Cash's Apartment

(Place Description)


The sound of a smooth car engine rumbled into a parking space just outside of Cash's apartment building. Risk finished off what was left of his coffee--still delicious, but slightly cold and stale at the bottom of the cup--and then got up out of his car with a grunt. He pulled his fishing gear out of his trunk and headed up the steps to Cash's apartment with a hum, checking his phone. He smiled at the top of the steps as he read Lena's text. He was glad she'd enjoyed the dinner, and he sincerely hoped she enjoyed pampering herself today. He was very much looking forward to seeing her at the yacht party tonight and messaged her back to let her know just that. He tucked his phone away again properly and cleared his throat as he knocked on Cash's door. The sun was not quite up yet, bathing the place in early morning dimness with a comforting sort of lightness to the air that hadn't yet turned into something heavier and more humid. They didn't have very long until that happened, however, so he knocked again. "I'm here to collect, Cash!" he called, chuckling lightly at his own pun. "C'mon, I thought we were going fishing?? I woke up early for this!" he jeered through the door. "Is Dorian here yet? I have no qualms with waking your neighbors!" Usually that threat was enough to get Cash to answer his door. But only silence greeted Risk this time. He huffed and pulled his phone back out of his pocket, dialed for Cash, and put the phone to his ear impatiently.

It only takes a few seconds for a barely-groggy voice to answer with: "Cash Wicker speaking."

Risk's voice came through harsh and brisk. "Are you even home? Did you forget about our fishing date?" he snipped impatiently.

Cash's voice continued in much the same tone as before, apparently not acknowledging his friend's irritation: "Morning Risk. Personal crisis last night. I'll wake Kay and we'll come pick you up."

"You'll wake Kay?!" Risk asked incredulously. He paused a moment and then said with a playful tone in his voice, "did I miss something here..? Should we maybe reschedule our fishing trip?" He was already heading back down the sidewalk to his car and putting his fishing things back in his trunk. "I would hate to interrupt anything."

After a brief pause, Cash responded: "The only thing you've interrupted is my sleep. Besides, this trip was supposed to be about the three of us catching up~"

Risk laughed into the phone. "Well it sounds to me like you and Dorian are doing plenty of 'catching up' without me. I really have no problem rescheduling this for you both. I can go busy myself with directing the party crew for tonight." he grinned.

"Now, now, isn't that what your pretty new assistant's for? Kay's already up and walking around, so we'll be there to pick you up in a few minutes."

"Well alright, if you insist. And actually, my pretty new assistant is having a day to herself today. She's not going to my party as just a representative of my business tonight... So I'm letting her pamper herself." Risk explained with an adoring smile that was almost audible. "I'll see you two in a bit."

A happy hum could be heard before Cash said "See you soon." and hung up.

Risk chuckled as he hung up the phone. This was certainly mysterious. Just the previous morning, Dorian had been with Jade and the two had seemed completely smitten. He looked out and down the street, sighing at the early morning ocean breeze. Love was definitely a mysterious thing, but that's what he enjoyed most about it, especially from the side of observation. Well, this would certainly make their fishing trip more interesting. He leaned against his car with his phone back in his pocket, perfectly resolved to wait there.

It wasn't long, however, before he started to feel a bit impatient. He hoped Cash and Dorian were not... Busy again. He sighed a little and thought about Lena. He smiled. He wondered how her morning was going. He imagined her relaxing in a massage chair, getting her fingernails and toenails painted, with cucumbers over her eyes and a smile on her face. He chuckled and withdrew his phone from his pocket again, pulling up her number. Very quickly, he typed out a message to her. How is your morning going so far? Hopefully better than mine... Cash isn't home and now I must wait for him before we can go fishing.

Lena replied promptly, Good morning! Everything's great here. Made some new friends. They helped me pick out some new shoes for the party. That's too bad about Cash. Hopefully you'll be out fishing soon. See you later!

