"Cypress"

The bike tour was surprisingly enjoyable. The guide stopped every few minutes, dismounting her bike and gesturing for everyone to do the same, and pointed out a building to describe who or what had made it famous. The ride itself was pleasant - the terrain completely flat and the sun half-hidden by clouds. And while Zechs had appreciated the tour - learning more about the island, its history and its more famous inhabitants - the main appeal for him had undoubtedly been Trowa.

When the younger man had knocked on his door that morning with coffee in hand and fedora and glasses obscuring most of his face except for his smirk, Zechs had found himself unaccountably eager.

Not just for the chance to admire Trowa's ass while he biked just ahead of Zechs, but to spend time with him. Trowa was intelligent, clever, and his humor a blend of sarcasm and teasing that appealed to Zechs.

And he had clearly loved every minute of the tour - asking questions of the guide, looking over his shoulder to smirk at Zechs or point things out. His enthusiasm was refreshing, after the cynics Zechs spent most of his life around.

His vacation was rapidly becoming about more than just a change in scenery.

At the end of the tour, they returned their bikes and sat down to eat a slice of key lime pie - included in the tour fees and, the guide assured them as she handed out the plates, required for a real Key West experience.

Zechs didn't know how much he cared or agreed with that statement.

He did know that watching Trowa eat his slice of pie was something that surely belonged in a pornographic film. The man didn't care at all that they were in public. He tilted his head back for each bite, inserting the fork head fully into his mouth and slowly sliding it out from between his lips and then licking them clean.

They were halfway through the pie slices, with Zechs unsure he would even be able to finish his without hauling Trowa off somewhere and replacing that fork with something much larger and rather uncomfortably hard, when Trowa stretched out his legs. He tangled them with Zechs's under the table and leaned back in his chair.

"Have any plans for the rest of the day?" he asked.

Zechs gave him a look, but Trowa just continued to smirk.

"Nothing concrete," Zechs said. He had used all of his guide books to make a tentative itinerary for himself before arriving yesterday. But after meeting Trowa, Zechs was willing to bet that whatever plans he had made already wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable as anything Trowa wanted to do.

"You?" he asked, after watching Trowa perform fellatio on another forkful of pie.

"Work," Trowa shrugged. "I want to go to a few of the museums this afternoon. Care to escort me?"

As if Zechs would even want to say no after Trowa's performance.

"I would," Zechs told him. "I'd like to shower first." He hadn't bothered with one that morning, anticipating a more athletic jaunt than the sedate bike tour, and the need for a shower after the exercise.

"Hm." Trowa finished off his pie, giving his fork one last sensual swipe. "You know, with the hotel being so keen on sustainability, we should probably try to conserve the water."

Zechs felt his lips twitch.

"What did you have in mind?"

Trowa shrugged one shoulder and then rose from the table, the slight bulge in the front of his shorts unmistakable.

"We could always share a shower - for the sake of the environment."

Zechs leaned back in his chair and looked over Trowa's body, admiring the tight fit of his shirt and the shorts, which had been tight even before having to cover the additional length of Trowa's erection.

"Well, if it's for the environment."

The walk back to the hotel gave Zechs just enough time to fantasize about all of the ways he wanted to put Trowa's mouth to use. After letting the younger man tease him for nearly half an hour with that damn pie, Zechs felt he was entitled to make Trowa give him the same kind of attention.

Trowa's room was closer, and while Zechs's room wasn't more than a few feet beyond, they both made the decision that expediency was important.

Trowa pushed Zechs up against the door and leaned up to kiss him. There was no pretense, no teasing - Trowa's lips were demanding, meeting Zechs's mouth in an open, searing press.

He wrapped his arms around the other man. Zechs smoothed his hands over Trowa's back, down his hips, and squeezed his firm ass before hauling him closer.

Trowa made a sound into Zechs's mouth, needy and wanton, and Zechs wanted nothing more than to hear it again, to hear more, to have Trowa naked and kneeling and begging for-

Trowa managed to open the door behind him, and Zechs momentarily lost his footing.

