[Private] Oil and Water

For once, Sima was all too willing to agree with Ethan and just ignore him entirely, to simply pretend he wasn't standing here watching this little sexcapade unfold. But Ethan's little boyfriend was making that task rather difficult, actually... talking to him. Sima couldn't even look at either of them, and just looked at the floor, wiggling his toes a bit nervously as his eyes settled on them.

"Um, right, I can... see that," Sima replied. "That's... nice." No, in fact, it was just unpleasant and thoroughly distressing to Sima, apparently, who couldn't make it any more obvious he was a virgin and a total prude, raised in a household full of God-fearing conservatives.

"I'm...." Joshua was so nice Sima almost played along and introduced himself, but then he was aware of the absurdity of the current situation. "I'm... going to bed. I..."

Keep it down, he could've repeated. Please stop fucking on my couch worked too. But he didn't say anything more, just glanced at the pair once more. Regretting that decision immediately as he blushed freely, he disappeared back into the hallway, and then into the safety of his bedroom.

Sima sat down on his bed, hugging his goose-print pillow close to his chest. Why had that bothered him so much? Well, sex and affectionate behavior always had bothered him, but never that much. Perhaps because this time it was up-close, way too close for his liking. Sure, he was twenty years old, but when it came to sex, he might as well have been five. His family had placed such strict rules on things like that, so strict that Sima hadn't been able to watch films that were okay for twelve-year-olds until he was nearly eighteen. Dating was out of the question. He'd barely dated a girl for a high school dance in his last year, but that had gone nowhere. The most he did was kiss her, and that... that had been so awkward he did his best to forget it.

If Ethan was really like... that, then Sima wasn't sure he could take it. Bringing guys like that home... how often would he do it? And the most disturbing part, to Sima, was that despite all the piercings, the delicate Asian features were easy to see. Much like himself, and that was uncomfortable at best. The last thing Sima wanted to be was Ethan's type, at least physically. But he consoled himself with the fact that he was most likely blowing that out of proportion. He had no piercings, not even his natural black hair, since he dyed it a soft brown. He wasn't 'hardcore' in the least, no, he was just... laughably clean-cut.

So, with that thought (and a pillow over his head), Sima went back to sleep.

Annoyed by the interruption, but not willing to let it ruin his night, Ethan turned back to the Asian youth at his side. Joshua smiled at him and kissed him again, pulling him down onto the couch as he wound his arms around Ethan, and the two forgot all about Sima as they focused only on each other.


By morning, both Ethan and Joshua were fast asleep; Ethan had returned to his bed, since he really wasn’t the type to cuddle after sex, and Joshua had remained on the couch... a pile of latex and fishnet on the floor was a result of the clothing they’d shed, and indeed, the gothic youth was still quite naked.

He was covered though. By Sima’s blanket. Ethan had grabbed it and tossed it to him when they were done, gruffly telling him to stay on the couch. It was the nicest anyone ever got from Ethan; most of them were usually told to leave when he was done with them. Joshua had simply smiled in response and had taken the offered blanket, settling comfortably down on the couch to sleep away the remaining few hours of darkness as Ethan retreated to his room. Neither of them were apparently worried about the fact that Sima would probably come out to make breakfast at some point.

Joshua had found Sima’s awkwardness endearing, and he hoped to have a proper conversation with the art student, if that were possible... he knew what a handful Ethan could be, and he had seen the fear flash through the youth’s eyes when he’d looked briefly at the intimidating man. He hoped he could ease that fear a little, but since he didn’t know what Ethan might have done to instil that fear in Sima, he didn’t know if it was possible to get rid of it.

Ethan hadn’t set an alarm, and snored contently on into morning, even when the sun came in through his window and hit him in the face; he simply rolled over and settled down again. Entangled in the goose blanket, Joshua remained in a light sleep as well, though he was more likely to wake up at any noise than Ethan was.

Sima woke a little later than usual thanks to the night's interruption, but he'd forgotten all about it, strangely enough. He even went through his whole morning shower and routine without once recalling it, as sleep-dazed as he was. But when he walked out into the living area with a yawn, it all flooded back. Perhaps that was all thanks to the visual aid on the couch, under his blanket.

Asshole! Sima was instantly wide awake, fuming at the fact that Ethan would do that. It couldn't have been accidental; oh no, he knew it had been on purpose. He stormed right up to the intruder, ready to grab his blanket away, but he hesitated last-moment. His hand lingered in the air above Joshua's shoulder. Well, he had been relatively polite. As polite as one could be in such an awkward situation, anyway. Would it really hurt Sima to just let him have it for now? Besides, he looked awfully... naked... under it. Sima would rather have him covered up.

Flushing a little, he stepped away from the pierced youth and into the kitchen, cautiously eyeing him for any signs of stirring as he went. He quietly started on breakfast, but maybe pancakes were a bad idea, as he didn't realize just how loud mixing the stuff up got. His back was turned, so he didn't know if the other woke up, and really, he didn't want to know. He just wanted to ignore him, childishly pretend he didn't exist. Because him existing just brought back visual memories that Sima really didn't need or want at the moment.

