All The Ways We Touch [BxB]

forty-six - daddy issues pt. four

The sounds of the storm had fallen into the background so they were both surprised to see that a torrential downpour stood between them and the Land Rover. The hair on the back of Elliot's neck stood, either from the freezing wind whooshing around them or from knowing his father must be delighting in their predicament.

"Fuck," he muttered, closing the door behind them. Even though the weather was downright nasty, it was preferable to going back inside and possibly facing his father.

Frowning, Jamison watched as the rain fell in sheets so thick that it partially obscured the SUV. "We can't drive in this," he said, "it's too dangerous." A boom of thunder and a flash of lightning made Jamison flinch as he looked at Elliot for agreement.

"Yeah, well, it's dangerous inside the house, too," Elliot sighed, his warm breath suspended in the cold air until another gust blew it away. The only thing that made Elliot feel that they were safe—as in his father would not hurt Jamison—was that he clearly believed that he was the ticket to a successful senate run. He wouldn't have endured that conversation otherwise.

Going back inside almost felt like defeat, but Jamison knew it wasn't the case. Emotions were just running so high that everything felt positioned in a win-or-lose way. "We should go back inside," he said softly, looking up at him. Truthfully, with that lightning, he wasn't sure how safe it was for them to be outside at all.

Elliot gently kissed him. "Worried I won't be able to warm you back up?"

"Of course not," he murmured, resting his forehead against his shoulder, an arm wrapping around his waist to hold him close. He could already feel his warmth with how frigid the storm had made it outside.

Elliot wrapped his arms around him, taking a deep breath of the stormy air, the earthy scent grounding him. "Okay, we—"

The door opened behind them, Archie standing in the doorway. "Please come inside; it's not safe out here," he urged and held it open for them. "Please."

"Okay." Uncoupling from Jamison, he pulled him back inside. The size of the estate worked to their advantage. "Let's go to my room," he frowned, walking past him and leading Jamison through the house and up the stairs to the second floor. It was decorated with large and small pieces of framed art, most of which looked old and like it had been a part of the house for decades, though Jamison didn't have much time to get a look as Elliot pulled him down a hallway and into a large bedroom at the end.

Jamison's eyes went wide at the posters covering the walls of Elliot's childhood bedroom. From movies to bands to constellations and space, there was personality splashed everywhere he could see. "Wow, Elli, for a guy who's refused to decorate his home, these walls sure have a lot to say about you," he said, turning to smile at him.

"Yeah, I haven't really been in here much since I moved and kinda forgot how expressive I used to be," he shrugged, wandering over to a closet. "Do you regret not dressing comfortably now that we're trapped here until the storm breaks?"

Jamison looked up from where he'd been hunched over, scanning the random documents left on Elliot's desk. Old schoolwork and training schedules were scattered around books and stacks of CDs. In a way, it was like a moment in time had been preserved. He couldn't help but imagine that his brother's room was the same, not that he was going to ask. This was a bad place for Elliot to be, and he didn't want to make it worse. "No," he grinned, crossing the room and setting his hands on his hips, "because then I wouldn't have gotten to see you look extremely good in that tailored shirt."

Though he rolled his eyes, Elliot didn't even try to hold back his smile. He was still on an emotional rollercoaster from everything that had occurred but somehow, Jamison managed to continue to be upbeat despite all of what his father was threatening to put him through. Jamison's strength constantly amazed him, and he could barely reconcile this version of him with the one he'd met a month prior. "The good news is that I still have some clothes here that we can wear," he said, though he didn't shift or move away from him.