Risk smiled a little at her response, but the smile was a bit disappointed. Her message was so dismissive. He had been hoping for more of a conversation, more of a distraction to waste time until Cash and Dorian arrived. But clearly she was having fun with her new friends, and enjoying her day, which was good. He couldn't be upset about that. He thumbed out a response, saying: I'm glad you're having a fun day. I cannot wait to see you later tonight, no matter what you're wearing. Tell your new friends hello for me. He finished it off with a heart emoji of his own and then sighed and tucked his phone away again, leaned back against his car, closed his eyes and tilted his head back towards the rising sun.

Finally, Cash's Dodge Hellcat arrived and parked beside Risk's car. The redhead in question had barely turned off the ignition before he stepped out of the car and began speed-walking to his front door: "Morning, Risk! Gonna get dressed, real quick. It'll just take a moment, be right back!" He did not bother closing the door after actually entering his apartment, certain that Risk and Dorian would either keep an eye out to ward off intruders, or just follow him inside themselves.

"He's really great with those sweet nothings, isn't he?" Dorian remarked to Risk as he closed the car door behind him and approached the man who had been waiting for them. With a friendly grin he held out his hand for his companion to grasp in greeting. "Sorry we kept you waiting. I'm surprised you're joining us. Slow day at the office?"

Risk's eyebrows were still raised at where Cash had vanished into his own house before Dorian's words brought him back around. He smiled and pushed off of his car, taking Dorian's proffered hand and shaking it with a friendly firmness. "Not quite a day at all, actually," he chuckled in return. "I'm here with you two all morning and my lovely assistant is out pampering herself in preparation for tonight's festivities." He tilted his head as he withdrew his hand from Dorian's and smiled at him gently, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Is it safe to assume you and Cash will be there?"

A nod in reply. "I'm his date." Dorian pretended to take note of his current appearance. "Don't worry, I clean up good. Or so I'm told."

"His date, hm?" Risk asked with a waggle of his brows and a small smile. "I'm curious though, does this mean you and Jade are no longer an item? It wasn't too long ago I saw you two together, this is a rather speedy development." He quickly amended his statement with, "Not that it's any of my business. I would understand if you chose not to tell me."

Dorian gave Risk a flat look and pointedly ignored the physical clenching in his chest. "I was joking, Risk," he said blandly before returning his attention to the doorway to watch for Cash's return. "He was the one who invited me though. I'm glad I can come along. It'll be really nice staying out of the office today. What's the dress code for the party, anyway?" He ignored the question about Jade, preferring to let Risk think whatever he might from his reply than to actually talk about it.

Risk noticed Dorian's steering of the conversation. It wasn't so subtle that he couldn't pick up on it; Dorian didn't want to talk about Jade, and he could respect that. He moved to the back of his car and opened the trunk to start pulling his fishing gear out again as he said, "oh, there's no real dress code. I wanted this party to be more casual. Though I suspect some might come better dressed.... There's something about hearing the words 'yacht party' that gives people a certain mental image to uphold." he shrugged. "You and Cash can come dressed in whatever you like."

"Oh well in that case I might need to upgrade my footwear. You know how my thongs won't match my speedo." Dorian settled himself against Cash's car, resting the heels of his palms on the surface next to his hips. "Did you consider just calling it a 'party on your boat' instead of 'on your yacht' if you wanted to keep it casual?"

Risk let out a light, but belly-deep laugh. "I suppose sometimes I forget that yachts are not considered 'casual' to most people." He blushed a little at this admission and shrugged in a "what can you do?" fashion. He glanced towards Cash's open door again and huffed a sigh. "You two are incredibly late. I'm not going to get as much done today as I would have liked. I may even need to shower and dress on the boat."

"I'm sure your assistant wouldn't mind assisting you with that," Dorian grinned. "What all do you need to do today anyway?" He refrained from pointing out it was Cash that had invited him, and Risk himself who had accepted, so he really had no fault in this.

Risk laughed again and turned his attention back on Dorian. "With the party prep or the showering?" he asked with a quirked brow. He waved off whatever response Dorian might have prepared though, shaking his head. He didn't joke about that kind of thing. "I just need to supervise the caterers and bartenders... the cleaning crew. The grocery delivery... I need to make sure the water pump is primed and the engine is oiled." He shrugged and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I suppose my dear Lena can do most of those things in my absence."

