A Quick Fix (Oneshot Collection)

Crash Course In Anatomy (Metallica)

Cliff holds a little bit more than just James' hand.

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They're all at the bar just off campus, hanging out and having a couple of drinks before the end of the weekend. Kirk is currently in the middle of an amusing anecdote from the night before as they sit around and sip beer.

"There was so much puke! Like, it was all on her shoes, it was on her skirt--"

"It was in her hair too!" Lars interjected boisterously, laughing like a madman.

"Yeah, it was in her hair!" Kirk confirmed, cracking a wide grin.

James and Cliff are sitting on the opposite side of the booth as they're friends went on about some chick who lost a bet at a party last night. Apparently, a girl bet Lars that she could beat him in a drinking game and when she didn't, she proceeded to blow chunks like a sprinkler. The two taller men nodded their heads and listened patiently as Kirk and Lars tried to explain the situation to them through bouts of laughter.

James would be more attentive and interested, but Cliff was currently holding his hand underneath the table. They had been dating for a few months now and no one knew about them yet. It wasn't because they were ashamed or scared or anything, in fact Cliff wanted to tell the guys, but James was a little shy about it. If the guys knew, James would never hear the end of it from Lars. So they just carry on in secrecy as their friends blabber on, none the wiser.

"You guys should've seen it. She was like a water fountain of vomit! And she was tiny too. I couldn't believe how much she was spewing," Kirk continued, taking a sip of his beer.

"I just feel sorry for the hardwood floors, man. There's no way that shit didn't soak into the floorboards and stain it permanently," said Lars.

Cliff is stroking his thumb along James' knuckles, running the pad of it back and forth slowly as Lars rambled on. James is sure the story is funny, but he can't pay attention when he's caught up in the giddy feeling of Cliff holding his hand.

"Trevor's parents are gonna be totally pissed at him," Kirk added.

Cliff squeezed James' hand tenderly as they laughed along with Kirk and Lars, making the blonde blush a little. Cliff had long bony fingers but his touch was always so warm and gentle just like the rest of him. It made James wonder how he convinced Cliff to go steady with him. Then again, it was Cliff who initially made the first move. Now here they are, holding hands under the table like a couple of teenagers. Though, that doesn't last very long.

At some point, Cliff let go of James' hand, resigning the blonde to drop it beside him on the bench seat. James figured his hand must be getting too clammy for Cliff to hold, but he soon realized that that isn't the case at all. Instead, Cliff laid his big hand on James' thigh and curled it inward inch by inch. James looked at Cliff out of the corner of his eye, but the gesture wasn't acknowledged. Cliff just played it cool and laughed when Lars said something mildly amusing and offensive.

It made his heart beat faster the closer Cliff's hand drifted towards his crotch. James was sure it was an accident and that Cliff wasn't fully aware just how friendly he was getting with James, but then Cliff kneaded his thigh tightly like he knew what he was doing. James felt his face heat up, embarrassed but turned on that they're doing this in front of Kirk and Lars like everything is normal.

"Oh man... That poor bastard," Lars commented with a breathless chuckle as he shook his head. He turned his attention over towards Cliff and James and fixed them with a curious gaze. "How come you guys didn't come with us?"

"I was helping James with his anatomy paper," Cliff stated as he boldly moved his hand to cup the front of James' pants.

James had to suppress a gasp of surprise when Cliff squeezed his groin gently to coax out some kind of reaction from him. James' eyes go wide for a split second and his groin stiffens a little. James silently cursed him as Kirk furrowed his eyebrows and glanced over at James with a skeptical tilt of his head.

"I didn't know you took Physiology courses," Kirk observed, looking between James and Cliff.

"I figured I'd try it out and learn something new," James replied, swatting Cliff's hand away immediately before he could get fully erect. He shot his boyfriend a death glare and sarcastically says, "Cliff's been a big help, though."

"Really? What the hell does Cliff know about anatomy?" Lars snorted in disbelief.

"You'd be surprised by what I know," Cliff remarked, smirking when he notices James blushing furiously.

James is pissed off and embarrassed right now, but Cliff knows he won't be complaining later when they're all alone.