[Quentin doesn't react other than to return the half-assed wave.
Nice going, Quire. Keller's leaving, and why is that? Duh, because you told him to. Oh, what, did you think he was going to dig in his heels and do his whole stubborn "no I'm going to take care of you because I have a pathological need to take responsibility for everything and everyone" routine? Well... kinda. But on the other hand they literally just had a conversation about how Julian needs to let go, and that's what he's doing. Letting go. As, well. As he should, honestly. Not like it's Keller's fault Quentin's a fucking basketcase who pushed away the one person he can actually talk to in this hellhole just like he pushes everyone away. Because nobody can abandon you if you get rid of them first, right? Jesus, and he called Julian lonely and miserable. Look in the fuckin' mirror, buddy. Look in the mirror and for fuck's sake get your shit together and grow the hell up.
.... Fine. Christ. Being a halfway functional person sucks, but he'll do it. He guesses. Quentin sullenly hops off the roof and drops until he can hover a few feet away from Julian.]
Wait. Fuck. Okay. [He makes a face and runs his hand through his hair uncomfortably.]
Okay. Well. First? If you breathe one single word of this, I will make sure you smell nothing but rancid socks for five months. At least. Or whenever it stops being funny for me. Got it?
( he's half gone, already done with this conversation and ready to move on with his life because dealing with quentin quire for even two seconds longer is going to give him a massive headache that he just does not want to deal with, how is this asshole this annoying?
except the asshole follows after him and opens his mouth again and julian - stupidly, for reasons unknown to him, rolls his eyes and widens the platform he's standing on to make it large enough for two regardless of what quire decides to do, arms crossing over his chest.
if he looks annoyed it's because he is. but that's unsurprising. quentin always manages to find some way to piss him off. is it a secondary mutation? julian bets it is. )
I can keep a secret when someone tells me it's supposed to be one.
[Hang on, that's his response to this??? A bunch of obviously untrue bullshit???? What an absolute gobshite of a—
No. No. Deep breath, count to ten, all that crap. Quentin stares at Julian in irritated shock for a moment and then collects himself. Sort of. He eyes the expanded platform but doesn't take the offer, staying right where he is. For now, at least. Oh, and he waves away that stupid thing Keller said with an obligatory eye roll. Moving on.]
Right, well, anyway.
[He takes in a sharp breath through his nose and lets it out in a huff that's only a little bit shaky. Good enough.]
That night. In the kitchen, yeah? Something... changed. For me, I mean. 'Cause before it was like, well, face ain't bad to look at I guess but. Eh. [He looks Julian up and down briefly and shrugs.] And then suddenly it was—well, look, I knew, but shit's never really come up before with a guy who wasn't, like. Super not my type, okay? It's not like with a girl. But then I started hooking up with Sophie, and then you disappeared, and none of this was supposed to fucking matter due to, oh, approximately eighteen thousand reasons, not least of which—you're straight. And why should I waste my precious time thinking about anybody who doesn't even swing my way, you know? But then this crap keeps happening, and it's like, well does it matter or not? You feel me? Picking up what I'm putting down? No? Yes?
[He sighs, and his posture deflates a little, shoulders hunching as he finally lands on the edge of Julian's stupid little platform and shoves his hands in pockets.]
I told you, I'm not playing stupid. You say you know what I'm doing, so how about you share with the class? Because, dude, I haven't the foggiest.
( his face isn't bad to look at? seriously? that's it? he's about to get real offended over how stupid of a comment that is because, first off, rude. do you know how hard he works to maintain the rest of his physique? how much work and effort goes into these abs? does this asshole know how hard it is to get good muscle definition when he doesn't have hands?
obviously he doesn't because he's still talking and julian's only really half paying attention because who the fuck thinks his face is maybe okay to look at but that's it?
except he remembers this conversation is really only a little about julian's own ego and quentin is still talking so julian - takes a few moments to process that all, really, because half listening really isn't doing him any favors here. )
I told you, man, you're obviously flirting with me. Anyone with eyes can see that. ( maybe it's just julian who sees it because he's julian. ) You keep bringing up shit like me not getting laid like - what, do you want me to fuck you? 'cause that's how it sounds to me.
[Wait is that—is that his only reaction? Just some braindead "hurr hurr you want me" bullshit? The same old crap??? Quentin had a whole stupid be a grownup thing, chased him down, poured out his goddamn little heart. And he gets this???? Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable.
Quentin stares at Julian in incredulous shock for a second or two. Is his eye twitching? It might be twitching. And then he McFuckin Loses It, spreading his arms emphatically as once again, the Yelling begins.]
Okay, you know what? Sure. Yeah! Would I fuck you? Probably! And I'd knock your goddamn socks off, you stupid piece of shit. But it's not gonna happen! And you know why? Because you'd rather be a lonely miserable bastard than enjoy something for fucking once! Oh, and me? I just get the ole one-two "I know you're into me but don't forget you're not my type and never will be" punch to the dick. A classic, truly! Love that for me. Well, fuck you, dude. And not like that.
[He folds his arms irritably, finally done with his rant.
... Except wait no he has one more thing, curling his lip snidely as he delivers his final biting remark.]
Also. I haven't even begun to "flirt" with you, so maybe jot that down. Jerk.
( once again quentin just goes off and julian's really only half listening after the first. . five? six words that come out of his mouth because he already knows it's just quentin running his stupid mouth again over stupid shit that no one really cares about because he just - he does that. constantly. julian doesn't know how the hell the guy manages to tolerate himself with how much he refuses to shut up. like it'd be one thing if he had anything actually important to say but since when has quentin quire ever had that?
something something i'd fuck you something competitive in there about some bullshit about how he'd, what, show julian up? fat chance of that. blah blah blah, you're miserable and you refuse to not be miserable, which just sounds like the same shit he's already said. god. whatever. )
You know what'd be a great way to start? Learn to shut up, dude.
( somewhere between now and five second ago he's already committed to the idea in his head so it's too late to go back now and quentin's already down on his level so it takes less than two seconds to shove a forearm up against the fucking nerd's chest, pushing him back up against the building wall julian's platform is resting close to, and just - leans right into quentin quire's personal space like it's his to shove his mouth against quire's own in what's maybe a kiss but definitely an attempt to get him to shut up. )
[Oh great, is what goes through Quentin's brain when he sees Keller moving toward him, this shit again. Always a little too fast for Quentin's subpar reaction time, which he knows is annoying, shoving him, getting all in his personal space, crowding him against walls and shit just because he's got a little more muscle, and Quentin is too damn nice to use telepathy on the bastard. He's all set to bitch at him about the manhandling again except wait, hold on, his face is getting way closer than usual—is he—what—
?????????????????????????????????????
