A Little More Poetry

Series: A Little More Poetry (2/?)
Pairing: Craig Parker/Adam Levine (Singer/Songwriter, Maroon 5)
Rating: R
Feedback: Always very much appreciated.
Disclaimer: Not true. Not claiming it to be anything but liesummaummary: Craig's not sure what's wrong, and doesn't know how to ask.
Note: Inspired by the (brilliant fantastic wonderful) Maroon 5 album, "Songs About Jane."

GETTING VERY PHYSICAL


Craig's watching the acrobatic display, fingers curled around Adam's. Although transfixed, he still knows Adam's watching him intently.

"What is it?" he whispers, not taking his eyes off the show.

"Your face."

"My face?"

Adam's lips graze the tip of Craig's ear. "You look like a boy lost in a dream."

"I'm thinking about you."

Adam squeezes Craig's hand, says nothing else.

=/=

"So which part did you enjoy the most?" Adam asks as he starts the car.

"All of it. Except the clowns."

"You laughed at the clowns," Adam points out.

"I just laughed with everyone else. Deep down, they scare the crap out of me."

Adam smiles at that, doesn't laugh. "Ah. I didn't realise."

"It was good. Different," Craig reassures. "Thanks for suggesting it."

"Well, I wouldn't have considered it if I hadn't had you to take."

Craig sinks lower into his seat, stills into just watching Adam drive.

=/=

Adam's been quiet all the way back from the circus. Craig's not sure what's wrong, and doesn't know exactly how to ask.

It's not quite dark as they go inside the house, but Craig flicks a lamp on anyway. He sits down on the couch, pulling Adam with him.

"Are you going to tell me?" he asks, stroking Adam's thigh. He hears a sigh, and Adam turns to rest his head on Craig's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. Have I ruined it?"

"Not at all."

"I was in pain. Don't ask why, or what. Just be the one to soothe it." Adam lifts his head, enough to look at Craig, dips again to kiss the hollow of his throat. He leaves his lips hovering above Craig's pulse. "Speak to me."

"About what?"

"Not with your voice. Just with your mouth. Tell me something beautiful."

Craig's not sure how, or what he means, but he tries anyway. Kisses Adam's hair, nudging his head back again. He sucks on the curve of Adam's ear, trying to say I like the way you listen. He kisses each of Adam's closed eyes; I love the way you see the world. He presses his lower lip over Adam's, barely touching, speaking volumes with his hesitance.

"Don't get nervous now," Adam whispers, swallowing when Craihalehales through his mouth, exhales into Adam's mouth. Just briefly, hardly a kiss at all. Tell me about the pain.

Adam shakes his head and moves away.

"Please."

"I asked for beauty. You. Not me."

"I want to know what hurt you. How can I soothe what I can't see?"

"I should go." Adam's up off the couch, reaching for his jacket as Craig reaches for him.

"No, don't. Stay. Please?"

"I can't, Craig."

Craig watches him go to the door, remembers to get up and go after him. "I won't ask again," he promises desperately. Adam's already halfway down the path, and there's nothing Craig can say to make him turn around and come back.

=/=

Me? Beauty?

The two things don't seem to make much sense together.

Craig sits inside, watching the sun creep towards its highest point outside. His fingers rest on the table by the phone. They fell there when he realised he didn't know Adam's number, and haven't moved since.

Later, he gives in. Calls Harry.

=/=

Oh.

"You didn't know?"

"No, but now I think I get it." Time to begin a new stanza.

"He's falling for you, Craig. In a big way. I saw him a couple of days ago and you were all he talked about."

Craig squints at Harry, a dark shadow in front of the sun. "I was?"

"Don't sound so surprised. Are you going to get your arse over there and give him what he needs?" At the blank look on Craig's face, Harry pokes his friend in the shoulder. "You, idiot."

"He wants me to prove something to him."

"Somebody's catching on," Karl says, grinning.

"There is that," Harry agrees. "But that's not all."

"You sound like a fucking wise old master," Karl laughs, uncrossing his ankles, stretching his legs out over the grass. He looks up at Craig, expression softening. "You want him as much as he wants you? Need him?"

Craig's cheeks turn pink, he nods. "Yes. I do."

"So why are you still here?" Karl asks Craig. Harry hands him a piece of paper, an address scribbled on it. Karl laughs. "Oh, right. Here. We'll see you soon, Craig. But not too soon, y'hear?"

Craig takes the paper, gets up and kisses Harry's cheek. "Thanks."

=/=

Craig's never felt more afraid. What if Adam's gone? Maybe Harry got the address wrong. Maybe Adam will just tell him to get-

"Hello?"

