Epilogue #3
Chris laughed, self-deprecating and nervous.
“Yeah, so there’s our grand meet cute story.
Thanks, cariad. I’m not ashamed of wanting him.
Or how we got together. I’m sure as fuck not ashamed of being with him—he’s a bloody marvel.
And I’m not even ashamed of the fact that we made something for ourselves.
” Chris blinked hard. His eyes stung. “So yeah,” he said, breath uneven.
“I guess…keep an eye out. We’re going to start something. A couples channel or whatever.”
Isaiah gaped at him. “That is not how you do an announcement.”
Chris laughed. “What? I’m not good at this—you shouldn’t let me talk so much.
But it’s out there now.” He shrugged. “So we’ll talk about running,” Chris continued, because since he was spiralling already, he might as well commit.
“And ethics. And shame. And maybe how to rebuild after you fuck up publicly.” A pause. “And we’ll take our clothes off.”
The chat lost its mind. The tip counter surged to numbers that more than matched the lottery funding he’d almost certainly lost by doing this.
He laughed, shaky and disbelieving. “I know you’re here for him,” he said, pushing his chair back slightly. “So I’ll get out of the way.”
He started to stand. Isaiah’s hand shot out and caught his wrist.
“Stay,” Isaiah said, softly in his ear, not to the camera.
The words slid straight under his ribs.
“I don’t think they want…” he whispered.
Isaiah rolled his eyes. He turned his attention to the screen. “Do you want him to stay?”
The answer was immediate and overwhelming.
PillowPrincess21
STAY
CuddlyBear345
both plz
MidnightLover38
don’t leave
PixelsBiggestFan5
we want you too
Chris stared at the flood of affirmation. It felt unreal. Too easy. Like a tailwind he didn’t trust.
“Okay,” he said quietly.
Isaiah’s fingers threaded through his.
“Okay,” he said again, louder.
He sat back down, closer this time. Their thighs pressed together.
“Are you sure?” Isaiah asked quietly.
Chris’s breath caught, but not from nerves this time. “Democracy has spoken.”
Isaiah’s grin turned wicked. “Alright then.” Isaiah shifted the camera slightly, widening the frame. Professional. Controlled. But Chris could feel the tremor in him.
“This isn’t how my streams usually go,” Isaiah murmured, a private aside that still carried to the mic.
Chris leaned in, shoulder brushing his. “Well aware. Big fan, Quick.” He winked and the tips surged again.
Isaiah’s hand slid to his waist, grounding and claiming all at once.
“Alright,” Isaiah said, voice dipping into the register Chris had first fallen for through a stupid superhero mask and a flickering screen. “Let’s give them a show.”
Chris laughed, nervous and exhilarated all at once. He turned his head and pressed a slow, deliberate kiss to Isaiah’s mouth.
The chat erupted again, but Chris barely noticed.
And when Isaiah’s fingers tightened in his shirt and pulled him closer, when he pulled it over his head and placed filthy open-mouthed kisses down his chest, angling it so everyone could see just how much Chris was enjoying himself, Chris didn’t hesitate, not for a second.
The only thing he could think about was how impossibly, completely in love he was with this man.
Chris pressed a hand to Isaiah’s back, felt him relax against the curve of his side. He kissed the top of Isaiah’s head, and thought that despite the false start, he’d never run a better race than the one that had brought them here.
Six Months Later
Chris had just closed his laptop after his online therapy appointment and made his way to the small kitchen in the flat he shared with Isaiah in Oxford, hunting for a snack, when his phone buzzed.
He started slightly when he saw an email address that hadn’t appeared in his inbox in months flash up on the screen.
To: c_green_run@
From: isaiah.owens@
Subject: It’s Official
I am writing to formally inform you that your competition ban from the World Athletics Association is officially complete.
You may resume competing in timed road and trail race events, effective immediately.
Congratulations. We at Owens Group are proud to have you on our roster and look forward to many great things from you in the future.
Warm regards,
Isaiah Owens, Associate Researcher, Owens Group; Owner at Quick DPhil candidate, BPhil, BA (OXON), Chris Green’s boyfriend, defender of real coffee, official resident of the Bodleian until this fucking conference paper is finished
He couldn’t wipe the grin from his face as he replied.
To: isaiah.owens@
From: c_green_run@
Subject: Re: It’s official
I’ll show you one of those great things right now if you come home from the library for a break.
Warmest regards,
Chris Green, naked and waiting
P.S. stop trying to convince me to do trail runs, it’s not subtle and it won’t work.
Seconds later…
To: c_green_run@
From: isaiah.owens@
Subject: re: Re: It’s Official
I’m on my way.
Z
P.S. I’ll wear you down eventually.
P.P.S. Ollie and Matt offered to finish the joint paper off. How long do you think I can milk this guilt trip for? ’Cause it’s really improving my work-life balance.