Okay, fine. Shutting Quentin Quire up achieved. Congratu-fucking-lations, Keller. And be grateful he does you the favor of not continuing to yap telepathically, asshole, because he totally could!! He is, however, going to make damn sure there's no "maybe" about this kiss, returning it fiercely. And he's gonna cram his fingers into Julian's stupid hair and curl them nice and tight. Just for good measure. It's been a while since Sophie cut it too, so perfect length to get a solid grip in there. Look, if Keller gets cold feet after pulling this shit, he deserves to get some clumps yanked out.]
( let it be known that julian keller is definitely not against casual makeouts. he is, in fact, an avid believer in them. makeouts are effortlessly fun, usually come with low to no consequences, and, you know, they're nice. has he frequently been rejected when he's jokingly asked girls to make out with him? yes. was he actually after getting them? very rarely. it's not like julian has any issues landing a date when he wants one, he's just - he likes a very specific thing in a very specific person and that specific person is just real good at breaking his heart, okay? and this is in absolutely no way even slightly about her so he just - going to immediately make sure he is definitely not thinking about her one bit. plus side of macking on quentin? it did immediately shut him up, even if he also did decide to take the opportunity to yank out julian's hair during. to be fair, he's probably lost way more hair to sharkgirl than quentin and his stupid noodley fingers.
cons? noodley fingers. not enough hair in the places julian would be reaching to grab onto hair for if he still had hands. on second thought, this is actually still quentin quire that he's shoved his face up against, so he's counting that as yet another con. pro: he can definitely pull out the and no one would ever believe you card right out of that stupid buddy cop show he binge watched that one time and despite quentin being a telepath, or maybe even just because of it, even if he did use that ability no one would still, ever, believe him if he said this happened.
it's not a deep kiss. not a particularly long one, either - just long enough to give him time to grab onto julian's hair, just enough to register it definitely happened before julian leans back just enough to give quentin a stupid smarmy grin and just, )
You're still not my type. And my socks? Still on.
( except he's still in quentin's personal space, not even making the attempt to put any distance between them despite the very obvious quentin quire not two breaths away from his face that would be plenty motivation to move back if he hadn't decided to just - play up the asshole card two steps further than julian might have if they hadn't been going at this for months already. )
[Is Quentin the teeniest tiniest bit flushed when Julian pulls away? Maybe. Mind your business. It's the lighting, he's in shadow, reflection, refraction, etc etc. Not that he has any fucking misconception that Keller will miss it, considering he's literally right there. Look at him, with his stupid smug face, all fucking proud of himself. And proud of what, huh? For doing something insanely hot but only for like 1 second? No. Unacceptable. Keller is definitely, obviously baiting him. All of his "my socks are still on" and the "nobody will believe you" thoughts that Quentin definitely heard. And he'll probably end up succeeding, because, well. Quite frankly Quentin is kinda easy to bait. But look, he's gonna at least make the asshole have to work a little harder.
There's no point in any of his usual theatrics. Shrugs, eyerolls, other types of affected nonchalance. Julian's like 2 inches away having just kissed him, and he's not moving away from where he's got Quentin pushed against the stupid wall. Subtlety is out the fucking window. He stares the bastard straight in the eye as he tilts his head to the side and smiles the type of smile that only appears on his face when he's about to say something particularly awful.]
Sooo just checking, you do typically last more than like... a few seconds, right? 'Cause I may need to reconsider some things if not.
[And yes, he does still have his hand in Julian's hair. At least he's not pulling on it?]
Do you want me to drop you? Because that's still an option.
( full recognition that he started this and he'll finish it too but also: finishing it could very well be just taking a step back and letting quentin figure out how to catch himself last minute because julian sure isn't going to bother once he lets go. and sure, he knows there's a few other people around here who theoretically could be flying, hovering, or otherwise meandering this high up on their stupid tower on this stupid planet but julian sure isn't seeing any of them right now so. feels like as good of a time as any to leave quentin to his own devices if he's going to be a jackass.
granted, quentin is always a jackass. this isn't anything new. it's just a matter of how much quentin deciding how much bullshit he wants to give julian to tolerate - because the drop's right there.
even if there's no physical space between them, even if it'd definitely mean losing a few chunks of his hair because quire's still holding onto him and julian isn't making him let go just yet. he could. but he isn't. )
[See, there's the thing. Julian isn't moving away, and he isn't trying to get Quentin to let go of his hair. He's here, talking shit and throwing around stupid threats and bullshit while actively choosing to stay weirdly, uncomfortably close to a guy he says he'd rather be nowhere near.
Hm.
There's a solid dozen or so killer one-liners he could use here. "Sure, you already let me down once." "Probably the only thrill I could get out of this." Really great material, if he says so himself. Truly inspired. Not that Julian has any respect for the craft. Ugh.
Which is why after opening his mouth to deliver one of said amazing comebacks, none of them end up actually coming out. Instead he just. Pauses. Looks from Keller's eyes to his mouth to the arm he's using to push Quentin into the wall. He huffs.]
Eh, fuck it.
[He may not have the physical muscle Keller has, but the dude's face is literally inches away, and there's really not that much difference in their height. His free hand grips onto the front of Julian's shirt—it's a move he ought to recognize, considering how many goddamn times he's done the same shit to Quentin—and he tugs, trying to drag the stupid jerk in for round 2. Turnabout's fair play, asshole.]
( there's usually a pretty clear path that happens between step a to be for julian, with these kind of situations. he could tell anyone the exact moment he figured out sofia mantega was the hottest thing to walk through xavier's right up until laura had waved her claws around. could also tell someone the exact moment he fell for her, too. hell, he knows exactly when his conversations with iara turned from playfully flirting to flirting with intent, and that - well. that was definitely more of a fling than anything. and now that he's thinking about it he's realizing he does have a stupidly specific type and ugh, this isn't the time for that at all.
point being, he could map out the moment his relationships went from playful and thoughtless to something deeper in most cases, but hell if he knows when exactly it clicked with him that this was where he was going with fucking quire of all people. it isn't the same, it's not even close, but it's - they're here, after going back and forth from antagonizing one another to trying to be more cordial to antagonizing in the space of moments on a rooftop surrounded by fucking dinosaurs and other bullshit julian really doesn't give two fucks about to - this nonsense, which is definitely still antagonistic in nature even if he's still fucking lost on where he's actually going with this. did he just shove quire up against a wall and kiss him? yes. but obviously he's winning somehow, because it's julian who is maintaining the flooring beneath them, julian who has his arm pressed up against quentin's collar, julian who has the high ground which is especially obvious if quentin's making stupid bullshit comments about how long julian can last.