"Your? Dear? My, she must really be quite the lady, she sounds very capable and I can tell from your tone you like her already. It's good to hear. You're a busy man, it's about time you have someone to help you."

Another shade of red highlighted Risk's cheeks and he smiled at Dorian with all the sincerity his pale blue eyes could hold. "I am rather fond of her. She's a hard worker with a lively spirit and a killer smile. You and Cash will get to meet her tonight and I think you'll both thoroughly enjoy her company." he smiled. He then paused and tilted his head at Dorian, folding his arms across his middle contemplatively. "There's something... different about you since I saw you last."

Darker blue eyes lifted to meet Risk's light ones and Dorian was quick to slide his trademark smile back into place, again pushing away how easy that was. "Well, I did spend last night with an exceptionally good looking man, must be the post-morning glow. But what about you? I could say the same to you. You look positively smitten-" He paused, eyes shifting back and forth over Risk's face. "And rouge."

Risk's smile returned, but it was a bit strained. Once again, he noticed Dorian deflecting, but he was not one to push subjects on those who had no interest discussing them freely. "As I said, I adore her. I think it's too early to tell if it's anything serious... we only just reached a level of comfort great enough to warrant kissing. But I am excited to see where it leads."

"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyy~" Cash's drawn-out call nearly ended in a whine as he finally stepped out of the building in a tee-shirt and some swim shorts, "don't tell me you two have started gossiping without me? I go out of my way to keep you two in the loop and this is how my loyalty is repaid?"

Dorian quickly shook his head, making his unruly hair bounce. "Just getting through the foreplay while we waited for you. Risk has just admitted to kissing his assistant-" He grinned at the other man. "So you're right on time. Let's get to the marina. I need to grab something from the lab then I'll meet you both at the boat." He stood from the car and opened the passenger door, motioning for Risk to climb into the back seat before him.

Risk straightened as well, gathered his fishing gear, and headed for Cash's car. He waited for the smaller man to open the trunk for him, piled his things inside, and then slid into the back seat via passenger side door as proffered by Dorian. Once settled and buckled in, he took a moment to breathe a sigh subtly through his nose. That conversation with Dorian had been an interesting one despite its short span. The day was still young, however, and they would be on the water for a while. Perhaps he could get more information out of him today. He was still curious about Jade, but not as curious as he was about whatever it was that had changed Dorian over the course of the last day or so.

Any burgeoning irritation vanished with Dorian's reassurances...not the mention the juicy tidbit about Risk's assistant... Wait... "You have an assistant?" Cash raised a curious eyebrow at Risk even as a grin stretched across his face. Once everyone was seated in the Hellcat, Cash drove to BotO The Marina.

With the Hellcat pulling back into it's place in front of the apartment building, Cash hummed in thought: "Looks like Risk got his car back...and I distinctly recall saying 'maybe'. Not quite a promise."

"Maybe means there's a chance," Dorian countered, but he behaved long enough to exit the car and carry his things to the front door of the apartment building. He had never actually been to Cash's apartment before- there had just never been a reason before- so his eyes were wide with enthusiasm and a smile to match. "I'll take my chances."

"Not when we have places to be and a time to be there by," Cash countered as he carried his own bags through the lobby and into the elevator.

"Then can I come back after the party and do it then?" Dorian pouted even as he eagerly memorized which floor Cash pressed so he could remember his way back. "I'll be good, I promise." He left it open which way he meant 'good'.

"I know you would be~ But not tonight, Dorian. Maybe soon, but not tonight." The redhead gave his friend a soft, patient smile before stepping out of the elevator and rustling through his pockets. With his key finally secured, he opened the front door. "Both the guest room and bathroom are to the left, past the laundry and coat closet."

Oh. So. He'd just be alone tonight. That was cool. "So I'd have a place to stay if we have slumber parties. Nice!" Unrestrained, he walked about the apartment, peeking into open doors to find the rooms within, finally settling in the living room where he lay his bags in the corner seat of the couch. "I guess you haven't found someone to take Emily's place yet, huh?"

Cash set his own bags on the dining room table to lean against the back of the couch and talk with Dorian a bit longer: "Not yet. Not many debt-ridden students floating around at the moment, apparently."