They stumbled into the room and Zechs regained his balance in time to push Trowa against the door, reversing their positions and using the other man's body to close the door.

He dimly heard the sound of Trowa dropping something - probably the key and his wallet - before Trowa's hands were around his neck and the man was clinging to him.

Zechs pulled Trowa's sunglasses away from his face, carelessly tossing them to the floor with his own.

Exposed, Trowa's face was utterly mesmerizing. The desire in his eyes, the flush of his cheeks and his swollen lips gave Zechs such visceral delight that he had to kiss him again, had to devour him.

"Fuck me," Trowa commanded as he broke away from the kiss and moaned into Zechs's neck. "I've been thinking about you all morning."

"Fuck you?" Zechs chuckled and pulled Trowa's arms away from his neck. He turned the man around, pressing his front against the door, and he squeezed Trowa's ass again with his hands. "Oh no. I'm not giving you what you want that easily."

Counter to his words, though, Zechs ground up against Trowa's ass, pressing his clothed erection against the other man and thrusting his hips forward a few times.

Trowa's hands fisted against the door, and he looked over his shoulder at Zechs.

"Going to punish me?" he asked, breathless and unabashedly eager.

Zechs laughed again.

"Punish you?" Zechs brought the flat of his hand down on Trowa's ass in a light, experimental spank.

Trowa pushed back against him.

"I would," Zechs slapped him again, a little harder, and Trowa moaned, "but you would enjoy it far, far too much. And besides, it's not your ass that's the problem, Trowa."

He moved his hand upwards, tracing over Trowa's side and smirking when the other man smirked and leaned back against him. He nipped at Trowa's ear and neck, making the other man squirm. He pinched Trowa's right nipple through the thin fabric of his shirt, and Trowa hissed.

"It's your mouth that makes you such a brat," Zechs said as his hand finally reached its destination. He traced over Trowa's lips, pulling his hand away when he felt the darting tip of Trowa's tongue reach out. "Isn't it?"

"Yes," Trowa panted. His own hands were being very industrious, reaching between their bodies to unfasten Zechs's shorts and push them down. Trowa squeezed his cock through the material of his briefs, his touch firm and confident despite the awkward position, and Zechs groaned.

"You are a very determined brat, aren't you?" Zechs growled.

Trowa chuckled, and then gasped when Zechs used his other hand to squeeze Trowa's own cock.

"It's the only way to get what I want," Trowa panted.

Trowa tugged Zechs's briefs down, freeing his cock, and Zechs pushed Trowa's hands away before thrusting against Trowa's ass again, the friction of Trowa's clothes against his bare, heated flesh bliss.

"And is that what you want? My cock?"

"Yes, fuck yes." Trowa pushed back against him, encouraging Zechs to hump against him.

Zechs stepped away from Trowa, ignoring the other man's impatient grumble.

He toed off his shoes and pulled his shirt over his head while Trowa watched him.

After pulling off his socks, Zechs straightened up and looked down at himself, at the precum smeared on the tip of his hard cock and the flush of arousal that colored the shaft.

He curved one hand around his length, easing his foreskin back, and looked up in time to see Trowa licking his lips.

"Strip," Zechs ordered.

Trowa turned around to face him. He removed his fedora and tossed it towards the dresser. His bangs fell down across his forehead, hiding one of his eyes.

Zechs stroked himself while he watched. Trowa took his time, some of his equilibrium clearly restored, as he grabbed the hem of his shirt and slowly pulled it over his head.

He had tattoos, the largest over his heart. It took Zechs a moment to make sense of the abstract lines and the blue watercolor design over it, but then he recognized it as a lion in full roar. Trowa also had tattoos of two arrows, both aimed in different directions, running down his right side. The tattoo that drew drew Zechs's attention the most, however, was a black and white bird hovering above and to the right of Trowa's navel. The bird's wings were spread in flight, but instead of feathers, the wings were made of music notes that seemed to be floating away.

He was distracted by Trowa's hands reaching down to the waist of his shorts and slowly unfastening them.