because he's trying to run his mouth but he's got fucking nothing walking into this. nothing. does julian? no. but he doesn't need leverage. even if he is - doing the thing he didn't explicitly say he wasn't going to do because the whole i'm straight comment definitely implied it hard enough he didn't think it was necessary and yet here he is. doing it. did he hate kissing quire? probably not nearly as much as he should have, considering it wasn't the worst and when quire does go to drag him back in, julian isn't necessarily fighting it. no, instead he's just - putting a little more pressure into that arm he still has against quentin's chest, pressing him hard up against the wall so he can lean right into his space as if it was his idea, not quentin's hands gripping onto him that led him into it.
there's a split second in time in which his mind goes to sophie - before he remembers that she could not give less fucks about what the two of them are up to on their own time as long as they aren't being unnecessarily loud and obnoxious anywhere near her business which they clearly aren't - before he decides, fuck it, they're already here, he's already shoving into quentin's space, he doesn't hate it and just -
yeah, fuck it. his mouth slots against quentin's again but it's a little less forceful this time. less quick. he's holding quentin upright still, but the kiss is more of a kiss rather than a punch in the mouth with his own mouth. )
Quentin is reminded of that one stupid time he decided fuck it and hugged Julian. Ironically, the other most memorable instance of him pinning Quentin to a wall, though that went quite differently. Or... did it? Functionally, that is. Oh, sure, he's not having some stupid panic attack this time, but there are other similarities. Keller invaded his space, crossed what any sane person would see as a pretty fucking crucial social boundary, and acted all aggressive and self-important and shitty about it... right up until the point where Quentin took matters into his own hands.
Is that it? Some kind of bizarre ritual where to accept any kind of affection this moron has to fight it tooth and nail first? Until the affection-giver just gets fed up and crams it down his throat? That's fucking stupid. Then again, Julian Keller being an idiot has never been up for debate.
Whatever, Quentin's figured out the formula now (probably), which means Keller is cooked (also a big probably). He wants a little initiative? A little audacity? That's fine, Quentin has that shit in spades. Perks of being just the right combination of mind-reader, attention hog, and dirty-minded little freak—he's flexible. Useful both for adapting to different partners but also for compartmentalizing them. Avoiding comparisons. Sophie is the obvious exception, considering, well. Clone and all. Difficult not to compare her to Phoebe, and they've worked out a whole stupid system to avoid all that mess. But with Julian? There's no overlap with Sophie. No point of comparison, and that's not a slight to either of them. Not in Quentin's mind, anyway. He's kissed Sophie, and that's awesome. And now he's kissing Keller, and it's... got potential. We're workshopping. At least until the big dumbass here decides he's mad again and punches Quentin in the face or some bullshit.
Julian presses harder against Quentin's chest, like he's in charge here, and, respectfully—literally how? Just because Quentin is the one backed up to a wall? As if. It'd be easiest to just tilt his own head to try and deepen the kiss, but Quentin chooses to use that hand in Julian's hair to adjust his stupid face to find the optimal angle. Why? Because fuck Julian Keller, that's why. In every meaning of the phrase. This SOB is not the boss here, and Quentin hasn't been teased and prodded and bullied for the past fuck knows how many months to accept anything less than a proper makeout. Time to put up or shut up, asshat.]
( here's the thing: julian does like to be pushed around, but there's very few people he allows to get away with it. and very few circumstances in which he does, actually, want to be pushed around. and generally, this would be one of those few and in between scenarios in which he does like to be pushed over.
but it's quentin quire.
quentin quire who yanks on his hair and tries to move him around as if quentin has any control over him despite the fact they both know there's no way in hell he's getting any kind of power and control over julian. maybe it's quentin's stupid mouth. his attitude. his inability to shut up. julian doesn't know, but he does know that there's something about this asshat that just makes julian want to shove him to the ground until he acknowledges who is really in charge here. maybe he'll get better about it one day. maybe quire will pull some stupid move and get julian to let up some of that control he works hard to keep over the idiot. but today isn't that way.
when quentin yanks on julian's hair to try and pull himself away even if it yanks out several strands of hair in the process. hair's hair, julian's not precious over losing a little bit of it. but while he does try and pull away from the kiss, he's taking a step forward, too, pressing the length of his body against quentin's own, chest-to-chest. )
Don't be an ass. If you want something, ask for it.
[Yeah, okay, so about that whole "flexible" thing. Turns out that may not be as accurate as he thought. Well, kinda. See, with women? He'll do pretty much anything. He's done pretty much anything. Shit like this? He's equally likely to be on either side of this "pinning to a wall" crap. If this was, say, some strong butch lady crowding him and demanding he ask for what he wants, Quentin would be all for it. Hell yeah. Hot as fuck.
But it's not. It's Julian fucking Keller. Bullshit machismo in human form. Masculinity so fragile he would probably shrivel up and die if he ever had a single feeling that wasn't expressed through pointless aggression. The most dudebro jock meathead bully in existence.
And the fact that Quentin would low-key rather chop off his own head than just fucking say "I want to make out with you" is absolutely infuriating. After all, it's Quentin who's the progressive one, right? The one who isn't brainwashed by the patriarchal society bullshit. The one defying gender norms. He literally covers himself in pink, for fuck's sake! He knows he's into guys—hell, he knows he's into Keller, as regrettable as that is—and he knows he's into shit like this. He knows all that, but the asshole's tone makes him bristle. What, just because Quentin is like an inch shorter, not as muscular (but also literally one of the most powerful telepaths ever and a genius so why do muscles even matter???), and less of a big stupid bully (not a flaw), he should be the "bottom" in this... whatever-it-is? Hell no. That's—it's insulting! Not like... bottoming in general, of course. That's all well and good, and Quentin is by no means opposed in any regular context. This is... It's different. Somehow.
Uuuugh, stupid Keller. His brain worms are obviously infecting Quentin. But hey, with any luck they'll be terminal so he can be free of this nonsense. He abruptly lets go of Julian's hair—and only pulls out a few strands in the process, fancy that—but just so he can shove at the jerk's chest with both hands.]
Yeah, nice try. I know what you're doing, asshole!
[Does he? Sure, let's go with that. Quentin scoffs and—fists his hands in Julian's shirt. Which is admittedly mixed signals from the shoving, but whatever.]
