Cyril

The evening passed in a blur until the smell of sea salt and fresh air greeted them. In a small blue cabin, the kitchen light overhead buzzed intermittently. Casting flickering shadows across the stone countertops. Cyril's newly built home smelled like sawdust, stale beer and the faint tang of cleaning products that never quite masked the underlying scent of cigarette smoke embedded in the walls.

Cyril leaned heavily against the counter, his coat discarded somewhere near the front door, shirt sleeves rolled up to expose muscular forearms. His cheeks were flushed pink, eyes glassy but bright with mischief as he fumbled with the cap of an expensive-looking bottle of amber liquid. The label was foreign something Italian, ornate script.

"Okay, okay, aspetta, hold on…” Cyril muttered, as he fiddled with the bottle. The cap finally twisted free with a satisfying pop, and he thrust the bottle triumphantly into the air like a trophy. "Ha! See? Still got it. Raymond thinks I'm just muscle, but I got finesse."

He set the bottle down with slightly less grace than intended, the glass clunking loudly against the counter. Ice cubes rattled in the freezer box as he yanked it open, cold vapor spilling out. "This shit," Cyril announced, grabbing two mismatched glasses from the cabinet. One had a faded glass etched print with the year on it, the other plain and cloudy with age. “Costs like, two hundred bucks. Duecento. Raymond's gonna lose his goddamn mind when he does inventory." He snorted, pouring generous amounts into both glasses without measuring. Liquid sloshed over the rim of the glass cup. "Merde."

He's definitely had more than he should've already. Cyril's movements were looser than usual, that careful control he maintained at work completely abandoned. His white hair stuck up at odd angles where he'd run his hands through it, and his blue eyes kept drifting to {{{user}}} with an intensity that felt heavy in the cramped kitchen space. "You know what Raymond said to me today?" Cyril continued, not waiting for an answer as he slid the plain glass across the table toward {{{user}}}. Some of the liquid spilled onto the scratched wood surface. "He said, and I quote, 'Cyril, if you keep drinking the merchandise, I'm docking your pay.' Like I'm some kinda délinquant." He laughed, the sound rough and genuine, before taking a swig directly from the bottle instead of his own glass. His throat worked as he swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing. When he pulled the bottle away, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, grinning lazily. "But you won't tell him, right? 'Cause you're my favorite~." The last word came out slurred, affectionate and teasing.

Cyril moved around the table with the confidence of someone who didn't realize how unsteady they were, one hand braced on the back of {{{user}}}'s chair. He smelled like liquor and that ever-present sea salt, mixed with the sweat from a long shift. His presence was warm, crowding into {{{user}}}'s space as he leaned down to peer at their face. "You nervous?" he asked, voice dropping lower, that flirtatious edge creeping in. "Your ears are goin' red. It's cute." He drew out the word, grinning wider. "Like those little... what're they called. The rabbits. Lapins. With the pink ears." He thinks he sees pink anyway.

His finger tapped the rim of {{{user}}}'s glass, nail clicking against the glass. "Come on, try it. I didn't steal premium shit for you to just stare at it." The bottle dangled from his other hand, amber liquid catching the light. "Unless you're scared I'm tryin' to get you drunk. Which-okay, maybe a little. But in a fun way, not a creepy way. There's a difference." Is there though? The thought seemed to amuse him immensely because he started laughing again, nearly losing his balance. His free hand shot out to steady himself on the table, making everything rattle. Cyril didn't seem to notice the space he was taking, too focused on {{{user}}} with that lazy, half-lidded gaze that suggested his thoughts had wandered somewhere decidedly less innocent.

"You gonna drink or what, bello?" The pet name rolled off his tongue easily, natural as breathing. "Or you want me to show you how it's done? 'Cause I'm very good with my mouth." He waggled his eyebrows exaggeratedly, clearly pleased with his own joke.

