Archive of Our Own ^beta

 When we wore a heart of stone we wandered to the sea
 Hoping to find some comfort there yearning to feel free
 And we were mesmerized by the lull of the night and the smells that filled the air
 And we laid us down on sandy ground it was cold but we didn't care
 And we were drawn to the rhythm of the sea
     --Drawn to the Rhythm, Sarah McLachlan

Josef stood with his jacket slung over one shoulder, shoes in hand, toes digging into the sand, and watched. The figure in the distance was still, facing the ocean, a silhouette against the darkening sky. He couldn't help wondering what the other vampire was thinking about…who he was thinking about.

Shane must know he was there; they'd always had a preternatural sense of each other's presence, although it sometimes failed them at times of great stress or distraction. Maybe he was just waiting for Josef to come close, or ignoring him, either was equally possible.

He wasn't bothered, he enjoyed standing there watching Shane and pondering these things.

He enjoyed pondering Shane.

Perhaps the former Viking was staring into the ocean and remembering the time he sailed vast seas in wooden ships, exploring far lands in honor of his Gods. It was in his blood even now, evident in his propensity to keep moving through lives and experiences, never staying in one place too long.

Or it might be thoughts of the adventures experienced as a vampire that occupied his mind. There had been countless of those over the centuries, many Josef had shared. Good times and bad. Too many that Josef wasn't a part of, but still enough to bind them together for eternity.

Could Shane be thinking of the future instead, and what it might bring?

Josef both shied away from and reached out for that future, equal parts terrified and yearning for the promise held in front of him like a siren's song. Lured to the sea, yet afraid of drowning, he stood on the proverbial edge and watched the waves, waiting.

The future was now.

Josef moved forward through the shifting sand, continuing down to the edge of the surf and coming to stand beside his Sire. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Shane turned to him with a lazy smile, looking him up and down, an answer in the smoky gaze.

"Well, if they're about me, I'm going to have to charge a lot more," Josef quipped, falling back on familiar patterns was their area of expertise.

Shane started moving toward him, the intent obvious in darkening eyes.

In response, Josef began moving slowly away. "Oh no," he warned, taking backward steps, his vampire agility making the movement fluidly. "These are Italian loafers," he said of the shoes that he now gripped more tightly, determined they wouldn't end up washed ashore in Australia.

Shane moved with him, not allowing any distance to grow between them.

"I just bought this Armani," Josef continued pleading his case for his beloved clothing.

"Ever hear of "From Here to Eternity?"

"Shit, I'm in trouble," Josef muttered in the instant before turning and sprinting down the beach as fast as he could, hyperconscious of the feet pounding behind him, seconds away from catching him.

He put on a burst of speed when he spied the path leading up to a pavilion, sprawling halfway up the stairs as he turned to face Shane. He held hands up in supplication. "Have mercy."

Shane laughed, but for the moment at least, it seemed Josef's wardrobe was safe.

"Why do you hate my clothes so much? What did they ever do to you?!" It was a familiar argument, but a pattern that didn't seem to be breakable.

"It's your fault."

"My fault?!" Josef squawked indignantly.

"Well, if you wouldn't stand there looking all sexy…"

"Still," Josef sniffed, "no need to take it out on my sartorial splendor. Compromise?" he suggested, folding his jacket carefully and placing it on the cleanest patch of wooden step he could find before beginning to unbutton his shirt.

Shane shrugged, mirroring him by removing his vest and pulling off his T-shirt, although more carelessly. The guitar that had been slung over his shoulder though, that was placed carefully on top of the pile of clothing. Josef refused to ponder the differences in what each of them considered valuable.

The beach was deserted, and vampire senses would alert long before any arrivals could see what was occurring, even if any humans did brave the chilly fall evening for a stroll.

"C'mon in, the water's fine," Shane beckoned when they'd made their way down to the ocean's edge after undressing.

Josef shook his head at the cliché but waded in behind him, already hard in anticipation.

He didn't have to wait long, as Shane immediately sank to his knees, gripping his thighs.

"What if a crab bites you on the ass?"  That was the last thing Josef said for a long time.

Josef shivered as air was blown over his cock, then again stronger when the mouth swallowed him. He threw his head back, staring at the stars overhead as the waves of pleasure crashed over him, rivaling any the ocean could produce on a calm night. Perhaps a violent storm that battered the ship with wild winds blowing and waves tossing it around with ease.

