"What did you say this was?" Derek asked, salivating over his tenth lumpia roll that night.
Greyson let a small and real smile at Derek's enjoyment. It gave him a sense of accomplishment. Someone was enjoying the food he made. Not to mention it was his cultural food. It was a great feeling no one could replace.
He wanted to make Derek feel the same way.
He peered over a plate of almost orange rice. He saw tomatoes, onions, and peppers scattered around the well-seasoned rice and smiled. He didn't usually indulge in rice because of the carbs and the way they made him feel but this dish changed his mind just by looking at it.
He took a fork-full of rice and ate it as carefully as possible. He didn't want to dirty Derek's floor.
His mouth burst with different flavors. It reminded him off how flavorful some Indian dishes were. He nodded and looked a Derek with bright eyes.
"T'is 's incr'eba–able…" He spoke with a half-full mouth.
Derek laughed fondly at the immature action. "I messed with the recipe a bit."
Greyson nodded at Derek's explanation.
"Do you prepare it similar to the way they fry rice in some parts of Asia?" Greyson asked, genuinely curious.
"Well you prepare this kinda intrigue sauce almost? You have to like boil this mix of bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions. Then make this oil, onion, and tomato pastes mixture also… Then you like combine them after a little bit and–" Derek stopped himself from talking after a moment.
Greyson tilted his head, waiting for Derek to continue.
"Then you add the rice?" Greyson asked.
Derek nodded, running his hand through his hair.
"Yeah, sorry. I just don't want to talk too much." Derek expressed.
Greyson shook his head, "No. I think it's cute when people talk about their culture." He replied.
Derek looked blankly at Greyson for a moment, before he looked away. Was it a habit to say such heart-turning things? He turned away to hide the blush in his ears.
"So, what about lumpia? How is that made?" Derek tried to change the subject, taking another bite of another lumpia roll.
Greyson hummed, "Well you take square spring roll wrappers, not circle ones. And you pre-make this mix of pork and various veggies and you put just a little over the corner in the shape of a cylinder. There's this technique you need to wrap it correctly, but I did kinda mess up a few…" He explained, full of passion.
Derek chuckled, getting a look at some of the more deformed ones. "Rusty?" He teased.
Greyson huffed, "Sadly. I don't cook Filipino food often."
Derek nodded. He already knew why.
"Same here, to be honest. Had no one to make it for."
Greyson nodded at Derek's words.
"Now we have each other though, right?" Greyson asked, fully serious.
Derek wasn't familiar with having crushes. But he would've loved to kiss Greyson right then and there. Greyson's hair was ever-so-slightly wispy around his forehead and stains of red tickled at the sides of his mouth. Greyson's cheeks were slightly raised due to his upbeat mood and he looked happy. Derek liked how 'happy' looked on Greyson. But he knew better than to kiss a taken man, Derek. He was better than Louis.
"Yeah." Derek smiled, trying to keep his eyes from checking Greyson out. "Wanna try the chicken with the rice?" He proposed.
Greyson was all for it.
–+–
Greyson lugged wiped empy platters and plastic bag of the Nigerian leftovers two doors over to his apartment.
Derek stood at the door of his own apartment, waving Greyson goodbye under the moth-hugged mellow lights of the apartment's night. His smiling face was illuminated as were his well-toned arms.
Greyson waved back, knocking at the door to his apartment with a forced down smile. Being too happy about hanging out with another man in front of your already-on-the-edge boyfriend was not a good idea.
He gestured for Derek to go back in and he did. Derek was a good listener.
After about a minute, Louis opened the door.
He didn't seem mad upon Greyson's analysis. He stared at the bag in Greyson's hand.
"What's that?" He asked.
"It's Nigerian chicken and rice." Greyson watered it down. He knew Louis wouldn't care for the details.
"Hm." Louis scrutinized the bag for a moment longer before looking at Greyson, "Did you have fun?"
Greyson nodded.
Louis nodded. He looked Greyson up and down, borderline checking him out.
Greyson felt crazy bloated. He had eaten too much there, but it was worth it. "I'm gonna go shower now, okay? If you want to watch a movie after you can find one." He spoke casually, trying to slip past Louis.
Louis stayed silent, only lightly taking Greyson's wrist into his hand.
Greyson almost flinched.
"I don't want to watch a movie tonight." Louis said.
Greyson knew.
"Then what?"
Greyson knew.
"You know what." Louis said quietly, ominously.
Greyson sighed and shook out of Louis's grasp. He placed the food on the kitchen island along with the empty platters. He wasn't in the mood right now. He didn't like having sex when he felt fat.
"You don't have to do anything. I'll make you feel good." Louis pushed.
Greyson stayed silent.
"I haven't asked lately." Louis pushed.
Greyson stayed silent.
"I've been good, lately. I haven't been drinking." Louis pushed.
'I haven't been drinking' Greyson froze. Perhaps he owed Louis something. Perhaps if he deprived Louis of sex for too long, he would find it somewhere else. Greyson didn't want that. Greyson didn't want that, not again.
"Only with the lights off." Greyson replied after a beat of silence.
It took less than a second for Louis to pounce on him like a starving cat.
Greyson found himself against his wall next to the door to their bedroom. Louis kissed Greyson, hard. Somehow, Louis was already hard.
"Ah!" Greyson whimpered as Louis bit into the higher part of his neck. "No marks…" He whispered through struggle. Louis's knee was placed between Greyson's legs. Louis pressed harder after Greyson's words.
"Lou–" Greyson tried to protest when Louis tried to press his teeth into Greyson's neck again. But Louis pressed his hardened cock against Greyson's slowly growing. Greyson placed his head upon Louis's shoulder at the wave of pleasure.
"We can cover them." Louis spoke between breaths.
He dug his teeth, again into Greyson's neck. Louis watched the red spots deepen in color with a blank but possessive stare.
The lights, beyond Greyson's control, stayed on.
–+–
"Fun night?" Elise asked with a chuckle.
She gestured to the poorly covered hickeys littering Greyson's neck.
Greyson glared at Elise.
"Was he trying to suck the blood out of your neck or what?" She joked.
"None of your business." Greyson replied coldly.
He was slightly sore in his bottom. Louis seemed especially rough having not topped for a long while. Greyson usually was the one to top nowadays but he wasn't one to complain.
"Customers are gonna stare at you all day if you have them out like that." Elise noted more seriously.
Greyson looked at her blankly.
Elise sighed. "Need help covering them up?" She asked.
Greyson had to look away to admit his need for help.