For some reason it was just so unnerving that Ethan could be like... that with anyone. Sima couldn't comprehend it. So he'd been drunk, according to Joshua, but that smoldering look in Ethan's eyes.... Sima shivered. It was a frightening look for so many varying reasons, many of which Sima's mind wouldn't even allow him to ponder. The guy was like an unfeeling rock, from the looks of things, but apparently Sima was more of an emotionless ball of clay than he was.

Ha, if only. He had been so stricken by such a commonplace display that he was a lot antsier than usual, an unusual hesitance in his actions that he only displayed when he was stressed. When he was stressed, he was a useless puddle of goo, prone to silly outbursts, schoolgirl blushing (apparently, since he couldn't stop every time he even thought about what had happened), and even crying if pushed far enough. Thankfully at the moment it wasn't that bad. No, it was mild enough that it merely made him seem like the timid dork he really was inside.

Even though Sima did his very best to be quiet in the kitchen, it wasn’t long before Joshua stirred on the couch, murmuring softly as he rolled over and planted his nose into the cushions. After that it was only a matter of seconds of not being able to breathe before he opened his eyes and blinked blearily, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up and rubbing at his eyes.

His short black hair with its long fringe was messy from sleeping, and he ran a hand with painted nails back through it to rid himself of some of the knots as he looked over toward the kitchen where the sounds that had woken him had come from. He almost looked surprised to see Sima, as if he’d forgotten that there was another person besides Ethan who was living here, even though they hadn’t seen each other all that long ago.

‘Oh, hey there.’ Smiling, he wrapped the blanket around his shoulders to keep warm a bit. When he did that, it hid bruises on his neck and torso that hadn’t been there the night before. He knew not everyone was as open-minded about the things he liked to do—or rather have done to him—as he was. ‘I hope you don’t mind me crashing on your couch... Ethan said it was okay, since it was so late and everything and he was my ride here... I didn’t really have a way to get home.’ He yawned, covering his mouth with one hand. ‘Boy, he really knows how to wear me out...’

Standing up and still using the blanket to keep himself decent, Joshua stretched contently. ‘Don’t worry about me, I’ll be out of your hair soon. All I ask is that I can use your shower briefly. Please? I’d rather not go home like this.’

Honestly, he could have if he had to... he'd been in worse situations before, but never by choice. He realised—unlike Ethan—that they'd probably been a little invasive, coming in the way they had, and he wouldn't blame Sima for simply booting him out, but he hoped the other would allow him to stay for a little longer and get his bearings.

Sima froze when he heard the pleasant voice that was Joshua's from somewhere behind him. He still didn't turn around, not entirely sure the other boy had enough manners to keep dressed. Well, if he had no issues having sex there, Sima assumed maybe he didn't have any problems being naked either. But when Joshua addressed him more directly, mentioning the shower, Sima was forced to chance a look.

Oh, thank God. His abused little goose blanket was in place, covering everything it needed to. He wasn't quite sure he could ever use it again, but at least it was useful now. Sima avoided Joshua's gaze by pouring the pancake batter into a pan. It seemed for a moment he wouldn't reply at all, but he simply had to think about it. Usually his answer would've been a flat-out no, but Joshua really was too nice, and Sima was far too flustered. A bad combination. Besides, maybe there was something about them both being Asian that helped along his unusual answer.

"Yeah," he said finally. "Go ahead. If..." He paused a moment, feeling unsure of himself, then went on. "If you need some clean clothes... I have some."

Well, they weren't too different in size, so Sima figured he might as well. He hadn't seen the other smoke or do anything else he hated (besides his rather detestable sense of style) and he really doubted Joshua would need to anyway. He was definitely a lot more bearable than Ethan was. How the two of them got along to the point of consensual sex (consensual being the key word), Sima just didn't know.

‘Thank you!’ Joshua looked genuinely grateful, and beamed brightly for a moment. ‘I won’t need any spare clothes, I have a spare set in my bag, but thank you for the offer. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to find and use Ethan’s towel, and not yours.’ He picked his bag up off the floor and wandered off towards the bathroom; he had obviously been told by Ethan where it was, since he didn’t need to ask for directions.

The bathroom door shut behind him, and moments later the sound of water started up.

By the time Joshua was done, the whole apartment smelled of pancakes from Sima cooking breakfast. The young Goth sniffed the air as he towelled himself off and groaned softly; he was starving, but would wait until Ethan got up to ask for breakfast. He didn’t know Sima, and didn’t feel right asking for food after he’d already used his couch, shower and blanket. Well, it had to be Sima’s blanket, he very much doubted it was Ethan’s.

Hoping that the older, more intimidating man was up, Joshua peeked out of the bathroom but didn’t see him and so wandered off to the kitchen and lounge area again, dressed in a simple white shirt and loose black tracksuit pants. No, no Ethan. Just Sima and pancakes.

‘You never did introduce yourself to me, last night. Admittedly, we met under rather, um... unusual circumstances.’ Joshua laughed. ‘I am sorry about that... we’d both had a bit much to drink and we got...’ he waved a hand idly. ‘...carried away. What’s your name? Have you been living with Ethan long?’

