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Kremy didn’t frequent taverns recreationally, he rarely entered them without business to do inside. But tonight? He was tired from travel, and he was staying there for the night, so he figured he might as well enjoy a drink at the bar before knocking out until late morning.
He hadn’t expected, but the drink he batted his eyelashes and casted a quiet suggestion to get for free was nice, it went down smooth and had loosened some of the tightness in his muscles.
The tavern was busy, but no one bothered Kremy. That was, until a large figure came into his peripheral vision, sitting in the seat next to him at the bar.
Kremy glanced over, trying not to be too conspicuous (you never knew when someone was going to threaten you for “looking at them weird,” it was better to be careful). The man next to him was a fire genasi, tall and strong. His skin was red so were the little horns sticking out from his forehead. He had thick brown hair with a full beard and mustache; the ends of his hair seemed to flicker slightly. On second glance, Kremy couldn’t help but tonight the way his tight shirt clung to his muscles, the top several buttons undone.
Kremy kept stealing glances, noticing more and more details; the manacles around both his wrists, the way his pants were just a little tight, the way he laughed broad and loud with his head thrown back or his shoulders hunched over. Kremy told himself it was because he couldn’t shake a sense of familiarity, but really, he just liked looking. The man was undeniably hot, with that face and voice and figure and—
“Do you want me to buy you a drink, doll?”
Kremy’s eyes immediately widened, realizing he had got caught looking. “I didn’t— I wasn’t—” He cleared his throat, “What I mean to say is—”
The man laughed at Kremy’s stuttering, interrupting him, “It’s alright, hon, I don’t mind the looks. ‘Specially not from someone as pretty as you.”
A sweet talker, of course. Could this get any more mortifying?
Kremy smoothed out his suit jacket, gathering himself. He was not about to be flustered by a handsome face, a muscular build, and a couple pet names. He was better than that. “Pardon me, I just can’t shake the feeling that you look familiar.” It wasn’t untrue, even if it wasn’t Kremy’s main reason for looking.
The man looked a little disappointed, if anything, but he raised an eyebrow and said, “The name’s Gideon Coal, do I know you? I certainly think I’d remember a face like yours, but even good things slip my mind sometimes.”
God, this guy really didn’t stop with the compliments, did he? It wasn’t the first time Kremy had been hit on, of course, but he wasn’t used to it by any means. It threw off his own smooth talking abilities slightly, leaving him struggling to keep up.
That name though… Kremy was fairly sure he’d never known a Gideon, but, “Coal… do you have a sister? Cousin?”
Gideon gave Kremy a strange look, tilting his head, “No, I don’t.” He furrowed his brow and said, “What’s your name?”
“Kremy Lecroux.”
The fire genasi was quiet for a moment, then let out a laugh and said, “Oh, Kremy! I remember you! Gods, it’s been a long time. No, no, I don’t have any relatives you would know.”
It was Kremy’s turn to look at Gideon strangely, “I’m almost entirely certain I never knew a Gideon Coal. I may have known a—”
Gideon cut him off before he could finish, “I’m the person you’re thinking of.”
It took Kremy a moment to process what Gideon meant, but it clicked after a few seconds. “Ohh, I see,” Kremy hummed, “That makes sense, then. I couldn’t get over this vague sense of familiarity, but I was pretty sure I didn’t fully recognize you.” He took a sip of his drink, giving Gideon a look out of the corner of his eye and casually saying, “You’ve grown into yourself well. Can’t say I saw it coming, but I’m in favor of the outcome.”
“I knew you weren’t just lookin’ at me with curiosity,” Gideon flicked his eyes up and down Kremy’s figure. There was a hint of relief on his face that he tried to cover with a coy grin as he continued, “So, how would you feel about that drink, sweetheart?”
Kremy exhaled a laugh, making eye contact, “Drop the ego and I’ll consider it.”
“Hey, it ain’t ego to point out the obvious,” Gideon rested his elbow on his leg as he leaned towards Kremy, “And it ain’t ego to take that as a yes, either.”
