La Maison 3: Pretty (Complete: mxm)

Chapter 10: Pjuttost

A/N: I am sooo sorry this took so long. Bad few days and none of the stories I'm working on got more than a few paragraphs of focus. 😒

Anyhoo, you may recognize the scene here from 'Colors' and you may go, 'I remember more talking', or 'he didn't say it that way' – so it's a confirmation that any changes during different perspectives on the same scene are intentional because people's perspectives are different (but, also, this is the alt perspective from the *published* version of Colors, and I can't remember whether I made changes there anyway, so maybe it'll be barely connected, my bad if so). Unnecessary reminder Gray wasn't with Owen at this point - no cheating here. Feel free to ask if there's anything confusing.

River stayed close to Mat's side as they shuffled into the space, which had some bistro tables, but was mainly comfortable couches and armchairs. He felt a little abandoned by Ellis, who was curled up Master François' lap before they were even fully in, though he hoped all of Mat's earlier questions for Ellis might mean he knew what to do next.

Master Gray looked at them and turned to Ellis, letting out a pointed cough but not speaking.

"Ellis, why don't you show your friends the appropriate way to behave in here," Master François' said, and Ellis' eyes flashed guilty as he jumped up from his comfortable position before dropping to his knees by his Dom's side. He put his hands behind his back and lowered his head gracefully. River held back a laugh as Mat imitated him with a lot less grace, another flash of warm longing running through him, making him feel awkward and uncertain whether to copy, but everyone was looking at him in a way that made him feel incredibly exposed, stood like that, so he lowered himself like Ellis had, to the side of Master Gray. There was something reassuring about the man, though River felt as though everyone in the room was staring, knowing he didn't know what he was doing, even as he was aware how ridiculous that was to worry about being judged, here.

River was trying to be good – Ellis just seemed to hold the position without even shifting, relaxing into it with a calmness he hardly ever showed in normal circumstances, and River was trying to do the same, even if he could already feel an uncomfortable creep of sleep in his ankle. Mat wasn't helping. He wasn't the sitting-still-and-quiet type and even with his eyes down, out of the corner River could see Mat shifting, and the way his eyes kept flicking up to watch Nikki, who was still grinding away on Master Landon.

The Doms were talking to each other, but River let the words wash over him, so he jumped a little when he felt strong fingers cupping his jaw. His gaze darted to Mat to see Master Gray's other hand was on him, before flitting back to those clear brown eyes.

"There's a scene about to begin in the private showroom, would you want to watch? I have to warn you it can get fairly intense in there."

Mat's eyes lit up, and River wasn't surprised – he'd been hard in his jeans the whole time. This was what Ellis had been talking about – the differences between a regular club and this kind. He wanted, yes, he wanted. But it wasn't what he was like and River felt the flush of embarrassment across his cheeks.

"You don't have to," Master Gray said, and there was no judgment in his eyes; if anything there was a level of care there that would have seemed out of place, except River felt like it was probably in character for the man, he had an air like that about him.

River didn't want to be the one to decide, but he could feel Mat by his side, positively thrumming with excitement but clearly waiting to make the same decision as River. He knew if he said no, and put his white cuff on, going to join Pietro and Eli at the bar, that Mat would come with him.