Sima was getting started on his pancakes in the kitchen, just standing there eating them on the counter. He could've gone into the living room, but he didn't want to sit on any of the couches in there, or put his food on any surface. He had no idea which ones they'd been on. He stared at the broad coffee table in a bit of horror, appetite waning just a bit.

When Joshua came out, Sima almost didn't recognize him. He looked a lot better in clothes than he did in a silly goose blanket, though, that was certain. But he was still feeling a little timid this morning, and avoided looking at him even now. He just forked a piece of his syrupy pancakes into his mouth, staring down at the food instead of at Joshua, though the other boy was talking to him.

He wanted to snap something like, "Carried away? Is that what they're calling it now?" but decided against it.

"Uhm... Sima," he replied simply, glancing up at Joshua from under his glasses. "Sima Yan. And no, the guy just moved in. Are you... his boyfriend?"

The way he stated it was a little cute, so naïve. But he really couldn't be sure. They looked awfully familiar with each other the previous night, but even Sima wasn't stupid enough to realize they could just be mild acquaintances, or perhaps not even know each other at all. But Joshua seemed a little more friendly with Ethan than that, so Sima thought he'd ask. Feeling dumb anyway, he quickly added more.

"I mean... I didn't really think he was the type who'd be into other guys."

Well, that just sounded even stupider, so Sima went back to looking at his food, mouth set in more of a frown than in his usual scowl. Not saying anything more, he offered up another plate Joshua's way, atop which was a stack of more pancakes. Today, he'd made extra, and he wasn't entirely sure why. There was even enough for Ethan, if he wanted any. Sima's glance turned nervously towards the hallway, as if just thinking about Ethan would rouse him from his sleep.

Gratefully accepting the pancakes, Joshua thanked Sima and leaned back against the kitchen counter as he rolled one of the pancakes up and took a bite out of the end of it. It was so good to have a hot breakfast, he thought to himself. It had been a long night, and he’d been feeling a little queasy.

‘His boyfriend?’ Joshua echoed, sounding more than a little amused. ‘Oh, sweetie, no. No, definitely not.’ He chuckled softly. ‘Ethan... doesn’t really have a type... gender certainly doesn’t matter to him. They don’t have to have a personality, they don’t have to have... well, anything but good looks, really.’ He took another bite and chewed thoughtfully before continuing. ‘On the surface, he appears very shallow, like he’d be happy sleeping with someone different every night, but I think he’s just the kind who’s afraid of commitment.’

Shrugging slightly, he sighed softly and looked toward the hall as well. ‘We’ve known each other for a few years. I had a crush on him once, maybe even loved him a little... but like you said, he’s just not ‘the type’. We’re friends and that’s cool.’

Smiling, he looked over at Sima again. ‘I bet you’re thinking, ‘How could anyone care about that guy when he’s such an asshole’, right? I saw the look in your eyes when you tried telling him off... don’t worry, he makes most people nervous. It’s tough getting through that nasty personality of his but... honestly, he’s not too bad, as long as you don’t rub him the wrong way.’

‘Well isn’t this the sweetest little scene.’ Came a familiar, sneering tone from the doorway that led into the room. Ethan leaned against the wall a moment as he appraised the two in the kitchen for a moment, before sauntering over to Joshua and seizing him possessively around the waist. Leaning in, he whispered with his lips by the youth’s ear so Sima couldn’t hear him. ‘Say one more word about me to him and I will tear you apart, Joshua.’

Joshua shivered, his back stiff, but rather than looking afraid he smiled. ‘Yes, Ethan... whatever you say. Did you sleep well?’

Grunting in response, the Goth grabbed a mug to begin making coffee. Joshua seemed mostly amused as he caught Sima’s gaze and shrugged.

Ha. 'Rub him the wrong way'. It was a little too late for that. Or a lot too late. Sima didn't think he and Ethan could ever be reconciled to a point where they could live together in the same place peacefully, nor did he really have any desire to be reconciled. Despite what Joshua said, putting Ethan in a rather human light, Sima didn't think Ethan could be friends with anyone.

This was only strengthened when the devil himself walked in with that vile tone of his, signaling the start of Sima's bad mood. The brunette instinctively stiffened up, looking a little less awkward than he had the entire morning with Joshua. Like a wounded animal, he didn't want to betray any signs of weakness to a predator. He put on his best glare and directed it on its target: Ethan, who was grabbing on his so-called friend and whispering something in his ear.

Afraid they'd start sucking face right there, Sima just looked on uncomfortably as he ate his breakfast, sipping at his coffee in a manner that could only be described as snobbish. He couldn't help but wonder what Ethan had told Joshua. Perhaps an insult, but no, he could say that to Sima's face. Well, he could only wonder. Neither of them were going to tell him, and he wasn't going to inquire.

He was suddenly a lot quieter than he had been, the desire to talk to Joshua suddenly gone. He'd been a little more talkative with the friendly boy around, but with Ethan in the room, the atmosphere seemed suddenly stale and heavy, too heavy to speak.