SOMEWHERE NOW | PRIVATE, JERSEY

Pierce had had no idea what he was getting into when he agreed to let a friend of a friend stay at his house for a bit. Apparently, the guy had hit a rough patch in his life, been laid off, or something - Pierce hadn’t really been told all the specifics -, but whatever it was, he had agreed to help him out. The name was familiar, anyway, so they were probably some sort of friends, and Pierce was just having trouble remembering, which was unusual, considering his sharp memory, but it wasn’t something worth losing sleep over. Tommy needed his help, so he’d be kind and hospitable.

Luckily for his soon-to-be roommate, the blonde was in pretty good shape financially. His lovely parents had payed for his college (though he planned on paying them back soon enough), and the condo he had bought for himself (using both his money from his job as a barista and some of the art pieces he had sold for surprisingly large amounts) had space for another, so Tommy was pretty much set. All he had to do now was clean, as there were clothes and pencils and paintbrushes everywhere, which he had been meaning to clean up soon anyway. The young man threw old shirts into the washing machine and scrubbed dishes, his pink-streaked bangs falling into caramel eyes as he leaned over a little potted succulent in his window.

Once he had cleaned the place up pretty well - he had even bought some new, nice smelling bedsheets for his soon-arriving houseguest’s room -, Pierce got to work on cleaning himself up. He styled wavy blonde hair and scrubbed his face, putting on a cute pair of light blue overalls over a yellow shirt and tugging on a pair of white high tops. He didn’t usually wear shoes in the house, but since he didn’t know this guy, he supposed he should try to be as neat and presentable as possible. He even put on a bit of perfume (it wasn’t too feminine or strong - just kind of floral -, but he had found cologne far too strong for his liking), which was unusual for him. It was nearing eleven o’clock, and Tommy was supposed to be arriving in just a few minutes, so Pierce decided to settle down with a glass of orange juice to wait, kicking his shoed feet absently as he looked over his light blue walls, a little smile on his lips, until, eventually, he heard a knock at the door.

Placing his drink on the wooden table, which was covered in rings from condensation-coated cups, Pierce jumped from the stool that sat at the peninsula in his kitchen and hurried to the door, brushing some dander from his overalls before unlocking the door and twisting it open, a soft pink lips stretched into a smile that lit up his freckled featres as he greeted before even focusing on the other man, “Tommy, come in!”

JERSEYBOY

//lmAO idk what i’m doin it’s 1am fuc k me && mobile

Pierce trusted Ed not to let some douche into his house - the bespectacled man was very respectable, after all, so the blonde doubted he spent time with any unsatisfactory folk. Odds were, Pierce was about to be very disappointed, but he had faith. Anyway, how bad could the guy really be? Maybe Pierce was unimaginative, but he liked to think he as just going to get lucky, since he was pretty much stuck with Tommy once he moved in - he didn’t exactly have the heart to kick anyone out. Besides, by the looks of him, this Tommy guy was nice - he had pretty eyes and wasn’t dressed like a slob, and he even played guitar. That was so cool! Maybe, if he was lucky, Pierce would be able to convince him to teach him to play; the young man had always loved music, after all, even though he could hardly handle any instrument.

Pierce was quick to close the door behind him and turn around to face Tommy, watching with a tentative smile still lacing freckled features as the other observed his home. "Huh, not bad. You gotta' nice place, eh?" “Not bad?” That was good, then, right? Pierce decided he’d go with that, his lips tugging up into a broader grin. “Aw, thanks! It’s nice to finally meet you. Hey, you want some help carrying your stuff to your room?” He would never say anything, of course, but he really didn’t want anything laying around on the ground so soon after he cleaned up - it had taken a lot to get the house this nice for Tommy.

Though, he other man was already asking for... booze. Okay, maybe not as respectable as their mutual friend, but he wasn’t being rude, or anything, so Pierce didn’t care much. “No alcohol here- sorry,” he explained quickly, sweeping toward the fridge to look over what he had in stock. Did that make him boring? He hoped not - having a roommate that didn’t like you wouldn’t end too well, either. “I do have, uh... milk, orange juice, water, some sort of... energy drink?” Since when did he drink energy drinks? “Oh, there’s Dr. Pepper in here, too!” he spoke brightly, glancing over his shoulder at Tommy. “Go ahead and make yourself at home. You want me to grab you anything?” Maybe he should grab a six pack, or something, to please his new friend. Later, of course - he wanted to help him settle in first.