Zechs wasn't the least surprised to see that Trowa wasn't wearing underwear.

The other man's cock was long, slim and lifted in a slight, graceful curve. Zechs felt his mouth water at the sight. He wondered what Trowa would taste like, wondered if he would cry out as he came.

Trowa had to balance on one foot as he pulled off his socks and shoes, but once he was back on two feet, he arched an eyebrow at Zechs.

"Well, now do I get fucked?"

Zechs chuckled, and let go of his own cock to reach out and pull Trowa close, running his hands over Trowa's skin and smirking when the other man shuddered and leaned into him.

"We really need to work on how you ask for things, Trowa."

The man shivered at his own name. He tilted his head up and ran his tongue over Zechs's throat, down to his clavicle and lower, until he swirled around Zechs's right pectoral and then sucked on the hardened nipple there.

"Want me to say please?" Trowa looked up at him, mischief in his green eyes, before biting down.

Zechs hissed from the pain and pleasure, and he threaded his fingers through Trowa's hair, cradling his skull.

He felt Trowa lave at the mark, his hot tongue easing the pain, and then Trowa's lips were pressed against the same spot, applying pressure as he sucked on the flesh.

Zechs arched an eyebrow. Trowa was still looking directly at him, and with Zechs's grip on his head, it would be easy enough to pull him away.

"Brat," Zechs muttered as he tightened his grip on Trowa's hair.

He hadn't been marked by a lover in… years. And while Zechs himself had a certain fondness for marking his lovers, a fondness that he could admit came from his possessiveness, Zechs's last partner, a lawyer in a rival firm that he had dated for almost two years, had scoffed and pushed Zechs away when he had suggested leaving a mark on him the night before he left on a two-week business trip.

When Trowa pulled back, he pressed a lingering kiss to his handiwork and straightened up.

Zechs looked down to see the angry red mark. It would be tender, and it would definitely be visible.

"Staking your claim?" Zechs asked. Some of the mischief left Trowa's eyes, replaced with uncertainty.

Zechs pulled Trowa close again, urging him up onto his toes, and kissed him, slanting his mouth over Trowa's and trying to convey his pleasure, his undiminished need for the other man.

Trowa kissed him back, uncertainty quickly fading, and soon they were both breathless, hard cocks leaving wet trails on each other's bodies, and Zechs wanted, needed, more.

"Get on the bed."

"What happened to our shower?" Trowa asked, but he walked backwards to the bed without hesitation, sitting down and then scooting backwards until he was against the headboard. He spread his legs wide, bending his knees and showing off his body for Zechs.

"We'll get there," Zechs promised him.

He followed Trowa onto the bed, crawling across it and kissing Trowa's lips again, sucking on his lower lip and biting into it before releasing him.

"But first, I think it's only fair I leave a mark of my own."

He heard Trowa's breath catch, and Zechs held his gaze as he trailed his right hand over Trowa's body.

"Not here." He traced over the lion's mane before moving down to Trowa's quivering belly. He leaned down and licked the bird tattoo, sucking the skin into his mouth momentarily before releasing it.

"Or there. I doubt I could improve on it."

Trowa chuckled, the sound as breathless as it was amused, and Zechs smirked.

He ran his hand over Trowa's groin, tugging on the auburn curls until Trowa arched up into his touch. He ignored the other man's cock, though, and instead spread his fingers over Trowa's left thigh, pushing his leg open wider and tracing over the sensitive skin.

"Hm. Perhaps here?" He grazed his thumb over the femoral artery just below Trowa's hip.

"Yes," Trowa breathed.

Zechs arched an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, please."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Trowa chuckled.

"It had fucking better be."

Zechs was all too happy to oblige him.

He lowered his head and placed an open-mouthed kiss on the area. He could feel Trowa tense beneath him in anticipation. He teased Trowa's skin with his tongue and then sucked the wet, tender flesh into his mouth.

He could feel Trowa's cock against the back of his head.

Trowa whimpered, and Zechs saw him clutching the sheets with his hands.