( losing a bit of hair does have julian noticeably wincing, but it does nothing to the grin across his face. yeah maybe he does want it, especially now. doesn't mean he's going to let quentin think he's won any, because what fun would that be? fingers grip into his shirt, and julian's not moving away any more than he already has - no, in fact, he's leaning most his lower body right up against quentin's, completely removing any breathing space either of them had. but it's fine. they don't need that, do they? )
Never said I didn't. I just said you had to ask for what you wanted, especially if you're going to be grabby.
( but no more kisses for quentin, not until he does ask. instead, julian lowers a hand, metal fingers digging into quentin's hip just hard enough to hurt but not nearly enough to bruise. you know. for purposes. )
Are you going to ask? Or should I work you up then fuck off?
[Okay, so first? Quentin's honestly kind of surprised Keller admitted wanting this. It was obvious, of course. He literally walked up and kissed Quentin on the mouth for no reason whatsoever. But he also followed that with some "you're still not my type" bullshit, so. He's not exactly had a good track record of words and actions lining up, is all. But now suddenly both are very, very much aligned, and there's probably some kind of observation Quentin could make about that if he wasn't also extremely distracted by the wall behind him pressing uncomfortably into his shoulder blades and back and, oh yeah, the entire front of Julian Keller's fucking body glued to his. And look, it's not like it's the first time Julian's grossly invaded his personal space. Not by a long shot. It's like his favorite to do, or at least, that's what Quentin assumes considering how often he does it. Grabs Quentin's shirt and gets reeeaaally close for some fucking reason. But this is, uh. Different. Very much so. And has he ever mentioned how rude it is that Julian's shoulders are like twice as broad as Quentin's? Because that's so rude. It's always been rude, but now it's more rude. Also? We're not talking about the metal hand on his hip. We're just not. Quentin has little enough dignity left as it is.
In fact, he's still scrambling together the tattered remnants of said dignity when Keller gives him a gift. A wonderful gift. Miraculous even. What is that gift, you ask? The gift of spite. See, those last foolish words leaving Keller's mouth? That's a challenge. Specifically, a challenge where "failure" means Quentin's own destruction. And therein lies the mistake.
Oh, Julian, Julian, Julian. Jules. You poor simple-minded beautiful idiot. Haven't you learned? Nobody ruins Quentin Quire's life better than Quentin Quire. Dignity? Insecurity? Whatever the fuck was happening in his brain before? Gone. In the trash. Good riddance. And in their place is pure, unadulterated pettiness. There is virtually no room to do so, but any ability Quentin has to press back into Julian's space he takes. Not to push him away, more of an "unstoppable force/immovable object" type thing. Jury's out on who's who, but that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that Keller's not the only one invading personal space. Or something. Oh, and that nasty little troll smirk is back on his face.]
Big words, but all I've seen is two lackluster kisses and a whole lot of talk. If I do ask, how do I know you can even deliver? Bargaining 101, dipshit.
( giving in and admitting to whatever he'd just admitted to (because no, he won't admit to admitting to it, even to himself) was only done because julian was supposed to get something out of it. quentin was supposed to give in. he was supposed to admit to what he wanted, too, and ask for it, nicely. did julian need him to ask? absolutely not, but he did want the ego boost that would have come along with it. this?
isn't giving him what he wants at all, because now he has to suffer from the smarmy looking stupid smirk on quentin's face while julian's still all up in his personal space and - quentin's trying to shove right back into his. because, ha, he does want it. he obviously wants it bad too. which, oddly enough, is giving a kind of ego boost to julian. the guy fucks around with sophie for christsakes, and yeah julian's not really all that interested in sophie that way right now, but she's hot? impossibly hot? not that he thinks he's unattractive by any means, but it's not like quentin's missing out any.
weird line of thought to go down. no, he doesn't want to get stuck there, especially not when he's still pressed right up against quentin and staring into the asshole's eyes despite that stupid smirk on his face.
julian's quiet, for a little while. narrows his eyes at that stupid face that looks all too cocky. and then - lifts his shoulders in a loose shrug, before his hand leaves quentin's hip and he moves to take a step back. )
Okay, note to self: the "prove it" method is not effective. Damn. With how much of a stupidly competitive blowhard that Keller is, Quentin would've predicted he couldn't pass up an opportunity to show off. You know, demonstrate. Give him no choice but to acknowledge that Julian Keller is so sexy and great in bed and the manliest man blah blah blah. And instead he's... backing off? Which, yes, is clearly an attempt to call Quentin's bluff, but... Hm.
He lets go of Keller's shirt as he backs up, but lunges forward to grab his forearm with one hand instead, holding on firmly enough that Julian would need to actually try to shake free. There's actual space to breathe between them now, which means Quentin's head is a little clearer, even if he both looks and sounds (and is) irritated.]
Jesus fucking—you're hot, and you're clearly interested, and I wanna make out with you. What I don't want is to play your weird little games. You like kinky shit? Fine. But for fuck's sake, warm a guy up first! Kissing with tongue before begging. Capiche?
( every time quentin quire opens his mouth julian struggles to figure out what the fuck is going on with the guy. like. okay, yeah, julian did tell him to ask but what the hell does that have to do with kink. he didn't mean it in a kink way? asshole was pulling his head every which way rather than, you know, just asking like a normal person.
and of course he can't do this part of making out any normal way either. he's holding onto julian and being a massive jerk the whole way about it and not listening and julian's - losing patience but also he does want to get back to kissing quentin.
so he sighs. angrily. turns back toward quentin. )
It's not kinky bullshit. You want me to move? Don't pull my fucking head around.
[Quentin opens his mouth to argue because in what universe is pinning somebody to a wall and sexily threatening to tease them and leave unless they "ask nicely" not some kind of kinky bullshit?? Like sure, that's nothing too wild, but still! And look, it's not like Quentin is judging, okay? People like what they like! No kink-shaming in this house.
But... instead he just huffs, rolls his eyes, and lets it go. Because what's the point in arguing semantics with Julian Keller when he could be making out with Julian Keller? Even if Quentin is 100% correct and always is and always will be because Julian is a smooth-brained homunculus. Whom he wants to kiss. Like... several times, at least. Because Quentin is apparently cursed with the world's worst taste in men. He would ask what he did to deserve this, but honestly, he can think of a lot of things. Oh, well.]
Whatever. Deal.
[He only sounds a little bit petulant about it. That's just his default, okay. He loosens his grip on Julian's arm while also tugging—lightly!—to bring him closer.]
And you can use your hands more, dipshit. Fucking weird when you're just standing there, and I'll do my fancy brain trick if you want.