//mobile

//scremAmms & ufh mobile

Pierce, surprisingly, hadn’t minded Tommy’s presence around his house very much. He hadn’t expected to, but most people would probably be irritated Tommy’s living habits. He rarely cleaned up after himself, and was often messing around with the silliest things, often things that made a lot of noise - his guitar, his video games, and countless other activities that could definitely wear on others he might live with. His cooking was good, though, and he was pretty nice- to Pierce, at least. So why wouldn’t the blonde enjoy having him around the house? Sure, he had to clean for two now (one of them being quite messy), but that was just about it. Besides, he liked cleaning.

Even still, he greatly appreciated the moments of silence he got when Tommy was busying himself with something quieter, like he was now. Pierce rested on his stomach in his bed, a book open in front of him. The lamp on his bedside table cast a lovely yellow glow across his room, and a small, absent smile decorated freckled features. The young man hummed lightly, his feet crossed behind him, seeming entirely peaceful- until his dark-haired acquaintance’s accented voice echoed across the home. ”Tommy?” the call was gentle, questioning, though he was already climbing out of bed, placing the book face-down on the sheets and swiftly making his way across the house. What on earth could Tommy need from him? It wasn’t rare that he called upon him for assistance or even some stupid question, but he had just been doing something in the bathroom, right? Whatever- Pierce was always willing to help.

The tall figure clasped his fingers around the doorknob, speaking as he turned it, ”Yeah? What is i-“ Pierce cut himself off as the door swung open and he stepped into the doorway to see the half-naked form of his roommate. Bare feet tripped over each other in surprise at the unexpected sight of Tommy wrapped only in a towel, though Pierce quickly straightened up, hesitantly stepping inside. Awkward? Yeah, but he would help Tommy if he really needed it. That’s what friends did, right? “You- you... scratched yourself?” he echoed, moving another step closer and peering down at Tommy’s damp, pink back, which looked clear of any injuries to him. “Where?” He reached out tentatively, pale fingertips gently brushing over his roommate’s far tanner skin, though he didn’t feel anything, either. Why couldn’t Tommy just look for himself in the mirror, anyway? Maybe he wasn’t flexible enough to turn and see. ”I don’t see anything,” he spoke slowly, pulling his hand back. ”Maybe the lighting in here’s bad. Why don’t you- uh, come in the living room?” Maybe he would put some pants on first.

Pierce, being Pierce, was entirely oblivious to what Tommy was thinking- if he was thinking anything at all, that is. Despite the other's strange behavior, he was genuinely convinced his friend had felt something - he had no reason not to -, whether there was an actual scratch or not, and he was going to try is best to try to help him, even if it was a bit... weird. So, watching Tommy closely, he tilted his head to the side, running his fingers through his pink bangs as the other spoke, still blissfully unaware of what the other had in mind.

”Actually, we can go into my room real quick? It's closer." Oh, well, that was true. Pierce opened his mouth to respond with a quick, "Sure", though the New Jerseyan was already heading off, so he followed, only a few steps behind. It was lucky for Tommy that, before entering the bedroom, Pierce spotted a smear of toothpaste on the mirror and paused to wipe it off, or else he would have walked in on the other man holding the packet of condoms, which would have made for an even more awkward situation. When he had managed to get the minty white smudge of of the mirror, he stepped into the mess of a room after Tommy, his surprise at the sight of the other's bedroom distracting him from noticing the movement of the other throwing the condoms under his pillow. The blonde turned to Tommy with an expression of faint curiosity to mask his shock - and mild disgust - and instead focusing back on his roommate as he spoke up.

Large brown eyes blinked slowly at the brunette man, trying not to stare too much at his body as Pierce moved forward again, peering only at Tommy’s back. “Nope,” he replied as he leaned away, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Are you sure you scratched yourself? Maybe you just, uh, scrubbed too hard in the shower, or something...” Or maybe it was a phantom pain. What else could it be? Tommy wouldn’t ask for his help unless he really needed it, right?

Pierce couldn't help but think what could be living in this place- sure, he wasn't the neatest of guys, but he didn't leave messes like these around the house, his own usually being cups of water in strange places and art supplies in kitchen drawers and on the counters and the couch. Any little bugs and pests that were drawn to the disasters Tommy left behind could be hiding in his piles of food and dirty clothing. The bed, aside from the garbage on it, didn't look too terrible, though; not super dirty, or anything, so Pierce decided it was safe to move and perch himself at the edge, near the head of the bed, as Tommy spoke. The other's smile seemed infectious, as Pierce cracked one of his own, though perhaps it was only out of discomfort. "Oh- hope you don't mind. 'M too lazy to throw on a shirt." Did he mind? Of course he didn't. It was just... some guy's chest. His roommate's. Tommy's. Nothing weird about it at all, nothing that made his freckled cheeks burn as he tried to keep his large brown eyes trained on the other's face. "Oh-" he uttered softly with a quick shake of his head. "Of- of course not. It's fine." He didn't care.

