little runaway / jace

Every now and then he would wonder if it was the age difference, though he could never remember a time when sex was a huge deal to him. Throughout his life he'd exposed to certain events that made it lesser than an expression of love. To Elie, it only brought negative connotations and bad memories. This red-head was the only exception. He was rough and sometimes his temper got the better of him, but he was so passionate and honest when it came to his feelings. The way he reacted before stepping in the tub softened the brunette. He did something wrong. Because he hadn't meant to be rude, he didn't know what he did. Like most of the lover's in the boy's life, he was left to assume he was unwanted.

He sighed, mainly for his own sake but also the water was really helping him unwind. As his partner joined him, the closer Jace came the further back Elie reclined. Rested against his chest, he craned his neck to bring the ginger's face into peripheral view. "How's work been?" It seemed better to start there. The last thing he wanted was to set the male off again by asking how he's been, or if he'd slept well. A lot of the time, discussion felt stupid to the brunette. He didn't really know anyone that truly cared to answers these sort of things, much less did he--his upbringing taught him to survive on his own, quiet and fundamentally alone.

A lithe hand reached for the soap. He much more appreciated when Jace held him, did little things for him, or simply wanted to be around him just to be around him. It was a sappy, he knew, but stuff like that he never experienced often--someone that cared. The water felt so soothing, if the other had answered he forgot to pay attention. Holding the bar behind him he gave a request, "wash my back?" But really he'd rather just melt into Jace and sleep right here, just like this in the tub. There was so much comfort in simply having someone with him that made a lot of his problems dissipate like the wisps radiated by the hot water.

Something severe was rising to the surface, as though there might be a shark in the water. Élie hadn't meant to reject Jace's first attempts to rouse a reaction, and in fact he wasn't necessarily rejecting him. He wanted him, but he was being so forward at the moment it scared the brunette for reasons he didn't comprehend. A bundle of anxiety made his legs quiver to the second attempt, yet this time Jace did something that worried him for other reasons.

Arms held his waist, like a child clings to its mother. This was how Élie held his own mother when he was frightened or unsure so the action deeply resonated with him. There was something wrong, something had to be on the red-head's mind that he couldn't alleviate. Water fell from his hand as he lifted it from the depths, digits spilling wetness into Jace's hair as he combed it back with his fingertips.

He didn't abide to the latter's request to flip over, because actually bathing didn't seem so important anymore. Not that it ever was, just that there was a more pressing matter that had come to light and quite honestly Élie didn't think he could handle it sober. After all, as a kid he ran away all the time only to come back to people that couldn't possibly care any less.

Now he had come home to Jace, whom seemed to care way more than he was prepared to endure. The brunette watched the latter with the same carefulness. The ginger's display seemed so desperate to have him join the picture, but Élie couldn't figure out what it was he was supposed to do next. He didn't know how to process being wanted so badly, or what to do to make his partner happy. And in that splint second, it showed in his eyes--regret.

They clenched shut immediately. Élie couldn't believe he could be such a selfish asshole. Everything he did would just hurt this man. He was broken, couldn't respond right and it brought a flush of embarressment to his face to see Jace acting this way just to get his attention. A little attention after the brunette ran off and did God knows what, with God knows who. The helpless boy eased toward the latter, wrapping his arms around the male's neck where his face was buried. It broke his heart to think, because of him, things would never go back to how they were.

"I was gone too long--I think... we have a lot to catch up on." And just so Jace was sure what he meant, one arm snaked down his form until it rested on the man's submerged abdomen.