HI MATT

[wearsthecoats]

Sherlock has:

• an armchair by the fire
• an expression of unreasonable cheer
• a mug of cold-pressed coffee
• a truly impressive collection of hickeys, accented by a well-bitten lip that only recently stopped bleeding.

Comments

[semicharmed]

Matt rolls his eyes ceilingward again, this time in some embarrassment.


But admits, cheerfully enough, "Verbal cues."

[wearsthecoats]

"Mm?"

[semicharmed]

Oh man.

"Well you said positive reinforcement," Matt attempts to clarify, "of which praise is one type. And I remembered you said 'good boy' earlier, which I thought was funny because it should have made me feel like a golden retriever but ... kind of didn't."

[wearsthecoats]

"Oh," he reflects. "Hm. I think I like that."

He also likes the fact that he is lying down while Matt is sitting up. It's an interesting reversal.

[semicharmed]

He laughs, fingers stroking along Sherlock's jaw.

"The notion has potential."

[wearsthecoats]

"Doesn't it?"

[semicharmed]

"I certainly won't knock it until I try it."

[wearsthecoats]

"We are here to experiment," he muses. "What exactly would you like to try?"

[semicharmed]

Matt pauses thoughtfully.


"Actually," he says, "this idea has some implications for something I'm going to try with somebody else. I had wondered how he might feel about an encounter where nothing happened unless he explicitly wanted it to. As in," a twitch of his lips, "I do what he tells me to. And only that."

He shrugs.

"Kind of an extreme case. But I'd be interested to mess around on the spectrum."

[wearsthecoats]

"...As would I," he says, also thoughtful. "The idea has a certain academic appeal."

[semicharmed]

"Yeah?"

Matt's fingers brush his cheek.

"Which part?"

[wearsthecoats]

"It would be an interesting challenge to have control like that. The goal, of course, being to create a mutually satisfactory encounter without... spontaneous input."

[semicharmed]

He smiles, a little lopsided.

"Yeah. Interesting challenge is right.

But if you're up for trying the control, I can give avoiding spontaneous input my best shot."

[wearsthecoats]

"Might be worth a try," he muses.

[semicharmed]

Matt grins, and bends down for a kiss.

[wearsthecoats]

He kisses back, smiling.



Eventually: "Let's."

[semicharmed]

He flashes another bright smile.

"Okay," he says.

"In that case, um ... one more round of the spell, which will be the last of my aloe and cardamom ... and my safe word historically is 'ramen,' but I've used alternate methods if you prefer to not hear the word ramen during sex."

[wearsthecoats]

He laughs.

"I have no intrinsic objection to ramen."

[semicharmed]

"Aces," he says.

Matt stretches and slides off the bed.

"At this point I'll be casting this thing in my sleep."

[wearsthecoats]

"With potentially interesting results," he notes, laughing again.

[semicharmed]

Matt snorts.

This time, he casts all three spells without asking if he should leave the tattoo trigger in. At this point it's easier to just roll with it.

"All right," he says, when the last of his herbs are smoldering and the glow has settled and he feels, once again, too warm.

"Last round. I'm at your disposal. Unless I say ramen."

[wearsthecoats]

"Come here," he says sunnily, opening his arms.

[semicharmed]

Matt's lips quirk.

And he goes to him.

[wearsthecoats]

Sherlock gathers him in for a chilly, comfortable kiss.

[semicharmed]

He is never, never getting over how good this feels.

Matt kisses back with enthusiasm.