As his roommate spoke, Pierce tried to focus on his words, giving a small nod. "Oh... it's, uh..." he paused, not wanting to be rude, or anything. "It's very... Tommy." That much was true, at least. Managing another little smile, he wiped his hands, which were sweating slightly - probably just from the steam in the bathroom -, on his jeans and allowing his gaze to flicker down to his feet, which were crossed. "It's not," he added with a slightly high-pitched laugh and biting his lower lip slightly. There was nothing too uncomfortable about this, was there? It was just his friend and his friend's messy room. With this in mind, he pushed his hair out of his eyes and glanced back up at Tommy. "You good, then?"

It was clear, at this point, that Pierce was a very oblivious person. He didn’t notice Tommy’s painfully obvious advances on him, the utter falseness of the other’s “scratch” on his back, why the brunette had invitied him specifically into his bedroom. While Pierce was a good, well-performing student in school, it was obvious he wasn’t the cleverest of fellows. So, it was no surprise when he didn’t notice his roommate leaning a bit too close to him, though that could be excused by how flustered he was by Tommy’s compliment.

Nice? Eyes? His? Another nervous laugh escaped Pierce’s lips, his cheeks turning a rosy hue, though the giggling was far more genuine this time. Tommy liked his eyes? That was so sweet! “Oh, T-Tommy,” he forced out, a pleased smile growing across his face. “You’re so sweet! I- uh, don’t think anyone’s ever s-said that to me, no.” Had they? Maybe some drunk girls at a bar, or something, but no one he could really remember. Pierce reached up one hand to the back of his head, scratching it uncertainly. What what was he supposed to say? “I- um- I really like your eyes, too,” the blonde managed, his voice barely over an awkward whisper as he fixed his gaze on the ground. That was the nice thing to say, right?

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Pierce liked to think he knew Tommy. Not super well, since they hadn’t been living together long, but he had seen the other guy every day for nearly three weeks now. He knew how flirty the brunette was, how he seemed to attract a lot of girls, and even bring them home sometimes (whether Pierce was awake or not, there was always evidence). That was just the kind of person Tommy was, so maybe Pierce should have expected this. It all made sense, really; how he had dragged him into his bedroom instead of the living room, how he hadn’t bothered to out any pants on, and there was the fact that he had made up the injury in the first place, but Pierce, of course, had pieced none of this together. Hell, he was still convinced Tommy had scraped himself, but he just couldn’t see it.

The truth was, if Pierce was going to be completely honest about it, he hadn’t thought Tommy liked guys, and usually, he was pretty good at telling. It just... didn’t add up, and seeing as he hadn’t put much though into it anyway - perhaps he had noted his roommate’s attractiveness once or twice, or again when he had stepped into the bathroom with him in only his towel, but it had mostly been subconscious, not something he really thought about and more so something he just accepted. There was one thing he couldn’t deny, though, even if it was rather meaningless, and it was that Tommy DeVito was pretty hot.

The freckled blonde’s breath caught in his throat as he suddenly felt Tommy’s lips on his, the kiss being rather forceful as their chests brushed slightly. He was still for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Tommy- he- he... what? Pierce’s mind immediately became a jumbled mess of confusion, though he wasn’t exactly upset. He reached a single hand to rest on the front of Tommy’s shoulder, still warm and damp from his shower, as caramel eyes instinctively fluttered shut. He smelled nice, his face a bit rough and stubbly, though not bad. It was nice. The kiss was nice. But this couldn’t be right. No, no, he couldn’t be kissing his roommate. That was... it was wrong, wasn’t it?

Gently, Pierce broke the kiss, forcing himself to breathe as his heart hammered violently in his chest. “T-Tommy,” he began slowly, hand still placed on the other’s chest as his voice shook in shock. “I- I... what the hell.” The words were spoken as more of a statement than a demand or a question, a nervous laugh rising in his throat as he rubbed the side of his face with his free hand. What was he supposed to say? To do? He had to admit, Tommy was warm, his touch a bit rough though certainly not unappreciated, but something about it... wasn't right. Pierce didn’t want to become like all the girls Tommy brought home; especially since they’d have to keep living together after. “What do you think you’re doing?” He didn’t sound angry, or anything - just genuinely curious.

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