Kremy ran his tongue along the back of his teeth, realizing what he was in for with this man, “You’re lucky you’ve got the face to back up all that talk. Haven’t decided if you have anything else of substance going on, though.”
“Ouch, that was unnecessary,” Gideon pouted, but Kremy could see the sparkle in his eyes. He maintained eye contact as he waved the bartender over, “What’d’ya want?”
“What can you afford?” Kremy didn’t feel bad fucking with the guy a little; they didn’t really know each other, after all. He hardly thinks their brief acquaintance all those years ago counts, especially considering just how much Gideon has changed since then.
“Expensive tastes, hm? A man after my own heart,” Gideon chuckled, not faltering, “Personally, I’m partial to a nice whiskey.”
“Rum would be my preference,” Kremy said before finishing his current drink. He hadn’t been planning on having more than one, but if he wasn’t paying for it… Well, a free drink had never done him wrong (not that he had paid for his first drink, but this was different).
The bartender was in front of Gideon now, and they asked, “What can I get ya?”
“What’s the… I don’t know, third most expensive rum you’ve got? Y’know, not top shelf, but still nice?”
Kremy couldn’t fault Gideon for that, nodding when the bartender replied and Gideon tilted his head towards Kremy in questioning.
“Y’gonna call me cheap for not getting top shelf, or are you lettin’ that slide?” Gideon asked, that coy smile playing at his lips again. The bartender was quick to grab a bottle from the shelf and set a glass down in front of Kremy. He took a sip of the drink, then spoke,
“Hey, that’s more expensive than what I would’ve gotten for myself, so I’d say you passed that round,” Kremy mirrored a similar expression back. It had been a while since he played this game, and he was going to have fun with it.
“Happy to hear I’m passing your trials, doll,” Gideon paused, then said, “What are we thinkin’ I get if I win?”
“Careful, you’re pushing it,” Kremy’s tone was teasing and he looked up at Gideon through his lashes.
Gideon hummed, taking a sip of his drink. Kremy tried not to make it obvious that he watched Gideon’s throat bob as he did. “The good kind of pushing it? That’s important info to me, I do love me a good flirt.”
Kremy sighed dramatically, “You’re takin’ all the fun out of it by askin’, but yes, if you must know.”
“Hey, just gotta make sure you’re not tellin’ me to fuck off,” Gideon shrugged, then his expression and tone turned towards suggestive, “So, about that prize?”
Kremy pretended to think, taking a long and exaggerated sip from his drink. He stared ahead, feeling Gideon’s eyes burning into him from the side. He slid his gaze back over to Gideon, his tone casual as if he were discussing the weather, “Y’know, I think the bed in my hotel room looked big enough for two.”
Gideon’s eyebrows shot up for a moment, then an accomplished grin spread across his face, “I have my doubts, we oughta test that theory.”
“Are you doubting my hypothesis, Mr. Coal?” Kremy was holding eye contact now, figuring how fast he could finish his drink without it being too fast. The appeal of this bar was quickly fading in light of having this fire genasi in his bed.
“I’m simply doin’ good science,” Gideon held his hands up in faux-defense, his eyes sparkling, “No hypothesis can stand untested, or whatever those smart folks say.”
Kremy ran his tongue along his teeth, pausing in thought. Gideon stared at him, not flinching away from the eye contact in the slightest. Then Kremy blinked, looked away for a second, then downed the rest of his drink in one go. He looked back at Gideon, a clear challenge in his eyes. That same smug grin crossed Gideon’s face before he followed suit. He pulled a few coins out of his pocket, leaving them on the bar for the drinks.
He stood, holding a hand out to Kremy, “Lead the way, good sir.”
Kremy chuckled, standing up too. He had to crane his neck up to look at Gideon, and a new wave of attraction washed over him. He blatantly looked Gideon up and down, letting out a low whistle, “Time really did good work with you.”
Gideon preened under the attention, clearly holding no reservations about his own attractiveness, “It wasn’t; without effort, believe me. I put in good work.”
“Well,” Kremy said, as he turned on his heel to lead Gideon upstairs to his room at the tavern, “It paid off.”