mitsubishievo | (no subject)

Proko opened the door and blinked when he saw Kavinsky. He was standing there in shorts and a tank top, his binder visible underneath. "Kav," he breathed, right before a grin cracked his face. "Holy shit, man, you could've fuckin' warned me."

But he pulled Kavinsky into the place and closed the door. He had the AC going to keep the place cool. With the humidity being what it usually was, it was almost pointless to bother turning them off now that the summer was really going. "Shit, man."

He only had a bag with him, and his easy smile, and Kavinsky slipped into the apartment from dewy morning to ice-box chill. He laughed a little bit and gently kicked Proko's shin. "Would've ruined the fun, man. Lemme put my shit in your room."

"Yeah, yeah totally." Proko led Kav through the place - it was a small house, with a modest living room and a small kitchen. Upstairs, two bedrooms and a bathroom. Proko pulled Kav into the larger of the rooms.

And as soon as Kav put the back down, Proko wrapped him in a tight hug, nose buried against his neck.

Kav wrapped his arms around Proko. Holding him, he was suddenly very aware of the hows and whys of his leaving so early in the morning to get here just as dawn was becoming morning. His body ached a little bit, bruises under his clothes. He squeezed Proko a little tighter.

"Hey, loner."

"Not by choice," he mumbled against Kav's neck. He sighed, fingers loosely tangling in Kavinsky's hair for a moment. He'd been doing fine, but it was almost harder knowing Jiang was just over a fucking wall and Proko couldn't see him, couldn't even really be in touch with him. Jiang didn't have any privileges for the summer; he got a phone call a week and had access to mail - that was it. Proko sent postcards, which seemed ridiculous since he was right fuckin there; he had a few of them from Jiang by the bed.

"You doing okay?" he asked as he eased back not quite letting go of him.

"Yeah," Kav assured, light and breezy and content, calm, now that he was here. It would be better with Jiang, but that wasn't going to happen. And for so long, even in the knot of their group back in Henrietta, it had just been Kavinsky and Proko. He was at peace here.

"Just needed to get out of the City for a little while, you know?"

Proko scritched his fingers along Kav's scalp. "Wanna lay in a while? It's fuckin' early, man." Kav must have gotten up ass early or just not gone to sleep. Proko drew away, hand sliding down Kav's until he could catch his wrist and pull him toward the low bed.

"You get that thing I sent you?"

Kavinsky appreciated that Proko had at least attempted to settled the bed, to make this room more his own. He liked it. It felt like Proko, more than the room in his parents house ever had.

They tumbled into bed together, and Kavinsky toed off his shoes clumsily. "Yeah, I got the thing you sent me. Perv."

"You fuckin' liked it, I bet," he insisted, grinning as he pressed close to Kav. He kept the bedroom cold so he could sleep under blankets, and it made snuggling up to a Bulgarian appealing in ways that heat and humidity just weren't conducive to.

Kavinsky hemmed and hawed and admitted to nothing. He tugged at Proko's tank top gently, and then whispered, "Should you be sleeping in your binder, bro? Isn't that shit, like, bad for your ribs?"

His fingers brushed flesh. They'd never really talked about that one time, hooking up at the substance party. Kavinsky wasn't going to talk about it right now, either.

"Yeah, it is. I passed out with it on." He knew he needed to be more careful; used to be that Jiang would make sure it was off before Proko fell asleep. "You okay if I take it off?" Kav had loosened it at the substance party, but. They both had been pretty fucked up.

"Man, it's your ribcage," Kavinsky said, dismissive to the point of obviousness. It wasn't as if he'd never seen what Proko had on offer before. That video he'd sent had shown plenty, and Kavinsky had touched when they'd fucked.

He brushed his knuckles against Proko's skin. "What, you need me to turn around or something? Modesty curtain or whatever?"