And then the storm was over, and he was locking his knees to prevent gravity from taking him down. Shane's hands had loosened their grip, he felt the bruises that would fade within seconds, but for now, he enjoyed them.

Shane slid up his body, pressed close so that Josef could feel every inch of him, especially the hardness that was silently seeking attention. Ignoring the taste of himself on Shane's mouth, Josef kissed him, grabbed handfuls of ass and grinding their bodies together.

Josef reached out and wrapped his hand around Shane's cock, twisting and stroking with an expertise borne of centuries of knowing this body as intimately as one could.

More intimately than anyone else.

Then he was himself sinking down to deep throat Shane's cock (that also came from much practice), listening to the sounds his lover made as he worked him hard and fast.

"Fuck…yeah…" Shane's hand tightened on his shoulder in warning a moment before his release.

Josef rose to his feet, taking stock of the debauched vampire in front of him. Not having any part of Josef within reach of fangs, Shane had bitten his own hand. The smell of sex and blood and the ocean almost made him hard again. He took Shane's hand, bringing it to his lips to suck the blood before the wound closed.

XXXXX

Later, after they'd redressed and were sitting side by side on the bench in the gazebo, Josef asked.

"So, what were you thinking so deeply about before?"

Shane quirked a grin. "Song lyrics."

"What?!"

"Song lyrics are serious business," he intoned.

"Of course," Josef said in fond exasperation. It was on the tip of his tongue to make one of his ubiquitous wisecracks, but instead, he aborted the fleeting inclination.

Shane looked away, and Josef could feel the change in the atmosphere. "Since we're both here, though, there is something we need to talk about."

"Of course," he answered, resigned to whatever was coming. With them it was always one step ahead and two behind.

"I uh, well… Me and Sara are getting married."

Josef sat in shocked silence. If he'd made a million guesses, that wouldn't have been one of them. "You… what?" he finally uttered, still not quite believing his ears. "Are you serious?" he asked, at first thinking it must be a joke. The elder vampire had gone a thousand years and never married once, and Josef would have bet his fortune that he'd go another millennium remaining single. 
Josef wasn't even including himself in the equation; settling down wasn't Shane's style.

"Yep."

"Wow…" he managed.

"Really got you speechless this time, I see."

Josef couldn't deny being unsettled by the news. The three of them were still trying to find their footing with each other, and he was discomfited by a future that was so different from any he'd ever expected or imagined.

"You're not; I mean, this isn't a case of feeling pressured…" It was patently ridiculous to imagine Shane bowing to anyone's pressure, but he had to ask.

"There I was one day, y'know, finding myself on my knees proposing."

"Is it really what you want?" Josef asked intently. "Because it needs to be."

"Yes," he said simply, and Josef had no choice but to believe him.

Shane looked away, radiating reluctance and discomfort. "I don't want you to feel… like you're being left outside of all this," he stammered haltingly. He met Josef's eyes, his hand moving to twine with his. "You're a part of us."

"Oh," he murmured faintly. Shane reassuring him of his place was another new development.

"That's not going to change," Shane continued.

"Unless it's for the better," Josef dared suggest.

Shane smiled and nodded, leaning over to kiss him.

They were going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming centuries, the three of them. Josef could feel this. There was so much promise in that future; it was overwhelming.

"However, this does leave me with a complicated question to deal with," Shane began, scratching his chin. The mood was lighter but with lingering seriousness. "I mean, I don't know if it would be… insensitively inappropriate to ask you to be my best man, or insultingly hurtful not to."

It was still so new, Shane being solicitous of his feelings, that it filled him with awe every time. "Inappropriate, probably, but I don't think you have a choice."

"Don’t want one. But I'm not going to ask you to be my 'best man.' I'm asking you to stand by my side when I walk down the aisle… and always."

"I always have been, and I always will be," Josef matched the seriousness, for once not trying to hide from the raw intimacy that usually only revealed itself during their lovemaking but was now unclouded by passion.

He couldn't help feeling like he'd just been proposed to himself.

There was still the issue of Shane being married to wrap his head around, lingering concern about whether he was making the right decision. But maybe now it was Josef who was changing while Shane stayed in one place.

Only time would tell.

The end