Zechs caressed the man's skin, running one hand from Trowa's ankle to up his calf and over his thigh even as Trowa trembled under him.

As he finished, Zechs bit down, and Trowa whimpered.

"Now that we're even," Zechs said as propped himself up to admire his handiwork, the skin already mottled with red and violet, "was there something else you wanted?"

"Please fuck me."

Zechs chuckled.

"See, you're learning."

Trowa glared at him, but Zechs just pulled him up into a kiss, fitting Trowa onto his lap and groaning in satisfaction as his cock settled between the firm globes of Trowa's ass.

"You're determined to teach me how to be a good boy, aren't you?" Trowa rocked against him, the teasing movement of his body not nearly enough.

"Someone needs to."

Trowa smirked.

"Sounds like a lot of work for someone on vacation."

"I've been accused of being a workaholic before."

Zechs eased Trowa back onto the bed, spreading him out and running his hands over Trowa's skin. He took Trowa's hard cock in one hand and gave it a firm stroke.

Trowa released a shuddery sigh and arched up into the touch.

"Tell me you have condoms and lube."

Trowa's eyes sparkled.

"Why? You didn't have the chance to stop by Leather Master?"

"Not yet. You'll have to take me by there later. I'm sure millennials need an in-depth review."

Trowa chuckled.

"Then who am I to deny them?" He pointed towards the nightstand on the left side of the bed. "In that drawer."

Zechs released him and shifted back to allow Trowa to move.

The other man rolled to the side of the bed and opened the drawer. Giving Zechs his first full view of Trowa's back and the tattoos inked over his skin there.

It was interesting. Trowa clothed looked almost like a borderline fraternity boy. Trowa naked… was a delightful surprise.

Trowa presented Zechs with a wrapped condom and a bottle of lube.

"Strawberry?"

"Not my choice. It was a welcoming gift."

Trowa had said he'd fucked Alex.

"Is that a problem?" Trowa asked cautiously.

"No, but we're definitely going to Leather Master later. Strawberry."

Trowa snorted a laugh and took the bottle back.

"It doesn't taste bad," he said, and squirted some onto his hand. He stroked his cock, coating it, and looked up at Zechs, the expression on his face somewhere between expectant and uncertain again.

Zechs lowered his head and lapped at Trowa's cock. It had the synthetic, chemical taste of a fruit syrup, but it wasn't overpowering.

"It's not terrible," Zechs confirmed, before taking Trowa's cock back into his mouth, wrapping his tongue around the shaft, and easing it fully into his mouth.

Trowa groaned.

"Fuck," he panted, and his hands gripped Zechs's hair as Zechs started to suck on him, guiding Trowa's cock in and out of his mouth in steady, languid movements. He kept his pace slow, teasing Trowa, torturing the both of them when all either of them wanted was for Zechs to bury his cock in Trowa's ass. Still, Zechs had told Trowa he wasn't going to give him what he wanted too easily. And Zechs did want to taste Trowa's cum.

Zechs fondled Trowa's sac, squeezing gently and rolling the flesh between his fingers until Trowa whimpered and spread his legs wide. Zechs smoothed his fingers over Trowa's perineum, pressing down, and Trowa's hips jerked up.

"Fuck," Trowa moaned again, and his body quivered as Zechs swallowed his cock to the root. He ran his teeth along the underside as he pulled back and then he took it deeply again, moving faster and sucking Trowa deeper.

"Fuck, fuck, Zechs, please. Please, I'm-"

Zechs could feel Trowa's thighs tense under him, and he held him in place when Trowa started to move away.

Trowa's fingers tightened in his hair painfully, digging into his scalp.

"Zechs!"

It was immensely gratifying to hear Trowa call out his name even as the back of Zechs's throat was coated with cum, the thick, salty cream coming in wave after wave, until at last Trowa relaxed his death grip on Zechs and swore again.

"Holy shit. That was- Fuck, Zechs."

He released Trowa's spent cock and leaned back to see Trowa's head buried in the pillows, his hands over his face and his chest heaving.

