Archive of Our Own ^beta

This whole dating thing was an entirely human concept, but it wasn’t one that confused Noh-Varr. No, this one actually, low and behold, made sense. To take your prospective partner to events or locations they’d enjoy, to actually spend some time alone together and just...be.

Tommy never did bother to clarify their relationship. It had grown into a firm thing, the touches, the sex, even the bickering that evolved into flirting or at least that’s what everyone else called it. But what it meant, whether or not they were established partners, Noh didn’t know. Nor did he feel obligated to question it, at least, not in the beginning. Tommy was skittish when it came to anything emotional and avoided the subject, true to form, with lightning speed. And damn it, he was very good at creating distractions that took them far away from the topic.

So the Kree hadn’t questioned it, just kept his thoughts to himself, researched in his private time when there weren’t any nosy young humans around that could ask him why exactly he was looking up how relationships went on Earth.

What little he knew of love had been experienced somewhere far away, with someone vastly different, with someone more experienced. Merree knew what she was doing and she’d enthralled the young Ensign with her skills, her expertise. It had been convenient and practical to be in love with Merree.

Tommy was none of the above. He was impatient, immature, impulsive. He was everything Merree had despaired to be.

And yet, Noh knew this wasn’t a frail bond he was developing with the young mutant. He wanted to know more, to explore deeper into this incredible emotion no Kree would ever know on Hala. Or anywhere than Earth really.

*

“Is nobody else going to show up?”

Of course Tommy had run here. His hair was ruffled, fluttering into a settled position once he actually stopped and eyed Noh-Varr with some suspicion. The Kree had said something about a team outing, but it was unlike the remains of the team to be late...or just, not early.
But that was Noh’s plan in the first place. A less embarrassing method to get the speedster on his own.

“They’re not coming. It’s just you and I.”

“You tricked me, what the hell, if you wanted to fuck outside you coulda just said something, you know I’m not a prude!”

There was a hint of a snarl in Tommy’s voice, but also trepidation. As if he couldn’t trust Noh’s intention, whatever it may be.

“I didn’t know how else to ask you to be alone with me...without a sexual connotation. I want to perform a date.”

That certainly made the colour drain out of Tommy’s face. Dating. Since when did aliens know about dating?! The speedster shifted, hesitating to follow his first instinct to run away. Noh-Varr said nothing, he just awaited Tommy’s answer with patience, yet there was something fragile in his gaze.

“...You have got to be out of your alien mind. You can’t just perform a date you have to ask you enormous roach!”

Noh-Varr stilled, looking thoughtful for a moment before giving a nod. Tommy backed up a pace, he didn’t like that resolute expression, it meant the speedster wasn’t getting out of this ridiculous notion of romantic activity.

“Tommy, will you go on a-”

“Well don’t ask me now! I’m already here just....Jesus, shut up and get on with it.”

That was as good as permission, at least, in Noh’s eyes. He lunged for the speedster, grappling the stunned Tommy for a moment before slinging him onto his back and sprinting for the nearest building. With his human backpack, he began his ascent. As they gained height, the grip around his neck tightened, he could feel Tommy’s breath on the back of his neck and it sent a shiver down his spine. This was thrilling, somehow.

Once they arrived on the roof, Tommy let go of him, very capable of standing on his own and scoffing at the Kree, before looking around. Actually, this looked...nice. A great view of the city, you could almost forget the grime and grit of reality when you looked over the skyline like this.

And there was...food. And some sort of record player alongside a case of vinyls. Holy crap, he was going on a date with Noh-Varr, the strangely Earth-obsessed Kree boy without a clue.

Said Kree wandered over and selected one of the records carefully, placing it into the player with a sort of reverence Teddy might reserve for the newest additions to his gaming collection. Billy still spoke of the Skyrim Blackout of 2011 with a haunted expression.

The music began playing and Tommy could no longer keep from a sneering grin. Really? 60’s? Harmony Girlbands? The derogatory comment welled up, but stopped shortly before leaving his mouth. Noh-Varr was dancing.

The speedster stood wordlessly as the alien in front of him swayed along, snapped his fingers and looked...oddly adorable. In a weird, embarrassing sort of way. How could anyone appreciate old popmusic that much?

“You do know you look like...I don’t know, a disco bunny right?”

“Not even close. Disco was, as I recall, the 70’s. This is the 60’s.”