( he can still drop quentin and just pretend this never happened. the thought does cross his mind. but quentin's pulling him in and julian's -
contemplating how to phrase it, exactly, without sounding as pathetic as it feels. ugh. unfortunately he can't think of a way to put it into words without it sounding just - sad. )
I don't want to hurt you. Much. They're still metal, idiot.
( metal and pinchy and not really meant for hold onto someone else. but he does - try. an arm wraps loosely around quentin's waist, while he slides the under between his arm and ribcage, hand against the back of his shoulderblade. )
[Quentin rolls his eyes like that's the stupidest thing he's ever heard. Because it is.]
Yeah, no shit they're metal, dumbass. Just keep 'em out of my hair.
[And then Julian puts his arms around him, and it's... decent. Solid 6 out of 10. Getting there. Quentin makes a little grunt of mild approval.]
Your TK, it's all... tingly. And weird. Not the bad kind.
[And if Julian was expecting any further detail on that description, he's about to be disappointed. Or maybe not, since instead Quentin is putting his hands on either side of Julian's face and leaning up to kiss him. It's decidedly less antagonistic this time—that is, unless Julian decides to start something—but still decisive, bordering on assertive. Being too bossy clearly doesn't fly with this asshole, despite the obvious hypocrisy of that stance. But that doesn't mean Quentin's gotta be passive, right? He's earned that much, he thinks. Somehow. Probably.]
( there's a mood one needs to be in to get bossed around, okay, and quentin - well. he's never gotten close to putting julian in that kind of mood. really, his entire existence just makes julian want to shove him over and step on him. partially the whole omega mutant thing. partially the ego. he can't really place where it's coming from, other than something in julian just yearns to push the guy over.
it's an urge he's trying to ignore, for the sake of makeouts.
should they go somewhere more discreet? probably. but quentin can also mind wipe anyone who sees anything which is yet another reason why julian wants to shove him over. ugh. man he hates this guy. but it's fine. they're fine. and he's - tipping his head into the kiss this time, teeth nipping at quentin's lower lip gently as he pulls quentin in closer, holding him against julian's chest rather than shoving him up against the wall. )
[Mind wiping? That's for amateurs. Quentin's psychic illusioning the fuck out of this. Don't need to mind wipe anybody if they don't see anything in the first place.
Not that there's really much to see. That initial shit at the wall was way more hot and heavy than this. Hell, this is practically demure in comparison. Not that Quentin is complaining—well. Any more than usual, at least. This is fine. A little slow for Quentin's tastes, but also it's weirdly kinda... nice? Julian's a good hugger, so that helps. Quentin can work with it. He's flexible, remember? He literally has access to all of his partner's thoughts and feelings and unmatched attention to detail thanks to that neat little secondary mutation. He damn well had better be flexible. Oh sure, that secondary mutation is also why slow can simultaneously over- and underwhelming. But shit, after all that kerfuffle, it'd be downright embarrassing to bitch about Keller kissing him too slow.
So instead? He makes a low hum of approval into Julian's mouth and slides a hand back to thread fingers through his dark hair—and very deliberately does not pull on it this time. It's not there to move Julian anyway. Quentin did agree to that. It's there mostly for the opposite: Quentin pressing his own face and body a little more firmly against Julian's. Hungry but not pushy. That seems to be the sweet spot for Keller, and therefore is the best route to Quentin getting his way. The guy likes feeling wanted, but he doesn't want to be pushed around too much. And hey, that's valid. Not too hot, not too cold, Goldilocks shit. It's simply a matter of feeling out that "just right" zone.
... Would it be a lot easier to communicate telepathically (or... at all) about this shit? Or skim Keller's mind? Yes, yes it would. But Julian is Julian, so Quentin's trying it the old fashioned way. For now, at least. Anyway, if Keller is too dumb to pick up on those cues, there's literally no helping him.]
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Nice going, Quire. Keller's leaving, and why is that? Duh, because you told him to. Oh, what, did you think he was going to dig in his heels and do his whole stubborn "no I'm going to take care of you because I have a pathological need to take responsibility for everything and everyone" routine? Well... kinda. But on the other hand they literally just had a conversation about how Julian needs to let go, and that's what he's doing. Letting go. As, well. As he should, honestly. Not like it's Keller's fault Quentin's a fucking basketcase who pushed away the one person he can actually talk to in this hellhole just like he pushes everyone away. Because nobody can abandon you if you get rid of them first, right? Jesus, and he called Julian lonely and miserable. Look in the fuckin' mirror, buddy. Look in the mirror and for fuck's sake get your shit together and grow the hell up.
.... Fine. Christ. Being a halfway functional person sucks, but he'll do it. He guesses. Quentin sullenly hops off the roof and drops until he can hover a few feet away from Julian.]
Wait. Fuck. Okay. [He makes a face and runs his hand through his hair uncomfortably.]
Okay. Well. First? If you breathe one single word of this, I will make sure you smell nothing but rancid socks for five months. At least. Or whenever it stops being funny for me. Got it?
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except the asshole follows after him and opens his mouth again and julian - stupidly, for reasons unknown to him, rolls his eyes and widens the platform he's standing on to make it large enough for two regardless of what quire decides to do, arms crossing over his chest.
if he looks annoyed it's because he is. but that's unsurprising. quentin always manages to find some way to piss him off. is it a secondary mutation? julian bets it is. )
I can keep a secret when someone tells me it's supposed to be one.
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No. No. Deep breath, count to ten, all that crap. Quentin stares at Julian in irritated shock for a moment and then collects himself. Sort of. He eyes the expanded platform but doesn't take the offer, staying right where he is. For now, at least. Oh, and he waves away that stupid thing Keller said with an obligatory eye roll. Moving on.]
Right, well, anyway.
[He takes in a sharp breath through his nose and lets it out in a huff that's only a little bit shaky. Good enough.]
That night. In the kitchen, yeah? Something... changed. For me, I mean. 'Cause before it was like, well, face ain't bad to look at I guess but. Eh. [He looks Julian up and down briefly and shrugs.] And then suddenly it was—well, look, I knew, but shit's never really come up before with a guy who wasn't, like. Super not my type, okay? It's not like with a girl. But then I started hooking up with Sophie, and then you disappeared, and none of this was supposed to fucking matter due to, oh, approximately eighteen thousand reasons, not least of which—you're straight. And why should I waste my precious time thinking about anybody who doesn't even swing my way, you know? But then this crap keeps happening, and it's like, well does it matter or not? You feel me? Picking up what I'm putting down? No? Yes?
[He sighs, and his posture deflates a little, shoulders hunching as he finally lands on the edge of Julian's stupid little platform and shoves his hands in pockets.]