"My pleasure."

Trowa snorted and propped himself up. They shared a smirk at the reference to the previous night.

"I- There aren't that many guys who give head like that," Trowa said.

"I trust I'll earn a decent rating from you, then." Zechs didn't care that Trowa had likely been with at least two other men in Key West, but he didn't really need to be compared to either of them. Any of them, for that matter.

"I just meant- I'm usually the one giving head."

Now Zechs understood. As a younger man, first finding his way in the gay community, he had been with older men, men who liked their partners young, hot and submissive. And while Zechs had discovered he preferred to top, he definitely didn't take any less pleasure now than he had then at sucking cock.

"Well, I had to reward you for finally saying please."

Trowa laughed.

"Still planning on punishing me?"

Zechs reached out and took Trowa's right hand. He guided it to his still-hard cock.

"What do you think?"

Trowa's breath caught, and he squeezed Zechs's cock eagerly.

Zechs reached for the lube and spread some of it on his fingers.

Trowa rose onto his knees, and Zechs obligingly lay down on his back so that Trowa could straddle him.

He found Trowa's anus and circled it.

Trowa's grip on Zechs's cock tightened as Zechs slowly inserted one finger into the tight, hot sheath of Trowa's body.

Zechs curved his finger forward, searching until he found Trowa's prostate.

Trowa squeezed his eyes shut.

"Fuck. Fuck, Zechs."

"Your mouth," Zechs growled.

"What about it?" Trowa panted.

"It needs to be washed out."

"You're the one who took the detour from the shower," Trowa reminded him. "Maybe later you can wash it out for me. Think your cum will do the job?"

"I think we'll have to try."

Trowa smirked down at him, and then groaned when Zechs eased in a second finger. Trowa rocked back against him, his body drawing Zechs's fingers deeper, and Zechs could see that Trowa's cock was already getting hard again.

Oh, to be young again.

He remembered being in college, remembered his freshman roommate who insisted that jacking each other off wasn't gay, insisted that blowjobs weren't that gay, insisted that if they took turns fucking each other then it was okay. One orgasm had led to another had led to another, until they fell asleep on stained sheets night after night, until Zechs finally started dating and his roommate had been left to fend for himself.

Zechs reached for the condom he had abandoned earlier.

Trowa took it from him, opening it and moving away from Zechs's fingers so he could roll the condom down Zechs's neglected cock. Trowa spread more of the strawberry lube over Zechs's cock, coating it thoroughly before he positioned it at his anus.

Trowa guided Zechs's cock inside him, slowly impaling himself until he was fully seated, and Zechs could feel Trowa's body clench around him.

"You feel very, very good."

Trowa smirked.

"So do you."

Trowa rose up onto his knees and then sat back down, the movement making Zechs groan and reach out to hold Trowa's hips. He let the other man set his own pace, let Trowa rise and fall above him, and tried his best to keep still.

"What happened to punishing me?" Trowa asked.

Zechs narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on Trowa's hips. He pulled the man up and then pushed him back down, thrusting upwards at the same time, and Trowa threw his head back.

"Fuck, yes. Please, Zechs."

"I do like hearing you say please," Zechs admitted as he repeated the action.

"Please, please, please," Trowa moaned as Zechs bounced him up and down, holding Trowa upright while he plunged his cock deep into Trowa's body over and over again, until they were both panting and groaning and Trowa's moans had lost any coherency.

"This," Zechs growled as he gave a sharp thrust, "is how brats get fucked, Trowa."

"Yes," Trowa agreed, one of his hands worked frantically over his own cock and the other alternating between pinching his own nipples and digging into Zechs's shoulder.

"Are you going to come for me, Trowa?"

"Yes, fuck yes, Zechs. I-"

"Come for me," Zechs crooned even as he pistoned his hips forcefully, feeling his own climax approach.

"Ughgn!" Trowa's body drew Zechs even deeper, his muscles clenching as he came, and Zechs pounded into him again and again, and-

He climax hit him like a bus, ecstasy pulsing through his body and momentarily blinding him. He clung to Trowa's body as he rode wave after wave of pleasure, realizing belatedly he was likely going to leave bruises on the other man's hips.