Proko just rolled his eyes and rolled onto his back so he could get his binder loose. He breathed deep when he did and worked it off beneath his tank top, then tossed it - carefully - off the side of the bed. He lolled his head and promptly stuck his tongue out at Kav.

"There, okay?"

Kavinsky stayed where he was, watched the way Proko moved to get the binder off without revealing anything but flashes. He scooted in close against Proko's back and wrapped his arms around him, just under the swell of his breasts. It was a protective, possessive sort of hold. Kavinsky didn't let up.

His expression softened and he let his hand rest over Kavinsky's arm, keeping it right where it was. "Hey, Yosef," he murmured, quiet, just between them. "You know you can come down here whenever you want, yeah?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" Kavinsky said, murmured, back. His nose brushed the nape of Proko's neck. They'd never really done this in Henrietta, though they'd leaned into each other often, like old, rickety buildings. He rolled his wrist under Proko's touch; they were tender under the soft fabric of his unseasonable shirt.

"You can come up too," he said. "I'm pretty sure I pay twice your rent for an apartment half the size of your bedroom, but. New York."

"New York," he echoed. Somehow it felt like abandonment to leave while Jiang was doing his summer training, but... Wouldn't he rather Proko be out doing things? He'd mention it in his next postcard, or maybe on the phone call that was coming up this week.

"Doesn't get hot up there?" he asked, knowing damn well that it did. He tugged at Kav's long sleeve. "You want a t-shirt, man?"

"I'm cool," Kavinsky said, after a quiet delay. He wasn't, but it was fine. "You're living in an ice box, man, I don't wanna shiver to death."

"You're not," he countered. He turned a little so he could look at Kav's face. "I'm gonna ask later." But he wouldn't push it now. Something was off, he could tell, but it could wait. Kav was here, and he was okay while he was here.

Kavinsky shoved Proko's head gently. He wasn't tired. "It's fine, I'm cool. I thought we were sleeping. Better do it before it gets too hot out and we melt despite your ice box air-con."

"Go to sleep, man."

Proko laid there quietly, sort of drifting off but mostly awake while Kavinsky falls asleep. He wanted to look under the long sleeved shirt but he didn't want to wake him up. He had no idea what was going on, but it was nothing good. After a few hours of lounging he slid out of bed, making sure Kav was covered with a blanket.

He headed downstairs, still in just a tank top and pair of short Adidas shorts. He turned on one of his Pandora stations and plugged his phone into the speaker set in the living room. Proko rubbed his neck as he went into the kitchen to turn on the Keurig. It was easier with just him and one roommate, and even when Jiang could hang around, they didn't need whole pots. Not yet. He wondered if Kav was hungry and danced around a little as he browsed through the kitchen. Maybe he'd just take him out or something.

Kavinsky slept.

When he rose, he came down, following the noise of music and futzing in the kitchen. Even though the whole apartment was cool, the lower floor wasn't quite as cool as the high-bore A/C in Proko's room. He rolled up his sleeves on his way down.

He leaned against the doorway into the kitchen and watched Proko. All those legs, and the way the tank top hung low around his arms, showing his ribs and the tasteful peak of his breast.

Kavinsky wolf-whistled.

Proko jumped, because he wasn't expecting the sound and he hadn't noticed Kav in the doorway. He threw a balled up napkin at him. "Don't be an ass. You want coffee?" He jerked his chin toward the Keurig; there was already a mug sitting next to it that proclaimed Probably Coffee.

His smile faded when he saw the bruises circling Kavinsky's wrists and in an instant Proko was across the small kitchen, downright gentle as he caught one of Kav's forearms. "What the fuck is this?"

Kavinsky pulled his arm away and shoved his sleeves back down. "Nothing. Yeah, I want coffee. And bourbon, if you've got it. We got food in this place?"

"Yeah that's not nothing, man. Good try though. What happened?" Even as he asked he let Kav go, got the stupid coffee thing going and put the mug under. Then he turned an insistent look on Kavinsky. "Are there more?"