I told you, I'm not playing stupid. You say you know what I'm doing, so how about you share with the class? Because, dude, I haven't the foggiest.
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obviously he doesn't because he's still talking and julian's only really half paying attention because who the fuck thinks his face is maybe okay to look at but that's it?
except he remembers this conversation is really only a little about julian's own ego and quentin is still talking so julian - takes a few moments to process that all, really, because half listening really isn't doing him any favors here. )
I told you, man, you're obviously flirting with me. Anyone with eyes can see that. ( maybe it's just julian who sees it because he's julian. ) You keep bringing up shit like me not getting laid like - what, do you want me to fuck you? 'cause that's how it sounds to me.
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Quentin stares at Julian in incredulous shock for a second or two. Is his eye twitching? It might be twitching. And then he McFuckin Loses It, spreading his arms emphatically as once again, the Yelling begins.]
Okay, you know what? Sure. Yeah! Would I fuck you? Probably! And I'd knock your goddamn socks off, you stupid piece of shit. But it's not gonna happen! And you know why? Because you'd rather be a lonely miserable bastard than enjoy something for fucking once! Oh, and me? I just get the ole one-two "I know you're into me but don't forget you're not my type and never will be" punch to the dick. A classic, truly! Love that for me. Well, fuck you, dude. And not like that.
[He folds his arms irritably, finally done with his rant.
... Except wait no he has one more thing, curling his lip snidely as he delivers his final biting remark.]
Also. I haven't even begun to "flirt" with you, so maybe jot that down. Jerk.
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something something i'd fuck you something competitive in there about some bullshit about how he'd, what, show julian up? fat chance of that. blah blah blah, you're miserable and you refuse to not be miserable, which just sounds like the same shit he's already said. god. whatever. )
You know what'd be a great way to start? Learn to shut up, dude.
( somewhere between now and five second ago he's already committed to the idea in his head so it's too late to go back now and quentin's already down on his level so it takes less than two seconds to shove a forearm up against the fucking nerd's chest, pushing him back up against the building wall julian's platform is resting close to, and just - leans right into quentin quire's personal space like it's his to shove his mouth against quire's own in what's maybe a kiss but definitely an attempt to get him to shut up. )
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?????????????????????????????????????
Okay, fine. Shutting Quentin Quire up achieved. Congratu-fucking-lations, Keller. And be grateful he does you the favor of not continuing to yap telepathically, asshole, because he totally could!! He is, however, going to make damn sure there's no "maybe" about this kiss, returning it fiercely. And he's gonna cram his fingers into Julian's stupid hair and curl them nice and tight. Just for good measure. It's been a while since Sophie cut it too, so perfect length to get a solid grip in there. Look, if Keller gets cold feet after pulling this shit, he deserves to get some clumps yanked out.]
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cons? noodley fingers. not enough hair in the places julian would be reaching to grab onto hair for if he still had hands. on second thought, this is actually still quentin quire that he's shoved his face up against, so he's counting that as yet another con. pro: he can definitely pull out the and no one would ever believe you card right out of that stupid buddy cop show he binge watched that one time and despite quentin being a telepath, or maybe even just because of it, even if he did use that ability no one would still, ever, believe him if he said this happened.
it's not a deep kiss. not a particularly long one, either - just long enough to give him time to grab onto julian's hair, just enough to register it definitely happened before julian leans back just enough to give quentin a stupid smarmy grin and just, )
You're still not my type. And my socks? Still on.
( except he's still in quentin's personal space, not even making the attempt to put any distance between them despite the very obvious quentin quire not two breaths away from his face that would be plenty motivation to move back if he hadn't decided to just - play up the asshole card two steps further than julian might have if they hadn't been going at this for months already. )
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There's no point in any of his usual theatrics. Shrugs, eyerolls, other types of affected nonchalance. Julian's like 2 inches away having just kissed him, and he's not moving away from where he's got Quentin pushed against the stupid wall. Subtlety is out the fucking window. He stares the bastard straight in the eye as he tilts his head to the side and smiles the type of smile that only appears on his face when he's about to say something particularly awful.]
Sooo just checking, you do typically last more than like... a few seconds, right? 'Cause I may need to reconsider some things if not.
[And yes, he does still have his hand in Julian's hair. At least he's not pulling on it?]
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( full recognition that he started this and he'll finish it too but also: finishing it could very well be just taking a step back and letting quentin figure out how to catch himself last minute because julian sure isn't going to bother once he lets go. and sure, he knows there's a few other people around here who theoretically could be flying, hovering, or otherwise meandering this high up on their stupid tower on this stupid planet but julian sure isn't seeing any of them right now so. feels like as good of a time as any to leave quentin to his own devices if he's going to be a jackass.
granted, quentin is always a jackass. this isn't anything new. it's just a matter of how much quentin deciding how much bullshit he wants to give julian to tolerate - because the drop's right there.
even if there's no physical space between them, even if it'd definitely mean losing a few chunks of his hair because quire's still holding onto him and julian isn't making him let go just yet. he could. but he isn't. )
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Hm.
There's a solid dozen or so killer one-liners he could use here. "Sure, you already let me down once." "Probably the only thrill I could get out of this." Really great material, if he says so himself. Truly inspired. Not that Julian has any respect for the craft. Ugh.
Which is why after opening his mouth to deliver one of said amazing comebacks, none of them end up actually coming out. Instead he just. Pauses. Looks from Keller's eyes to his mouth to the arm he's using to push Quentin into the wall. He huffs.]
Eh, fuck it.
[He may not have the physical muscle Keller has, but the dude's face is literally inches away, and there's really not that much difference in their height. His free hand grips onto the front of Julian's shirt—it's a move he ought to recognize, considering how many goddamn times he's done the same shit to Quentin—and he tugs, trying to drag the stupid jerk in for round 2. Turnabout's fair play, asshole.]