Tommy rolled his eyes and shook his head, he wasn’t going to argue with a dancing alien. This was all so...strangely endearing. The speedster took a seat on the nearest airconditioning unit and continued to watch Noh move around to the beat. There was no way he’d join in, he had some sense of dignity after all, but no harm in watching Noh make an ass out of himself, right? Though this wasn’t exactly teasing ammo, since Kree apparently had no shame.

When his gaze shifted from his crazy alien acquaintance, he paid some attention to the food, investigating the containers. He didn’t even want to question where Noh-Varr a) got money for all of this and b) who had told him that a rooftop picnic with some music was actually pretty tolerable as far as dates went. At least no one would see them so Tommy wouldn’t have to react so...harshly to everything. He had a reputation to uphold and it was much easier to keep up that charade for himself if only one person witnessed his awkward manner on dates he didn’t devise.

Not that he had feelings.
But this...was stupid. And nice. Genuinely nice, in all those weird ways that would have Billy sobbing with happiness.

“I would ask if the food is to your liking, but since you’re going to inhale it in under half a minute anyway, I will not bother,” Noh was apparently done with dancing, because he settled himself besides Tommy, closer to the edge of the roof than most sane people dared to.

“You’re so fucking rude, did you know that?” Tommy grinned at the alien, pleased to see him roll his eyes and give him the satisfaction of reacting, “but I like that about you. You just don’t know better and don’t give a fuck. S’a good trait to have trust me.”

“I suppose you would know, you are the expert on not giving a fuck and being rude right?” Noh settled beside him, though he turned his back to the spectacular view as if it wasn’t any better than looking out of a dirty train window, watching fields melt into hills and villages...Actually, the Kree would probably watch that and find it fascinating instead of the city. It was if he did it out of spite and Tommy suspected, sometimes that was the case. There was no end to Noh-Varr’s subtleties and really, it took some real skill and time to read his actions and words.

They ate in silence for a while, the music a soft backdrop to the serene situation. Tommy didn’t know if he liked this or if he was so uncomfortable he’d crossed into the realm of stupefied patience. After some deliberation and a few non-verbal arguments about who got to eat what, he decided that this was actually pleasant. Noh didn’t demand romance from him, a good thing because wow, there was something Tommy was incredibly unskilled in. Not that he ever wanted to be good at romancing anybody though. Not even Kate, but that was a thought for another time. This comfortable hang-out date wouldn’t go down as a mortifying experience in his books.

“You know something? This isn’t actually as bad as I imagined it to be. You’re a decent date, cockroach.”

Noh-Varr gave him a glance Tommy couldn’t quite decipher, but there was amusement in those eyes, in the light raise of the corner of a usually scowling mouth.

“Is it really so surprising? I do like your company outside of sex, gerbil. That is why I wished to try this...dating. It’s another human experience that you’re giving to me. I am grateful for that.”

Something was weird about this, definitely. Noh-Varr never really chatted so openly about his whole Kree-Human dilemma and when he did, it wasn’t usually of interest to Tommy at all. Kind of a roll your eyes and speed away sort of trigger, actually.

But right now?

He felt so oddly...connected to the man. In a weird way, Tommy was experiencing something new too, something he might have been missing out on his entire, eighteen year old life. Something that others probably revelled and rolled around in, if Teddy and Billy were any indication. It felt good, to be able to just...relax with someone. Not a friend, because Tommy definitely didn’t want to see all of his friends naked, and not someone close like a brother, because hell, Tommy hated discussing his emotions. They were private and his and no one else’s business.

Even though right now, he wouldn’t even think it entirely awful to maybe share a few of them with this oddly open Noh-Varr.

“You’re not horrible company either, you know, for an alien and a jerk.”

“I’ll take your compliment and ignore your insults, Tommy.”

He grinned again. This jerk really knew how to count his blessings in the presence of the benevolent Thomas Shepherd. That was kind of rare, because most people blew their fuses after five minutes of his company.

The speedster shuffled himself a little closer on the wide ledge, unable to ignore the irony of the sheer drop behind Noh-Varr’s back. It certainly felt like he was on the edge of an entirely different lethal height, the closer he let himself be to the Kree.

His hand moved of its own volition, reached forward and grabbed the coarse material of Noh’s jacket. Leather, of course, the Kree seemed to have gotten fashion advice from James Dean or some hopeless retro hipster. Not that the speedster was complaining mind you, Noh could actually pull off that leather jacket, jeans, plaid shirt and boots combo. Oh god he was starting to sound just like Billy in his head. He hoped that wasn’t like, something contagious.

