He set his empty champagne glass onto one of the trays and started to make his way to the bar and the real drinks. May as well get drunk, he thought, but was stopped short by a firm, insistent hand on his arm. The voice in Jake's ear was pitched low, carried more than a hint of mischief. Jake would have recognized it anywhere. "Wanna come back to my place and pet my rat?" "In the history of bad pick up lines, there are etchings, and then there's you," Jake replied, half-turning and meeting Joaquin's amused gaze with his own. Fucking Joaq, man, still crazy, and a more than welcome breath of fresh air. "Pretty memorable, huh?" "Freak," Jake said affectionately, and tugged Joaquin to him for a hard, heartfelt hug, lingering only slightly over a leanly muscled back. "What brings you out on amateur night?" he asked, when he pulled back, giving Joaquin's crooked tie and unkempt hair a critical look. Some things never changed. "Heard you were all clean and sober now." Joaquin shrugged and his gaze swept over the brightly clad and brightly talking revelers around them. "Beats sitting at home watching Dick or Regis." "I hear ya." Jake cocked his head in the direction of the crowded bar. "Buy you a Coke?" "You bet, but I'm not going home with you, partner, no matter how many drinks you buy me." Jake laughed. "I only play a gay cowboy onscreen." "Too bad," Joaquin shrugged, rumpling his already disheveled suit even more. "I thought that hat was pretty hot." "I kept it." "There you go getting my hopes up." "Nothing wrong with being a tease," Jake said, and signaled the bartender for two Cokes. May as well keep Joaquin company. Besides, getting plowed didn't sound nearly as much fun now that he had possible plans for something even more fun. Bless Joaquin's excellent timing. "Nothing's wrong with it, no. Except for the blue balls." "Except for that, yes." "But you wouldn't do that to me." "Bet me," Jake grinned, and their mingled laughter warmed something deep inside him. "Congrats on all the accolades for 'Walk The Line', by the way." "Hell, man, congrats to you on your everything," Joaquin replied. Even the crinkles around his eyes grinned. "Is there a single person out there that hasn't rhapsodized about Brokeback?" "I'm sure there's somebody." "Well, they're probably just too afraid to say anything out loud." "I hope that doesn't mean you're one of them," Jake said, pressing a glass into Joaquin's palm. "No. I'm not." Joaquin leaned forward, lips grazing Joaquin's ear. Jake could practically taste the sharp flavor of nicotine in the caress. "So, tell me more about this hat." Instantly, Jake's entire body went on alert. "Why, you looking to borrow it?" "Not exactly." Jake swallowed and looked around. In a room full of far bigger fish to gossip about and ogle, no one was even paying them any attention. "C'mon, this isn't..." "Yeah, it is." Instead of stepping back, Joaquin stepped closer. Jake expected nothing less. "And yeah, you do." "I don't –" "Yes." Joaquin's eyes glittered green fire. "You do." Jake shivered. Cleared his throat. Tried to not to pay attention to how hard he was. "You...you remember the way to my place?" Joaquin's look of triumph quickly morphed into something far more dangerous. "I remember a lot of things. But mostly I remember how fucking good you looked with my cock up your –" "Jesus, Joaq." It was a cross between a hiss and a laugh. Trust Joaquin to do this here, where anyone could listen in. "Your place. Twenty minutes. I'll follow you." "You gonna give me some cheesy line about fireworks?" "Nope. But you gotta promise to wear the hat." "And nothing else, I promise," Jake said with a wink, and went to tell his friends he'd be leaving. He could feel Joaquin behind him, could feel the wicked promise in the air, and wasn't surprised to find he was smiling.
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