Zechs released his grip on Trowa and the other man fell down onto his chest, breathing just as heavily as Zechs. Laying together, they struggled to catch their breaths.

"I'm so glad we didn't fuck last night," Trowa said.

"What?"

"I can't imagine trying to ride a bike all morning after that."

Zechs chuckled and wrapped one arm around Trowa. He pressed a kiss to Trowa's temple.

"Thank you," he said.

Trowa turned his head and looked at him.

"For what? Being a brat?"

"That, and for a very good vacation."

Trowa smirked and shifted.

Zechs could feel his cock ease from Trowa's body, and he felt Trowa's cum smear between them.

"About that shower…"

"Hm. Yeah. Sure. Now you want to shower."

Zechs arched an eyebrow.

"You don't?"

"No." Trowa reached down and pulled off the condom. He rolled off the bed and crossed the room, dropping it into a trashcan before coming back to the bed and laying down on top of Zechs again. "I just want to lay here."

"I thought you had work."

Trowa grumbled and curled against Zechs, pillowing his head between Zechs's right shoulder and his chest.

"I always have work. I thought you were on vacation."

Zechs smoothed one hand down Trowa's back, repeating the motion when Trowa sighed in contentment.

"Just give me a few minutes and then we'll shower. Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Hm. Depends on if we make it that far before you remember what a dirty mouth I have."

Zechs ran his thumb over said mouth.

Trowa nipped at him, and Zechs smirked before adjusting the pillows under his head.

It would feel good to close his eyes for a few minutes, especially with Trowa wrapped around him and his body still feeling boneless and sated.

-o-

When Zechs woke up, he was cold and alone.

He looked around the room, rolling over and finally seeing Trowa sitting at a desk across the room, typing away on a computer.

Zechs had no idea what time it was - the sun was still high and bright outside of the shuttered windows - and he hoped he hadn't slept for long.

"What time is it?"

Trowa looked over his shoulder at him and smirked. He was still naked, Zechs realized when Trowa pushed away from the desk and stood up.

"Just after two." Trowa stretched and crossed back to the bed. He sat down beside Zechs. "Still up for that shower?"

"That, and hopefully something to eat."

"More pie?"

"Please tell me you don't eat every meal like that."

Trowa's eyes sparkled.

"Guess you'll have to find out." He reached out and squeezed Zechs's thigh. "Come on, we can see how comfortable the shower tiles are under my knees and then find some place that sells fried conch."

The tiles, it turned out, weren't at all comfortable. Despite Trowa insisting he was fine, Zechs didn't much care for looking down to see Trowa wincing while his cheeks bulged with Zechs's cock. He pulled him to his feet and managed to convince Trowa that trading very soapy handjobs was more than enough to satisfy him.

He went back to his own room to dress, crossing the courtyard in just a towel while clutching his old clothes and hoping the occupant of the third room stayed indoors.

It was already three by the time they were both dressed and Zechs met Trowa by the pool.

Trowa's face was once again hidden by his sunglasses and hat, but Zechs didn't think he was imagining the warm curve to Trowa's ever-present smirk.

"We might not make it to any museums today," Trowa mused as they walked towards the pier together.

"I'll survive the disappointment somehow."

"Look, you don't have to… It's your vacation. You aren't obligated to me or anything."

Zechs looked over at Trowa and saw that his smirk had slid into a frown.

"I'm aware that it's my vacation," he said carefully. He wasn't sure what he had said that was wrong, but it was clear that Trowa was uneasy. Uncertain.

Zechs realized that this was a pattern, looking back over last night and the events of today. Trowa seemed to withdraw himself and his confidence whenever he feared he had given too much of himself away or thought he was about to be rejected.

Zechs reached out for Trowa, tucking his hand into Trowa's back pocket and pulling him closer.

"I've enjoyed spending time with you, and I'd like to spend more time with you. But I don't want to get in the way of your work, and I don't want you to feel obligated to spend time with me."