Noh was watching him with curiousity, clearly he had no idea what exactly Tommy was going to do. How should he?

That was another boon in Tommy’s books. Noh-Varr knew a lot, but he was just as clueless about this relationship business as Tommy. He knew the man had had girlfriends before, even human ones, but the speedster could tell that none of their connections had been quite like theirs.
Theirs was like fire and ice, like acid and water...both of them reacting violently when they clashed and yet, they could mesh together to create something new, something really...

Fuck, he wasn’t going to be one of those hopeless poets, the ones that waffled on about the meta of everything instead of actually lifting a finger to do any of those things they described so excessively.

“Thomas, I wanted to express something to you.”

Noh’s voice pulled Tommy from his own head and he glanced up. When had the man laid his hand on Tommy’s neck? When did his place his on Noh’s face?
Reality was being a real dick today, wasn’t it.

“Express it then, I don’t have all day for you.”

The Kree hesitated, unphased by Tommy’s words, but trepidation in the uneasy way his fingers were massaging the mutant’s neck.

“I have...developed emotions towards you, and I would...like for you to become more than just a sexual acquaintance and friend.”

Well. If that wasn’t a hideously alien and typical Noh-Varr thing to say. Tommy was going to slap Today on it’s wise-cracking little ass for this number.

So what did that mean? Noh-Varr wanted them to turn into Billy& Teddy mark 2? Fat chance of that happening.

No, he wouldn’t mean it that way. He didn’t even know how to be gay, there weren’t any manuals for it and Noh had the advantage of being free of human culture’s influence in that department.

Which meant, he genuinely wanted this with Tommy. Because he liked his company. Because they had this weird connection that turned volatile but also refreshing. And obviously, because the sex was amazing.
What the hell was he supposed to say to that? If he just blurted the first thing on his mind, the moment would be ruined. And for once in his life, Tommy took control of his voracious need to put someone down with four words or less and he just paused, quiet, mustering Noh’s lightly anxious expression.
Well that was sort of cute, the way the Kree must be thinking that Tommy would of course reject his offer, would trample on the tender extension of something gentle and potentially romantic.

Maybe actions were better than words. Tommy was good at doing without thinking, so again, he kicked his reasoning aside and went with instinct. Which dictated he shoot down that expression of insecurity and pathetic earnesty on Noh’s face.

It wasn’t a rough affair, this kiss. It was slow, a press and linger, without haste or intent to deepen. Just their mouths together, their hands on each other’s skin, no rush, no need to press on with things.

And for Speed, the usual hideous torture of taking things slowly was completely and utterly absent. He pressed a little more, found the mouth stooped down to angle against his willing and parting for a tongue. No battle ensued, just a soft touch, a stroking motion, a waltz accompanied by soft breaths and lingering fingers.

Seconds ticked by and nothing changed, they just stayed together like this, conveying silent promises, answers to questions awkwardly posed and disguised behind careful words. It felt like half an eternity before they broke apart, though the departure of the other’s lips was mourned by both sides.

And Tommy knew what he wanted to tell Noh-Varr.

“You know, I don’t have feelings,” a hand splayed out over the nape of his neck, played with the short, rebellious little strands at the bottom of his hairline, an alien warrior awaited his words with baited breath, “and I don’t hold hands.”

Noh-Varr said nothing, just continued his feather light touches, knew there was more to Tommy’s statement, expected the ending with this unbearably attractive, affectionate gaze clinging to Tommy.
The young man watched him closely, then let his eyes roam the blue sky tinted with the touches of sunset behind Noh’s head, felt as if he was taking the final step towards that edge. And finally flung himself from the top of the dizzying heights. Whatever may come, he knew there was someone there now, not a net, not a rebounding surface. Just the obnoxious, maybe even slightly gorgeous alien he wanted by his side, come hell or supervillain or apocalyptic natural disaster.

“But I...hate you, and I want to squeeze your hand so hard it hurts.”

The world didn’t stop turning, the noise of the city didn’t suddenly dissipate and he was definitely still sitting in the lap of a guy he’d had sex with on numerous occasions, but something was different now. Noh didn’t say anything, he just looked at Tommy...and he was smiling. That jerk.
Noh’s forehead softly bumped against his and stayed there, at least until eager alien lips were on his again, as if he was sealing some sort of deal they’d never spoken the agreement to. Or at least, he had never agreed to openly.  

“I love you too, Tommy.”

“And don’t you dare go telling anyone that. Noh.”