Craig shuffles his feet, tries not to peer past the woman's shoulder. Because that would just be rude. "Um. Is Adam here?"

"He's out the back. Would you like to come in, Mr...?"

"Craig. And that's okay. I'll wait here."

The woman smiles. "I'll fetch him for you, Craig."

"Thanks."

Two agonizing minutes pass before Craig hears someone coming to the door again. Adam. Barefoot, shirt tied around his waist, skin tinged pink where it's caught the sun. He sees Craig and steps out onto the porch, closing the door behind him. "Hey."

"I didn't know about Jane," Craig says quietly.

"And I didn't tell you for a reason."

"I'm sorry."

Adam nods, looks out towards the road. "Come inside."

"Won't your friends mind?"

"No, of course not." Adam catches Craig off-guard, fingers curling behind his ear to pull him close, pull him in. He kisses slowly, tongue tracing the outline of Craig's, sending jolts through his jaw.

Craig siwhenwhen his mouth is released, managing somehow to open his eyes again. "Oh."

"There are a lot of things that might not have happened, if she'd stayed with me. The album you seem to love so much, for one. My coming here, meeting you. So don't ask me about the reasons any more. Just make it all worth what I've been through."

"I will." Craig lifts his eyes to Adam's, lets him look deeply.

Adam's hand lowers, slides over Craig's cheek. "I'm not using you to get over it, because I am over it already. I'm just.. Making myself available again."

"I know." Craig turns his head, kisses Adam's palm. "It must have taken a lot of courage."

"Courage is just another word for pride." Adam smiles a smile that makes Craig's heart melt.

"Then let's go kiss your ego better," Craig says, smiling back, knowing that's not what it's about.

"The kissing part sounds good to me. Come inside," Adam repeats, opening the door again. "Lisa made a blackberry pie. Food of the Gods. Or ought to be."

Laughing, Craig follows. Or rather, allows himself to be led.

=/=

"Well. Not meaning anything by it, but Tom and I are going to bed now. Craig, you're welcome to stay if you want to."

"Thanks, Lisa. 'Night," Adam calls as his friends go inside. He looks up at Craig, who's sat on a garden chair behind him, and smiles. "Looks like it's just us kids."

"I hope we don't run the risk of a slap if we misbehave."

"Not at all," Adam replies, laughing. "What kind of misbehaving did you have in mind?"

Craig leans in, kisses the nape of Adam's neck. "The good kind," he whispers, as Adam shivers in response. "Ticklish? Or just sensitive?"

"Will you use it against me if I tell you?"

"Ah. Ticklish then." Craig flicks his tongue out at the downy skin again, grinning when he feels Adam squirm.

"So you're the kind of person who wouldn't believe that birds could fly unless you saw it for yourself?" Adam strokes Craig's feet, falling slowly forward to let that hot mouth keep going down. "God, that feels good."

"Maybe I should get off this chair before I fall off it," Craig says, lifting Adam back towards him.

"Hmm, no. Don't." Adam turns in Craig's arms, cranes upward to taste his mouth, the salt of his own sweat on Craig's tongue. He eases off, slowly, teeth pulling on Craig's lips, scraping his chin.

"Adam..." Craig moans, slumping further into his seat, lets his shirt be tugged upwards as Adam's mouth descends. He grips Adam's bare shoulders at the unfamiliar sensation of a wet tongue dipping into his navel, curling and licking. His stomach trembles beneath Adam's tender kisses, the sweeping laps his tongue makes. "Are you.. Are you going to..?"

His question's answered when Adam reaches between them to unzip Craig's fly. "I shouldn't have left you before," Adam says, looking up into heavy-lidded eyes.

"Please," is all Craig can reply. He's hard beneath Adam's fingers, then hard inside his mouth. His hands fall to grip the chair's arms, knuckles white as Adam's fingers stroke between his legs, as Adam's mouth sucks and slides. "Oh," Craig murmurs, the word frozen on his lips as his body gives in, muscles coct bct before they just let go completely.

Adam drinks him in, soft appreciative sounds lost between breathy groans. Craig's toes twitch against the small of his back, Adam hadn't noticed legs wrapping around him. He sucks a little more before he pulls away.

"Sorry," Craig pants, eyes closed.

"No, you're not." Adam licks his lips, straightens Craig's shorts. "No reason to be."

Craig loosens his deathgrip on the chair, finds Adam's face with his fingertips. "You didn't have to do that."

"Aren't you glad I did?"

Craig can't lie. The sleepy flush of his cheeks would betray him. "I'll-"

"Not yet."

=/=


~tbc