Van had half been hoping it was Paul on the other side of the door, but as he tugged it open he was disappointed. Standing there instead was a delivery guy, a kind of cute delivery guy with his crew cut and tight brown uniform that showed of a nice lean build. Van gritted his teeth. He wasn't gay, he wasn't into guys. Abaltis must have fucked with something to put those thoughts in his head, and Van mentally stomped on them, hard.
He must have been glaring, because the delivery guy looked a bit nervous as he held out a clipboard, adjusting the box under his arm. "Package for Van Mason?"
"Yeah, that's me." Van tried to stop scowling as he took the clipboard and signed it, handing it back over in exchange for the box. He heard something shifting inside as he shook it, though it didn't seem to weigh all that much. With the delivery guy heading off, Van closed the door and took the package into his kitchen, where he set it down and found his scissors to open it.
The contents made him blink. It was a pile of leather strips, with some metal rings. With a grimace he lifted it up to see the leather harness in all it's glory. "What the hell?" There were also some arms cuffs and a black leather jock strap with a prodigious pouch that might actually be able to hold him. There was no receipt or delivery slip, but he found a card at the bottom. He wasn't even surprised as he read it.
'Wear this for your next show, pet. You'll rake it in.
Love,
Your fairy godfather
P.S. Paul will love this, too.'
Van let out an annoyed grunt as he shoved the offending outfit back into the box and closed the flaps. There was no way he was going to be caught dead in that, not short of Abaltis magicking it onto him. Well, maybe once, in private, just to see.. no. Van shook his head and backed away from the box, dropping down onto the couch just in time for his phone to ding from the coffee table.
He picked it up, and his heart almost leapt into his throat as he saw a text from Paul. It was just, 'Talk?'
'Sure,' Van sent back, licking his lips. Minutes passed, and the phone remained quiet. He sighed and was about to flop back into his couch cushions as there was another knock on the door. Van quickly ran over and yanked it open. Paul stood on the other side. He looked like he hadn't slept since he had last seen him, his normally neat hair was a mess, and he hadn't shaved in a few days, his normally clean jaw covered in stubble. He was also dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Paul never went out except to the gym in anything but a composed outfit, but here he was.
"I was in the area, figured I'd stop by." Paul said, his voice a bit hoarse.
"Yeah, yeah.." Van stood aside so his friend could enter.
Paul strode inside, heading right for Van's couch. He didn't sit though, instead he just paced in front of it. Van watched him with a tinge of worry, he had never seen Paul this out of sorts ever in his life, and he knew he was to blame. It made him feel a bit guilty. "Did you mean what you said? About having feelings for me?"
No. I was trying to win a bet with a fairy. Van thought, and that thought made him feel even worse. Not only had he put his friend in this state, he did it for a stupid reason. One of the only two people that actually cared about him and he.. He was a dick. "Yes." He said, surprised how easily to lie came to him. He couldn't hurt his friend, not again.
Paul quickly closed the distance, grabbed Van by the shoulders, and looked him right in the eyes. "How? Why now?"
Van opened his mouth to say something, but of course he didn't have a good answer, nor could his dimmed down brain come up with a convincing lie, so instead he just shrugged.
"God, you're an idiot sometimes." Paul said, but not unkindly, then leaned in and kissed him. It took Van by surprise, and while it had the same stubble scratching intensity he was used to from Abaltis' liberties, it was different, too. Less possessive, more needy. Like a dam was breaking and Paul needed this kiss more than anything. He seemed to sense Van's reluctance and began to pull back, but Van quickly wrapped his arms around Paul and began returning the kiss in equal measure. Fuck. He was enjoying it. He could feel his cock swelling in his shorts.
Finally, they both had to come up for air, and Paul looked more like his old self, his easy smile back in place.
"Beer?" Van offered, not sure what else to say. Abaltis' mental change had left him less eloquent, obviously, and not as quick on his toes with the flirting as he had once been. Luckily Paul just nodded as they stepped into the kitchen. Van dug into the fridge and pulled out a pair of beers, only to turn around and see Paul staring at the half-open box on his counter.
"Oh, um.." Van licked his lips trying to think of some excuse for the leather gear. "Would you believe I'm holding on to it for a friend?"
"No, I wouldn't." Paul said, reaching in to pull out the harness by one of the metal rings, letting it dangle from a finger.
"I told you he'd like it." Came a whisper in Van's ear, but turning quickly he couldn't catch any sign of the fairy's presence. Instead Van reached out for it, placing a beer bottle in Paul's hand instead.
"I thought you wanted to talk." Van murmured, but he still looked over the straps, there wasn't much to it, it was a simple harness with straps for over the shoulders and under the arms, with two more across the back and chest. So in a few moments he had it on, and was tightening the strap the nestled into the blond fur across his chest. He spread his arms for Paul. "How do I look?"
Paul didn't answer with words, instead hooking a finger through the D-ring that dangled from the chest strap and pulled him in for another kiss. Short but still hungry. "Good." He said finally. "And yeah, we probably should talk. Is this really something you want? You've never seemed interested before."
"And he wasn't interested in you until I changed a few things about." Came Abaltis' voice in another whisper. "He likes them brawny, furry, and dense. Me, too."
Van tried to ignore disembodied taunting. "We can take it slow, you know. Just try it out." Van suggested, taking a swig of his own beer after popping off the cap.
Paul nodded. "Probably best. How about a movie night then?"
Van tapped his bottle against Paul's in agreement, eager for a little bit of normalcy in what had been a crazy few days. Except, it wasn't normal. He left the harness on at Paul's insistence, then instead of just sitting next to his friend he found an arm around his shoulders. Van found himself giving in as the night and the movies went on, first leaning against Paul, then laying with his head in Paul's lap as his friend ran his fingers through Van's chest hair and teased his nipples. Despite it keeping him in a semi state of arousal, Van found himself comfortable laying there and slowly drifted off to sleep.