At least his favorite Chinese takeout wasn’t all that far away, and since he assumed Laurent never had any, he got a few different things to choose from, including a wild card - fried squid.
The sun was setting when Beast stopped the car by a small park and led the way to a newly-built playground, which at this hour was completely deserted. He didn’t feel like returning home yet and allowed himself to enjoy the one-on-one time with Laurent for a bit more. The playground was made mostly of wood and shaped to look somewhat like a castle, with two main structures linked by a bridge, numerous poles for climbing and slides.
He put their food into one of the towers before climbing up the ladder and into the wooden building. It was quite enclosed, so there was a fair chance no one would spot them from afar.
Laurent was right behind him, with that delicious look of amazement once more present on his face. “If there are men as tall as you, is this place for people half your size?”
Beast barked out a laugh and sat with his legs down a broad slide designed to be used by several children at once. “It’s for children. Come here,” he said, tapping the space next to him.
When Laurent sat down, he was thigh to thigh with Beast. He rubbed his forehead with a deep sigh. “Of course.”
Beast pulled out the food and opened the safest bet, a mild curry with chicken, before splitting the wooden chopsticks. He gathered some rice and put it into his mouth to demonstrate.
Laurent followed his example, observing how Beast put the chopsticks in his hand, but he didn’t grasp the concept very well. Beast pulled him closer and put the chopsticks into Laurent’s hand, first showing him the right movement, then enveloping his hand with his own and showing him how to pick up a large chunk of meat with enough pressure applied.
Laurent laughed with his mouth full when he finally managed. With the orange sunlight flooding the playground, stuck alone with him in the slide that seemed like a treehouse, Beast felt like a kid again. Not even like the smug twenty year old who had been on top of the world and thought he could seduce anyone he wanted, but his fifteen-year-old self, desperate to work out whether his first major crush was gay or not.
“I’ve never had anything like it,” Laurent said in the end once he swallowed the chicken.
“But do you like it?” insisted Beast, directing Laurent’s hand again yet this time making him bring food to Beast’s own mouth. The curry tasted somehow even better this way, and he looked deep into Laurent’s eyes, searching for the answer he craved.
“I think I do. I need to eat more of it to understand the flavor better.” The creases at the sides of Laurent’s eyes when he smiled spoke of honesty, and Beast could hardly believe they’d met just yesterday.
“We have plenty. Dig in,” Beast said, allowing Laurent to eat on his own despite wanting to touch him all the freaking time. Their knees kissing would have to suffice for now.
“I’ll succeed. You just wait,” Laurent said, proud like a boy scout when he managed to hold a piece of meat between the chopsticks, and as he leaned closer to feed Beast, he was so focused on his own hand, Beast took the time to ogle Laurent’s thighs in the skinny jeans. He felt a bit shitty about it, but back in the store, he’d told Laurent to try on two different pairs of underwear, just to see his ass revealed over and over.
Something fell on his chest and rolled off. Beast realized Laurent had dropped the morsel, and it left a sticky, orange trail of sauce on his chest and stomach. “Oops,” he said, pulling out a paper tissue from the bag with food.
“I’m so sorry! I thought I had it.” Laurent quickly got a napkin as well and started patting Beast’s chest with it. If it was anyone else, Beast would have thought Laurent had done it on purpose, to have an excuse for touching, but Laurent was so different than any of the club hangarounds. So sweet and ridiculously polite.
“It’s okay, don’t worry,” Beast assured him, watching the worried face in the warm light. He’d love to kiss both the beauty spots around Laurent’s lips. “You’re still learning. I got us kicked out of the mall, so in terms of fuckups, I don’t think you can top me.”
Laurent backed off and went silent, as if unsure what to say, so Beast’s nerves were already in tatters when he did. “If you knew the ink in your skin would frighten people, then why did you get it?”
Beast flinched and tapped his fingers against the slide. He could tell Laurent a lie, but what would be the point of that? “You see my skin, right? I was in a fire. People stared at me, or pretended I wasn’t there because I made them uncomfortable. And then the doctors told me it would stay like this forever. I guess I’d rather have people think I’m scary than pity me,” he said with a growing heaviness in his chest.