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point being, he could map out the moment his relationships went from playful and thoughtless to something deeper in most cases, but hell if he knows when exactly it clicked with him that this was where he was going with fucking quire of all people. it isn't the same, it's not even close, but it's - they're here, after going back and forth from antagonizing one another to trying to be more cordial to antagonizing in the space of moments on a rooftop surrounded by fucking dinosaurs and other bullshit julian really doesn't give two fucks about to - this nonsense, which is definitely still antagonistic in nature even if he's still fucking lost on where he's actually going with this. did he just shove quire up against a wall and kiss him? yes. but obviously he's winning somehow, because it's julian who is maintaining the flooring beneath them, julian who has his arm pressed up against quentin's collar, julian who has the high ground which is especially obvious if quentin's making stupid bullshit comments about how long julian can last.
because he's trying to run his mouth but he's got fucking nothing walking into this. nothing. does julian? no. but he doesn't need leverage. even if he is - doing the thing he didn't explicitly say he wasn't going to do because the whole i'm straight comment definitely implied it hard enough he didn't think it was necessary and yet here he is. doing it. did he hate kissing quire? probably not nearly as much as he should have, considering it wasn't the worst and when quire does go to drag him back in, julian isn't necessarily fighting it. no, instead he's just - putting a little more pressure into that arm he still has against quentin's chest, pressing him hard up against the wall so he can lean right into his space as if it was his idea, not quentin's hands gripping onto him that led him into it.
there's a split second in time in which his mind goes to sophie - before he remembers that she could not give less fucks about what the two of them are up to on their own time as long as they aren't being unnecessarily loud and obnoxious anywhere near her business which they clearly aren't - before he decides, fuck it, they're already here, he's already shoving into quentin's space, he doesn't hate it and just -
yeah, fuck it. his mouth slots against quentin's again but it's a little less forceful this time. less quick. he's holding quentin upright still, but the kiss is more of a kiss rather than a punch in the mouth with his own mouth. )
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Quentin is reminded of that one stupid time he decided fuck it and hugged Julian. Ironically, the other most memorable instance of him pinning Quentin to a wall, though that went quite differently. Or... did it? Functionally, that is. Oh, sure, he's not having some stupid panic attack this time, but there are other similarities. Keller invaded his space, crossed what any sane person would see as a pretty fucking crucial social boundary, and acted all aggressive and self-important and shitty about it... right up until the point where Quentin took matters into his own hands.
Is that it? Some kind of bizarre ritual where to accept any kind of affection this moron has to fight it tooth and nail first? Until the affection-giver just gets fed up and crams it down his throat? That's fucking stupid. Then again, Julian Keller being an idiot has never been up for debate.
Whatever, Quentin's figured out the formula now (probably), which means Keller is cooked (also a big probably). He wants a little initiative? A little audacity? That's fine, Quentin has that shit in spades. Perks of being just the right combination of mind-reader, attention hog, and dirty-minded little freak—he's flexible. Useful both for adapting to different partners but also for compartmentalizing them. Avoiding comparisons. Sophie is the obvious exception, considering, well. Clone and all. Difficult not to compare her to Phoebe, and they've worked out a whole stupid system to avoid all that mess. But with Julian? There's no overlap with Sophie. No point of comparison, and that's not a slight to either of them. Not in Quentin's mind, anyway. He's kissed Sophie, and that's awesome. And now he's kissing Keller, and it's... got potential. We're workshopping. At least until the big dumbass here decides he's mad again and punches Quentin in the face or some bullshit.
Julian presses harder against Quentin's chest, like he's in charge here, and, respectfully—literally how? Just because Quentin is the one backed up to a wall? As if. It'd be easiest to just tilt his own head to try and deepen the kiss, but Quentin chooses to use that hand in Julian's hair to adjust his stupid face to find the optimal angle. Why? Because fuck Julian Keller, that's why. In every meaning of the phrase. This SOB is not the boss here, and Quentin hasn't been teased and prodded and bullied for the past fuck knows how many months to accept anything less than a proper makeout. Time to put up or shut up, asshat.]
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but it's quentin quire.
quentin quire who yanks on his hair and tries to move him around as if quentin has any control over him despite the fact they both know there's no way in hell he's getting any kind of power and control over julian. maybe it's quentin's stupid mouth. his attitude. his inability to shut up. julian doesn't know, but he does know that there's something about this asshat that just makes julian want to shove him to the ground until he acknowledges who is really in charge here. maybe he'll get better about it one day. maybe quire will pull some stupid move and get julian to let up some of that control he works hard to keep over the idiot. but today isn't that way.
when quentin yanks on julian's hair to try and pull himself away even if it yanks out several strands of hair in the process. hair's hair, julian's not precious over losing a little bit of it. but while he does try and pull away from the kiss, he's taking a step forward, too, pressing the length of his body against quentin's own, chest-to-chest. )
Don't be an ass. If you want something, ask for it.
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But it's not. It's Julian fucking Keller. Bullshit machismo in human form. Masculinity so fragile he would probably shrivel up and die if he ever had a single feeling that wasn't expressed through pointless aggression. The most dudebro jock meathead bully in existence.
And the fact that Quentin would low-key rather chop off his own head than just fucking say "I want to make out with you" is absolutely infuriating. After all, it's Quentin who's the progressive one, right? The one who isn't brainwashed by the patriarchal society bullshit. The one defying gender norms. He literally covers himself in pink, for fuck's sake! He knows he's into guys—hell, he knows he's into Keller, as regrettable as that is—and he knows he's into shit like this. He knows all that, but the asshole's tone makes him bristle. What, just because Quentin is like an inch shorter, not as muscular (but also literally one of the most powerful telepaths ever and a genius so why do muscles even matter???), and less of a big stupid bully (not a flaw), he should be the "bottom" in this... whatever-it-is? Hell no. That's—it's insulting! Not like... bottoming in general, of course. That's all well and good, and Quentin is by no means opposed in any regular context. This is... It's different. Somehow.
Uuuugh, stupid Keller. His brain worms are obviously infecting Quentin. But hey, with any luck they'll be terminal so he can be free of this nonsense. He abruptly lets go of Julian's hair—and only pulls out a few strands in the process, fancy that—but just so he can shove at the jerk's chest with both hands.]
Yeah, nice try. I know what you're doing, asshole!
[Does he? Sure, let's go with that. Quentin scoffs and—fists his hands in Julian's shirt. Which is admittedly mixed signals from the shoving, but whatever.]
Quit pretending you don't want this too!
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Never said I didn't. I just said you had to ask for what you wanted, especially if you're going to be grabby.
( but no more kisses for quentin, not until he does ask. instead, julian lowers a hand, metal fingers digging into quentin's hip just hard enough to hurt but not nearly enough to bruise. you know. for purposes. )
Are you going to ask? Or should I work you up then fuck off?
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In fact, he's still scrambling together the tattered remnants of said dignity when Keller gives him a gift. A wonderful gift. Miraculous even. What is that gift, you ask? The gift of spite. See, those last foolish words leaving Keller's mouth? That's a challenge. Specifically, a challenge where "failure" means Quentin's own destruction. And therein lies the mistake.
