached, being careful not to disrupt the various organisms that made up the Robin’s insides. Although Gerard regularly wandered around the Robin whenever he pleased, he would very rarely ever be found inside its innards. If he was coming down here, he obviously thought that it was important. “Can we talk?”
“Yes. Sure.” Leaning back on his arms, Ray patiently waited for the man to reach him and sit down.
Gerard slowly sat down before focusing his gaze on him. “Frank told me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Ray instantly replied.
“Well, okay, maybe not wrong,” Gerard amended quickly. “But it’s bothering you, this thing between Tyson and Nickolas.”
Ray sighed and looked up at the red of the Robin’s insides. “I – he – I shouldn’t be upset,” he said at last. “Ever since we started this mission for the Zoo, picking up the people that the Institute experimented on, he’s always been there helping them along and being useful, it’s just... this time…” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Usually they don’t get along as… well, as he and this Nickolas fellow are, and I…”
Gerard hummed in sympathy and patted his shoulder. “I understand my friend. I do. It’s hard, keeping relationships secret, especially when all you would really like to say is that ‘He is mine and no you can’t have him’.” Gerard shrugged. “I wish that I could say it got easier with time, but… that’s not necessarily true.”
Ray sighed. “How do you and Frank do it? How do you keep from going insane when the whole world refuses to contemplate that you should be together?”
“We’re lucky, we’ve got the Robin,” Gerard replied, shrugging. “And you eventually get used to touching less in public, and keeping yourself contained while around other people. It’s never easy, but habits begin to become ingrained.”
“I just wish…” Ray sighed and shook his head. “In some ways I wish that he had never been experimented on, so that he would not be so alone sometimes, and so that he would not cling so desperately to these people that we find. But then I think, without it, would he and I have ever met? Would we be together as we are now?” He shrugged. “It’s all fanciful imaginings, but you’ve got to wonder sometimes.”
Gerard patted his shoulder again. “Fanciful imaginings are all well and good, but it is reality that we have to work with. Talk to him,” he continued, giving Ray’s shoulder a firm squeeze. “Talk and just spend time in his company. It’ll help.” The captain glanced around. “It will help more than sitting down here will.”
Ray sighed. “Perhaps you are right.” Sending the Gerard a small smile, he got to his feet and helped the other man to his feet. “One quick question though; how much longer until we reach England?”
-)-(-
Ray sighed as he climbed into his and Tyson’s bed. Only Mikey was supposed to remain awake to ensure that the Robin stayed on course, yet Tyson and Nickolas continued to talk into the night. None of his subtle suggestions seemed to have registered with Tyson, so in the end he had given up and headed for bed, ignoring Frank’s knowing grin and Gerard’s concerned eyes. He was perfectly able to go to bed without his lover; he had done it many times. The fact that said lover seemed to want to spend his time with another man (that he met only a few days ago) had no impact on his actions or behaviour. Despite what Frank had said, he did not pout.
Turning the handle next to his bed, he dimmed the lights just enough to sleep comfortably but ensured that the room was bright enough that if Tyson did wish to come to bed, he would be able to see. Forcibly ignoring the glaringly empty section of the bed, he closed his eyes and focused his mind on the matter at hand: sleep.
Two hours later though, he threw his blankets off in disgust and sat up, leaning against the metal wall. What could they be talking about? What on earth could be so fascinating that they had to stay up all night? Could they not talk about it during the day? Namely, when he wasn’t waiting for Tyson to get to bed?
Irritably, he crossed his arms and glared at the door, hoping that if he just thought hard enough, that Tyson would come through the door. After another few minutes of this however, he sighed angrily and got up, running a hand through his hair and straightening his clothes. He was just going to get a glass of water. That was it. Water. He was most definitely not going to check on them and see if Tyson had noticed his absence.
Edging his door open, he headed for the ladder and started climbing. Straining his ears, he listened for the tell-tale sign of voices, but he couldn’t hear a thing. Maybe they had moved to somewhere else on the ship? The bridge maybe? Pausing he glanced down the corridor to the room that Nickolas had taken. No. No of course not. Tyson would never. Shaking his head he hurriedly climbed the rest of the ladder. They must be in the bridge. They must.
Reaching the top, he swiftly headed for the hull before a voice made him freeze. “Evening.”
Spinning around, Ray blinked. Tyson was lounging comfortably at the kitchen table, a cup of tea nestled between his hands. Alone. “Uh, evening.” He frowned and looked around. “I thought… has Nickolas gone to relieve himself?”
“No,” Tyson replied blithely, sipping at his tea.
“Oh. Has he gone to fetch something?”
“No.”
“Um… then… why is he not-”
“Sitting here having tea?” Tyson suggested, raising an eyebrow at him. “Because he went to bed shortly after you did. I’m surprised that you did not notice him yawning. Then again, you were so intently focused on your bootlaces it would have been hard for you to notice.”
Ray felt the beginnings of a blush on his cheeks. “Oh… um…”
The other man set his tea aside and stood up. “You know, Frank told me something interesting just before he went to bed.” Before Ray could say anything, Tyson stepped forward and pressed a finger to Ray’s lips. “Apparently, he thinks you’re jealous of Nick.” Ray tried to say something, but Tyson just pressed his fingers more firmly against his lips. “And as much as I’m sure he exaggerated and embellished the tales of your grinding teeth and scowls to sink the navy’s fleet, I think-” Tyson raised an eyebrow “- I think that he is correct.”
Sighing, Ray glanced away. “You probably shouldn’t tell him that, it’ll just inflate his ego,” he muttered, lips brushing against the Tyson’s finger.
“I wouldn’t have to if he had only been lying,” Tyson retorted, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Ray’s waist. “You dummkopf, why are you jealous?”
Taking the opportunity to also wrap his arms around Tyson, Ray shook his head and hid it in the other man’s neck, pressing close against the scarf that was wrapped around his neck. “I don’t know. You two just seemed to get along so famously, and you only ever spoke in German, and you have this-” here he nosed at Tyson’s neck, where the gills created by experiments were hidden by the scarf “-to connect you. I just felt… out of place.”
Tyson huffed. “We speak German because that is the only language that Nick knows, and if I did not speak to him, I doubt that Mikey would. We have many things in common, partially because we are both Clanker and partially because we have, as you have put, a shared physical condition. However,” Tyson continued, pulling back to meet his eyes. “That does not change how I feel about you. Nor does it mean that you have no place with me.” Tyson squeezed him gently. “You’re mine, as I am yours, and although Nick and I enjoy each other’s company, you mean something else entirely to me.”
Ray sighed. “I have truly been a dummkopf, haven’t I?” Tyson nodded. Shaking his head, he bent forwards and once again hid his face in Tyson’s neck. “Forgive me?”
“Of course. If you promise to stop being so idiotic,” Tyson responded, smiling gently to cushion his words.
“I’ll try.” Squeezing the younger man, Ray pulled back and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I am surprised though. Usually you are not this eloquent while speaking. Are you secretly a master of the heart now?”
Tyson grinned. “Well, no, but I have had the past two hours to think of what I was going to say once you got suspicious enough to investigate.”
Ray froze, staring at the other man. “You mean that you – and he wasn’t – that you…” Blinking as Tyson laughed at him, he scowled as it all made sense. “You were waiting for me.”
“Of course,” Tyson replied, still grinning. “I knew that you would come up eventually. All I had to do was wait.”
Growling, Ray yanked the other man close and, ignoring his stupid smiling lips, pressed a kiss to them. “You, Tyson Ritter, are the bane of my existence.”
“I love you too. Now, I’m fairly certain that we have a bed somewhere…?”
It took barely a minute for them to get back to their room.