"Why does they need to be debt-ridden? Or a student?" Dorian pouted. "Do you have a thing for younger people?"

"No, but I haven't chosen my roommates in years," Cash laughed, "Nathan basically uses me as a boarding house for his most financially unfortunate clients. It's usually some helpless college kid drowning in an ocean of bills and exams."

"How altruistic of you," Dorian complimented mildly. Ate had said that Cash was one of them- one of us?- he did something different. Dorian wondered what that was, now that he was thinking about it. Cash seemed so... normal. He stepped away to look out the patio door at the view. This seemed like a nice place. Whoever Nathan picked would be really lucky. "How come I've never been here before?"

Cash gave a thoughtful hum. "Good question...I was without a roommate for a couple months when we first met...but there never really seemed to be a reason to invite you over, I guess. Like the view?"

Dorian looked back over his shoulder at his friend, his lips lifting into an easy smile. "I like this one better," he answered, his gaze lingering on Cash a moment longer to emphasize his point. He turned away from the doors and took slow, leisurely steps around the couch until he was standing in front of Cash, never breaking eye contact, and leaned forward to rest a hand on the back of the couch on either side of Cash's waist. "Did you ever just want me to come over?" he asked quietly. "Maybe you were lonely, thought about calling me over, maybe you thought it was too late at night..."

Cash's lips stretched into a grin even as he wondered if Dorian was trying to establish a record for the amount of times the curly-haired man made him blush that day. Still he turned to keep facing Dorian as he walked around the couch and did not look away when he felt a hand on his side. "By the time I was sure you'd say 'yes' I had a timid little med student overworking herself to exhaustion in my guest room. It's a nice apartment, but old walls and flooring. Trying to keep quiet would have been pointless."

"Your faith in my sexual prowess is flattering," Dorian chuckled. "She was a medical student, well versed in biological urges, she probably would have understood... and there's no one now, yet the answer is still no." He sighed and let his head fall to Cash's shoulder. "We're star crossed, my friend. Destined to never consummate."

"Not never. Just not yet," Cash reassured with a chuckle of his own as he reached around Dorian to give him a one-armed hug.

"I will try to be patient." Dorian's arms slid around Cash's waist and gave him a brief hug before he stepped back. "Should we get ready?"

Reluctantly releasing Dorian from the embrace, Cash shrugged: "Well, unless we want to swim to catch up to the boat, we probably should before we get distracted again."

"Yeah. I'll be plenty distracted later anyway." Dorian grinned at him, then lifted his hands behind his head, pulling on his collar so his shirt slid up and off of his torso. "Would you prefer that I get ready in the guest room?" he asked as he folded the shirt and laid it across the back of the couch. "You'll probably get ready in your own so you wouldn't see me either way, right?"

Cash gave a grunt of mild displeasure: "Just don't change on the balcony and give the entire town a free show." The redhead made an effort to keep his eyes on Dorian's face until he turned to grab his bags and walk through the double-doors to his room.

"They wouldn't be able to see me if I was in your room wat-" And the door was closed. Dorian chuckled and shook his head. A cursory look around and he did, in fact, head to the guest side, but to the bathroom, not the bedroom. A quick peek told him something unfortunate, however. Cash didn't expect guests and he didn't have a room mate so the bathroom wasn't stocked. He padded back over to Cash's side and knocked quietly. "Cash?" he called. "Do you mind if I take a shower?" He had anticipated fishing today, after all, and getting ready at home. He was a tad under prepared to be getting ready here. "There's.. nothing in the other room.." His words trailed off a little into a mutter, not sure what to do. He didn't want to smell bad but he did feel a little uncomfortable asking to use the man's shower when it was his first time here.

Luckily for Cash and unluckily for Dorian, the redhead had only set the bags down on a chair, taken some deep breathes, rubbed his face and was about to remove his shirt when he heard the knocking. Oh, right... The need for a shower had completely slipped his mind, although when he sniffed his own shirt, he had no clue how. "Yes, yes. Go right ahead," Cash said with a sheepish smile as he opened the double doors and gestured to the bathroom door. "I'll...uh..."