Oh, Julian, Julian, Julian. Jules. You poor simple-minded beautiful idiot. Haven't you learned? Nobody ruins Quentin Quire's life better than Quentin Quire. Dignity? Insecurity? Whatever the fuck was happening in his brain before? Gone. In the trash. Good riddance. And in their place is pure, unadulterated pettiness. There is virtually no room to do so, but any ability Quentin has to press back into Julian's space he takes. Not to push him away, more of an "unstoppable force/immovable object" type thing. Jury's out on who's who, but that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that Keller's not the only one invading personal space. Or something. Oh, and that nasty little troll smirk is back on his face.]
Big words, but all I've seen is two lackluster kisses and a whole lot of talk. If I do ask, how do I know you can even deliver? Bargaining 101, dipshit.
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isn't giving him what he wants at all, because now he has to suffer from the smarmy looking stupid smirk on quentin's face while julian's still all up in his personal space and - quentin's trying to shove right back into his. because, ha, he does want it. he obviously wants it bad too. which, oddly enough, is giving a kind of ego boost to julian. the guy fucks around with sophie for christsakes, and yeah julian's not really all that interested in sophie that way right now, but she's hot? impossibly hot? not that he thinks he's unattractive by any means, but it's not like quentin's missing out any.
weird line of thought to go down. no, he doesn't want to get stuck there, especially not when he's still pressed right up against quentin and staring into the asshole's eyes despite that stupid smirk on his face.
julian's quiet, for a little while. narrows his eyes at that stupid face that looks all too cocky. and then - lifts his shoulders in a loose shrug, before his hand leaves quentin's hip and he moves to take a step back. )
Have it your way.
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Okay, note to self: the "prove it" method is not effective. Damn. With how much of a stupidly competitive blowhard that Keller is, Quentin would've predicted he couldn't pass up an opportunity to show off. You know, demonstrate. Give him no choice but to acknowledge that Julian Keller is so sexy and great in bed and the manliest man blah blah blah. And instead he's... backing off? Which, yes, is clearly an attempt to call Quentin's bluff, but... Hm.
He lets go of Keller's shirt as he backs up, but lunges forward to grab his forearm with one hand instead, holding on firmly enough that Julian would need to actually try to shake free. There's actual space to breathe between them now, which means Quentin's head is a little clearer, even if he both looks and sounds (and is) irritated.]
Jesus fucking—you're hot, and you're clearly interested, and I wanna make out with you. What I don't want is to play your weird little games. You like kinky shit? Fine. But for fuck's sake, warm a guy up first! Kissing with tongue before begging. Capiche?
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and of course he can't do this part of making out any normal way either. he's holding onto julian and being a massive jerk the whole way about it and not listening and julian's - losing patience but also he does want to get back to kissing quentin.
so he sighs. angrily. turns back toward quentin. )
It's not kinky bullshit. You want me to move? Don't pull my fucking head around.
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But... instead he just huffs, rolls his eyes, and lets it go. Because what's the point in arguing semantics with Julian Keller when he could be making out with Julian Keller? Even if Quentin is 100% correct and always is and always will be because Julian is a smooth-brained homunculus. Whom he wants to kiss. Like... several times, at least. Because Quentin is apparently cursed with the world's worst taste in men. He would ask what he did to deserve this, but honestly, he can think of a lot of things. Oh, well.]
Whatever. Deal.
[He only sounds a little bit petulant about it. That's just his default, okay. He loosens his grip on Julian's arm while also tugging—lightly!—to bring him closer.]
And you can use your hands more, dipshit. Fucking weird when you're just standing there, and I'll do my fancy brain trick if you want.
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contemplating how to phrase it, exactly, without sounding as pathetic as it feels. ugh. unfortunately he can't think of a way to put it into words without it sounding just - sad. )
I don't want to hurt you. Much. They're still metal, idiot.
( metal and pinchy and not really meant for hold onto someone else. but he does - try. an arm wraps loosely around quentin's waist, while he slides the under between his arm and ribcage, hand against the back of his shoulderblade. )
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Yeah, no shit they're metal, dumbass. Just keep 'em out of my hair.
[And then Julian puts his arms around him, and it's... decent. Solid 6 out of 10. Getting there. Quentin makes a little grunt of mild approval.]
Your TK, it's all... tingly. And weird. Not the bad kind.
[And if Julian was expecting any further detail on that description, he's about to be disappointed. Or maybe not, since instead Quentin is putting his hands on either side of Julian's face and leaning up to kiss him. It's decidedly less antagonistic this time—that is, unless Julian decides to start something—but still decisive, bordering on assertive. Being too bossy clearly doesn't fly with this asshole, despite the obvious hypocrisy of that stance. But that doesn't mean Quentin's gotta be passive, right? He's earned that much, he thinks. Somehow. Probably.]
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it's an urge he's trying to ignore, for the sake of makeouts.
should they go somewhere more discreet? probably. but quentin can also mind wipe anyone who sees anything which is yet another reason why julian wants to shove him over. ugh. man he hates this guy. but it's fine. they're fine. and he's - tipping his head into the kiss this time, teeth nipping at quentin's lower lip gently as he pulls quentin in closer, holding him against julian's chest rather than shoving him up against the wall. )
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Not that there's really much to see. That initial shit at the wall was way more hot and heavy than this. Hell, this is practically demure in comparison. Not that Quentin is complaining—well. Any more than usual, at least. This is fine. A little slow for Quentin's tastes, but also it's weirdly kinda... nice? Julian's a good hugger, so that helps. Quentin can work with it. He's flexible, remember? He literally has access to all of his partner's thoughts and feelings and unmatched attention to detail thanks to that neat little secondary mutation. He damn well had better be flexible. Oh sure, that secondary mutation is also why slow can simultaneously over- and underwhelming. But shit, after all that kerfuffle, it'd be downright embarrassing to bitch about Keller kissing him too slow.
So instead? He makes a low hum of approval into Julian's mouth and slides a hand back to thread fingers through his dark hair—and very deliberately does not pull on it this time. It's not there to move Julian anyway. Quentin did agree to that. It's there mostly for the opposite: Quentin pressing his own face and body a little more firmly against Julian's. Hungry but not pushy. That seems to be the sweet spot for Keller, and therefore is the best route to Quentin getting his way. The guy likes feeling wanted, but he doesn't want to be pushed around too much. And hey, that's valid. Not too hot, not too cold, Goldilocks shit. It's simply a matter of feeling out that "just right" zone.
... Would it be a lot easier to communicate telepathically (or... at all) about this shit? Or skim Keller's mind? Yes, yes it would. But Julian is Julian, so Quentin's trying it the old fashioned way. For now, at least. Anyway, if Keller is too dumb to pick up on those cues, there's literally no helping him.]
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