Trowa's body was tense and his lips still tight.

Zechs gave his ass a squeeze, and Trowa's eyes widened. He looked up at Zechs.

"Do you want to spend time with me?"

"Yes," Trowa hissed.

"Tell me when that changes. And I'll do the same."

Trowa still looked doubtful, but he didn't try to argue the point.

While it wasn't exactly comfortable to keep walking with his hand in Trowa's back pocket, the other man made no move to pull away and Zechs enjoyed the novelty of it.

Trowa took them to the Conch Republic Seafood Company, giving Zechs an apologetic look as he finally stepped away when a woman with a double stroller almost ran them down.

The restaurant was full of other tourists, but Trowa managed to talk the waiter into sitting them outside, a good way away from the handful of families.

"I'm sorry," Trowa sighed, after their waiter took their drink order.

"For what?"

Trowa shrugged one shoulder.

"For… being me."

"I like you."

Trowa gave him a look.

"I do," Zechs insisted.

"There are easier ways to get laid than dealing with me."

Zechs found it intriguing that someone who projected confidence as much as Trowa did really was so unsure of himself.

"I like dealing with you. You-" He had to pause as a shouting child ran past their table, chasing after another, equally loud one. "You take me to all the best places," he finished.

Trowa rolled his eyes.

"Look, I know I'm not-"

Zechs reached under the table and put his hand on Trowa's thigh, over the mark he had made earlier in the day.

Trowa stilled.

"Do you want to spend time with me?" he repeated his earlier question.

"Yes," Trowa sighed.

"Then spend time with me. I like you. I like dealing with you. I like brats," he added with a smirk. "I can remind you just how much later. If you want me to. Or need me to. But for now, I need you to tell me what to order."

He left his hand on Trowa's thigh, and Trowa settled back into his chair and finally picked up his menu.

Trowa ordered for them, staring down the waiter when he glanced at Zechs's hand under the glass tabletop and its proximity to Trowa's groin.

"Leather Master is just a few minutes away," Trowa said once they were alone again.

Zechs arched an eyebrow.

"You want to walk around all afternoon carrying a bag from there?"

Trowa smirked.

"I was planning on us going back to my room after getting a less offensive lube for you and spending the afternoon in bed."

"Hm. Not a bad plan. What about later?"

Trowa's lips quirked.

"Have you been to the Garden of Eden?"

Zechs had heard of the bar, but had never been. He shook his head.

"Have any interest in going?"

The bar was very famously clothing optional.

Zechs squeezed Trowa's thigh.

"Is that why you marked me earlier?"

Trowa gave him a look.

"You need to work on looking innocent," Zechs told him.

Trowa smirked.

"I don't have much experience with it," he confessed.

The waiter came back with their food - three different dishes featuring fried conch - and Zechs finally withdrew his hand from Trowa's lap.

"We don't have to go," Trowa said. "I can go another night on my own. It's not… it's not actually my kind of thing, but my boss thinks it will appeal to the readers."

Zechs could understand that. He shrugged.

"I don't mind going. What's the music like?"

Trowa rolled his eyes.

"It's not Sinatra."

The meal was pleasant, if unexceptional.

Zechs didn't think much of the conch outside of it being a vehicle for batter, but after Trowa eased into eating and drinking, he grew less tense and fell into his pattern of teasing Zechs.

After eating, they walked the half-mile to Leather Master. Zechs had been pretty sure of what to expect, based on the name, and reality did not disappoint.

Trowa's slightly wide-eyed gaze, however, had Zechs smirking and putting his hand back into the other man's back pocket.

"See anything you want to review?"

Trowa gave him a look that was half-exasperated and half-hopeful.

Zechs continued to smirk as he tugged Trowa down the aisle towards the lube, an aisle that had an assortment of toys that ranged in size from petite to monstrous. Zech stopped in front of a black, glittering dildo that he judged to be about the same size as his own cock when fully erect.

"You know, if you want to get a toy we should get a water based lubricant," he mused.