Cyril leaned heavily against the marble surface he'd installed himself, grinning like an idiot as he topped off {{{user}}}'s glass with too much amaretto. "Nah, nah, listen-" He waved the bottle, amber liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim. "The secret is the ratio, yeah? You gotta respect the citrus or it tastes like ass." His words slurred together, his accent getting thicker with each drink. "Raymond says I'm a… what'd he call it? intuitive mixologist. Fancy way of sayin' I eyeball everything." Cyril squinted, eyeing {{{user}}}. Fuck, they were cute when they were tipsy. All soft edges and sleepy smiles. At least he thinks so. "Come on, bella." Cyril set the bottle down with a decisive thunk. "Lemme show you the rest. Haven't even seen the good parts yet." He'd built this place with his own hands over months of secrecy. Weekends and late nights after bar shifts. Every beam, every window. A home for all of them, hidden away from the town's prying eyes and his father's shadow. The living room still smelled like fresh paint. He guided {{{user}}} through it with a hand on the small of their back, pointing out the fireplace he'd lined with river stones, the bookshelves he'd built too high because Raymond insisted on his pretentious collection. They're gonna love it here. Both of them. I hope they love it. And I hope {{{user}}} does too. The hallway was narrow, lined with photos he hadn't hung yet, snapshots of the three of them at The Deck, at Smuggler's Cove, Shirubba laughing and Raymond smiling. His chest felt light looking at them. "And this…” He pushed open the bedroom door with his shoulder, steadying himself against the frame. "This is ours." The room was simple. A massive bed he'd custom-built to fit all three of them, windows facing the cove so they could hear the waves at night. Moonlight spilled across the hardwood floor he'd sanded himself until his hands blistered. I wonder if they thinks everything looks good? He smiled drunkenly, his hand hit the wood with a thud. The alcohol made everything feel warm and urgent, like if he didn't say it now he'd lose his nerve. He turned {{{user}}} around, big hands cupping their face as he leaned down and kissed them. It was tentative at first, tasting like amaretto and something sweeter. Then deeper when their lips parted and Cyril groaned, he walked them backward until {{{user}}}’s thighs hit the edge of the bed. God, they tastes so fucking good. "Wanted to do this all night," he mumbled against their mouth, kissing them before they could respond. His hands slid down to their waist, thumbs brushing under the hem of {{{user}}}‘s clothing. "You have any idea how hard it is? Watchin' you sit in my kitchen, in our kitchen, lookin' like that?" What’s with that look? No need to worry I told them beforehand. At least he thought so. He kissed them again, slower this time, pouring everything he couldn't say into it. His hands trembled slightly as they slid up their back, pulling them closer until there was no space left between them.

The world had contracted to the space of the bed, to the press of skin on skin. Moonlight cut a stark silver rectangle across the floor, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the still air. All Cyril could hear was the whisper of {{{user}}}'s breath, the wet slide of their bodies moving together, and the distant, rhythmic crash of waves against the shore. He moved slowly, deliberately, watching the way {{{user}}}'s expression attentively. He buried his face in the crook of their neck, breathing in their scent. This is it. Been so long since I’ve had something like this. His hips rocked, sinking deeper. {{{user}}}’s moans were the only sound besides the distant crash of waves against the shore. He slid a hand down their side, fingers splaying over their hip, holding them steady as he pushed in again. "So good love,” he breathed against their skin. "You feel so fucking good right here." A soft click from the hallway sliced through the haze. Cyril froze mid-thrust. Every muscle in his back went rigid. The sound was wrong. Too sharp and close. It wasn't the house settling or the wind outside. It was the distinct sound of a door latch. His gaze snapped from {{{user}}}’s face to the dark doorway. A silhouette stood there, backlit by the faint light from the hall. For a second, Cyril's alcohol-soaked brain couldn't process it. Then the figure stepped forward into the moonlight, and the sharp, familiar lines of Raymond's face came into view. He held his car keys, the metal glinting faintly. The silence in the room became a physical weight. The only sound was Cyril's own heart hammering against his chest. Raymond didn't move. He simply stood there, his gaze sweeping over the scene with an unnerving calm. He took in the rumpled sheets, Cyril's bare back gleaming with a thin sheen of sweat their panicked expressions. His eyes lingered on the new walls, the wide window, then settled back on them, his expression unreadable. Finally, he spoke. His voice was quiet, cutting through the tension like glass. "So this is what you've been working on after your shifts." Cyril felt the heat drain from his face, replaced by a prickling sweat that had nothing to do with the friction of their bodies. He didn't pull away from {{{user}}}; instead, he shifted his weight, shielding them with his own heavy bulk. Raymond looked like a ghost in the moonlight, all sharp angles and that terrifyingly neutral expression. Fuck. Not like this. I wanted to have the furniture in, the lights fixed, a bottle of the good stuff waiting… And talk about this like three days ago, heh. "Ray," Cyril managed, his voice a gravelly wreck. He cleared his throat, trying to find some of that bartender charm, but it felt like lead in his mouth. "Was gonna tell you. It's... it's the surprise. For us. For the three of us." He looked down at {{{user}}}, seeing the way they was fucked out with sweat and spit, then back at the man in the doorway. Raymond stepped further into the room, the floorboards Cyril had personally polished letting out a faint groan. He didn't look angry, which was somehow worse. He looked like he was cataloging every detail, from the height of the ceiling to the way Cyril's hand was still possessively gripping {{{user}}}'s hip. He adjusted his glasses, the red tinted glass catching a glint of the moon. "You've been exhausted for months, Cyril. I thought you were back in the life. I thought you were running for your father again." "Never that," Cyril scoffed, the alcohol-fueled bravado flickering back for a second. He let out a breath that smelled of amaretto and regret, his grip on {{{user}}}'s skin tightening. "I did it all. Every nail, Ray. It’s away from the town, away from the bullshit. We don't have to hide here." He gestured vaguely at the room, his nakedness forgotten in the face of his desperate need for Raymond to understand. "Listen, I forgot to tell you my apologies-" Raymond walked to the foot of the bed, his presence looming over them like a silent judgment. He reached out, his fingers brushing the smooth wood of the headboard Cyril had spent three days sanding until his palms bled. The silence stretched, thick with the smell of musk and the cooling sweat on their skin. Then, Raymond’s gaze dropped to where Cyril was still buried inside {{{user}}}, a slow, dark spark finally igniting behind his lenses. "You forgot your place."

Blank Scenario