Something Entirely New

"Write them? Oh, please do! I want to know what people like about my pies. Tell 'em your nanna's very happy that they like it!" Nanna Graham beamed, in that sweet, enthusiastic grandma way, and considered the suggestion. Oh, she wished, she wished. But money was tight. She sighed. "Really, child? I wouldn't want anything fancy... I don't think we can afford it!"

Luckily for Logan, Dorian's first instinct was to solve problems, not question reactions. He slid back to the conversation with the smile of an expert salesman. "Don't worry about buildings, Nanna! I know at least a dozen of cheap buildings around the shopping district. I can help you out. Look..." He pulled out a phone and looked up a webpage of available buildings, "This one's pretty small, but it's in a popular part of town, and just $300 a month! Now this one..." He sat closer to her and started chattering on about these buildings while he stuffed his face with mouthfuls of pie.

Dorian smiled, flushing, when Logan started complimenting his skills. Nanna laughed, patting Dorian on the thigh. "A wonderful cook? Is there anything you can't do? Leave some talent for the rest of us, sonny!"

"Oh, I don't think it's anything special, not like anything like yours, Nanna." He needed to one-up Logan in this. He placed his hands on Logan's shoulders, grinning. "Have you seen Logan play the piano yet? It's really amazing! People would show up at the Auditorium to watch him play."

Damn. Dorian normally considered himself a domineering man, but if only these people knew, he had nothing on Logan. He'd be intimidated if it weren't for that fact that Logan only used his powers to be really gay. He flushed at Logan's gushing. People being proud and admiring his work was an entirely new thing for him. He grew up thinking achievements were something that was simply expected of him, not something to be proud of. He couldn't think of a response to that. His brain was fried. He kissed Logan's cheek, heat radiating off his face, and whispered 'I love you' back to him.

After that, Dorian talked a bit with Nanna before it was time for them to retire. They jogged after digesting their dinner, then Dorian drank an entire bottle of yogurt drink before bed. No sex, but snuggling up with his bunny in his sleep was nice.

When morning came, his body was rather sore... but pleasant! It was like a massage. Country living was really different from the city. More simple. Dorian had no immediate need to get out of bed. He sat up and watched Logan's grandfather herd the cows out of the barn so they could graze out in the field, combing Logan's hair while he slept.

It looked nice, but Dorian just felt like a tourist in this kind of life. It wasn't safe or familiar. Too... slow. Maybe in small doses, but he knew it'd drive him mad eventually. Why could he never be content? It was a sickness, this ambition, and the way he pursued it like a starving dog. It made him sick.

Thumping. It knocked him out of his thoughts.

"Logan? Mr. Crawford?" That was Ninette's voice. Dorian got off the bed, wrapped the blanket around his waist, and jogged right on over to the door. "Did I wake you up? I hear city folks stay in bed until noon."

He chuckled. "We do. We're unaware it's unhealthy. Don't worry, you're not bothering us."

She nodded, a bit shy. She couldn't make direct eye contact. Ninette was a conservative country girl, who got embarrassed at too much skin. "Nanna told me to give you this." She kept her gaze on the floor and offered him the breakfast tray. It looked heavenly — two cups of brewed coffee, with a stack of waffles, with honey, a bowl of blueberries and butter on the side.

He took it with a smile. "Thank you, Ninette. We'll see you guys after breakfast."

Dorian closed the door and put the tray on the bedside table. He wrapped an arm around Logan and kissed all over his neck and arm, trying to wake him up as gently as possible. "Buuunny. Rise and shine, little bunny."