Dorian gave him a grateful smile and nodded, giving a soft, "Thank you." He stepped in and, with a look side to side, headed toward the bathroom end. He paused in the doorway and looked back at Cash. "I'll try to be quick, but I'll leave the door unlocked in case you can't wait," he promised, but he wasn't smirking, just a little smile and he closed the door. He set his own bags near the wall by the linen closet before setting to work on the rest of his current outfit. He was honestly a little surprised how tidy Cash kept the bathroom, but he suspected he didn't spend a lot of time at home, and when he did, it was just the bedroom, so that's probably where some mess would lay. He'd avoid that area for now, it was for the best. It took a few tries to figure out but soon he was in the shower and used whichever soap he identified first for its intended purpose to wash his hair and body and he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the idea of smelling like Cash for the rest of the evening. He chuckled to himself as he got out, grabbed a towel and dried off quickly before sorting out his clothes. He didn't want Cash to wait any longer than he had to.

Cash walked in the other direction to sit on the edge of his bed and considered turning on the TV for some background noise. By the time he decided that it might get him too distracted to take a shower himself when it was his turn, he could hear the water running from down the tiny hall. If he had a door separating his bedroom from the hall he would have gotten started undressing, at least, but as it was, he laid back with his legs hanging off the bed and stared at the ceiling, making a point of thinking about nothing. He was starting to scratch at his beard and wonder if he ought to shave when the shower turned off.

Several more minutes passed mostly because Dorian buttoned and unbuttoned the fourth button on his shirt far too many times trying to remember how Cash had liked it. Finally, he resigned himself to leaving it open, gave his curls one more rough dry with the towel, squeezing out the ends, and opened the door back to the hallway. Cash wasn't forthcoming so, reluctantly, he peeked into Cash's room, seeing the other man on his bed. It took two steps to cross the distance and he held out a hand to help him up. "Thanks. Your turn."

Taking the hand with a wry grin to pull himself up, Cash reached with his other hand as if to refasten that fourth button but instead laid his hand on Dorian's vest over his heart. "Flawless as ever, Gorgeous," Cash smiled before getting up and grabbing his bag from the chair to take with him to the bathroom: "You can wait wherever and watch TV or something."

"Yeah, right, thanks," Dorian replied absently and gave a little wave as Cash disappeared into his bathroom. He sighed through pursed lips, probably not unlike what Cash had done earlier, realized where he was, and strode out to the living room to sit in one of the chairs instead. He sat there for only a moment before he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands in his damp hair. What was he doing? He had to tone it down. It was easy to flirt with Cash before because he always turned him down, but now... Now, what was he trying to accomplish? It wasn't just friendly anymore, was he sincerely trying to woo his best friend? Oh gods, that wasn't good. No, he needed to dial it back, back to where he was before. He took a deep breath and released his hair. He could do that. That should be easy, right? He'd been there before. Cash was a great comfort right now, he was being a good friend, a great friend really, not allowing Dorian to be alone after his trust had been broken. It was a great comfort, and he was grateful. He didn't need any more than that. He sat up again, taking another, steadier breath. Yeah, he should be thanking him, not pushing for more. Tonight, he would make sure to do just that.

Cash made an effort to shower as quickly as possible and soon found himself with a towel on his head as he closely inspected his cheeks in the mirror. Deciding the leave his facial hair alone--for now--he finally got dressed and--upon realizing that Dorian was not waiting in his room--opened the double-doors to the main living area with a flourish.

Dorian's reaction was almost instant. He gave an impressed whistle and clapped for the entrance. "Handsome as always. Forgive me in advance for being jealous when everyone else can't stop looking at you." Including me. "It will certainly be my pleasure to be your date this evening, Mister Wicker."

"You either overestimate my good looks or underestimate your own," Cash smirked as his cheeks tinged pink beneath his beard, once more, "I assure you, the pleasure is all mine, Mister Kasen~"

"Well then we are both ready for a very pleasurable evening, aren't we?" Dorian replied with a chuckle before standing from the chair. He crossed the few steps between them leisurely, all the while looking Cash over, hands taking the blazer once he was close enough and giving it a light tug to adjust it just-so. "Would you like to head over now?"






BotO Athens Harbor
Blood of the Olympians