Trowa was blushing as he shook his head.

"We can just get a silicone lubricant."

Zechs didn't want to push him past his comfort level, especially when he felt confident he could think of plenty of ways to make Trowa blush again without having to use a dildo.

They continued down the aisle, and Trowa picked up a bottle of Swiss Navy silicone lubricant. He held it up for Zechs's inspection.

"Will this meet your high standards?"

"I don't think a dislike for strawberry flavored lube counts as high standards," Zechs muttered, but he removed his hand from Trowa's ass and took the bottle from him.

Their walk to the register took them down another aisle, one that showed off the handmade leather goods that the store seemed most proud of.

Zechs saw Trowa's eyes linger on a pair of cuffs. They were mostly black, the leather shining with oil, but strips of purple leather had been woven around the circumference of the cuffs, and the metal buckles and eyes were made of dark, nearly black steel that gleamed.

"It seems a shame to shop at a place called Leather Master and not get something made from leather," Zechs murmured.

Trowa looked at Zechs over his shoulder.

"Would they be for me or for you?"

The question made Zechs chuckle. He hadn't considered that Trowa would even be interested in restraining him.

"I suppose that depends on how much of a brat you intend to be," Zechs said, tilting his head down to say the words directly into Trowa's ear.

Trowa shivered.

"If you're going to punish me the same way you did earlier, I can't promise to behave any better."

Zechs picked up the pair of cuffs and ran his fingers over the smooth leather. The headboards in their hotel rooms were slatted, Mission style, and he was fairly confident that, with a bit of chain to connect the cuffs, he could loop them through the slats on the headboard.

He saw Trowa watching him closely and arched an eyebrow at him.

"Do you want them?"

The expression on Trowa's face clearly said yes, but Zechs waited.

"Yes. Please," he added, when Zechs opened his mouth.

Zechs smirked and picked up a length of chain in the same dark finish. It would connect the cuffs, and definitely be long enough to thread through the headboard.

Zechs insisted on paying for the cuffs, chain and lube, and on carrying the very nondescript and yet simultaneously conspicuous black plastic bag back to the hotel.

As they walked through the pool area and into the crowd of guests, Zechs realized it was the hotel's cocktail hour.

He looked over at Trowa, who shrugged.

"I never pass up free liquor," he said.

They walked over to the bar, manned once again by Alex.

The hotel clerk looked at them, then at the black bag in Zechs's hand.

"Looks like you two are planning on having a good night," he said, sounding wistful.

"It's Key West," Trowa said. "I thought the plan was always to have a good night."

"Fair. What can I get you to drink?"

"I'll have a Tom Collins," Zechs said. The French 75 had been nice the previous evening, but if Alex was going to balk over a gin and tonic, at least a Tom Collins was the next closest thing.

"The same."

Alex started to mix the drinks.

"Got any plans for tomorrow?" Alex directed the question at Trowa.

The other man shrugged one shoulder.

"It's my day off," Alex said. "I could take you around, show you some of the local places to swim."

Trowa turned his head in Zechs's direction, his expression impossible to read behind his glasses.

"I promised Zechs I would spend the day with him," Trowa said.

Alex rolled his eyes.

"You can't come down to paradise and just spend all your time in bed. You gotta live a little, too."

"Don't worry, we will," Zechs assured Alex, and took the two drinks from him.

Trowa left a few singles as a tip, and they made their way through the pool area and to the courtyard outside of their rooms.

They sat down in two adirondack chairs that were side-by-side, and Zechs handed Trowa one of the drinks.

"You don't have to spend tomorrow with me," Trowa said.

"If I want to, what would I be escorting you to this time?"

"Snorkeling or kayaking in the afternoon. Maybe another attempt at the museums in the morning." Trowa ran his fingers over the condensation on his glass.

"I did want to go kayaking," Zechs admitted. "Assuming we make it out of bed."

Trowa smirked and gestured towards the bag.

"There's a chance one of us might not."

-o-

TBC, because I cannot seem to stay away from these two