A Theory About Pie

Starring: Jonathan Tamir Kendall, Ray McKenzie
Date: July 10th, 2014
Notable Locations: Tamir's House.

Summary: Tamir and Ray go on a date, Tamir admits that he knows a little bit too much.

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 12:52:12 AM)

So, Ray is coming over tonight. I'm not entirely moved into my new place yet, though. I've got furniture, and I made some sense of the living room, but it's still kind of crazy. The house is a major fixer upper project, which is the only way I could afford it. The neighborhood is nice, at least, and I was lucky to nab it. Just…it kind of looked like a crack den when I first walked in.

But it's clean, and somewhat ordered. There's a couch, and a large and crazy collection of different game systems in the entertainment center, some of which aren't on the market yet. I've got connections and, in all honesty, testing that stuff is never nearly as fun as it sounds.

And food. I've got food. I had no idea what he'd actually like, of course, so I went simple. Memaw's double dipped chicken fingers, sweet potato biscuits, and peach pie. He probably doesn't even want to eat. He probably thinks playing Guitar Hero is just a really weird euphemism. Maybe he won't even show up. Or he'll show up and I'll babble like a retard.

"God. What am I doing?" I mutter to myself as I'm working gel into my hair. Last minute attempt to guard against a spontaneous afro.

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 1:03:01 AM)

Ray returned the third and fourth bottles of wine to the wine-rack. He had worried about looking like an alcoholic last time, so brining four bottles of wine because he didn't know what to bring was not going to help. He caught the eye of one of the staff.

"I need a good red wine. And a white wine too."

"Well sir" she responded, "how dry of a wine are you looking for?"

"I… don't know?"

"Ok, what are you serving?"

"I… also… don't know. You know what." He handed the two bottles he was carrying to the woman and picked up the two he had just put down, which appeared the same to him and yet were mysteriously about ten dollars more each.

"These will be fine."

Twenty minutes later, he pulled his car up to the address Tamir had given him. He eyed the flowers in the back seat, and decided to leave them there. He could always say he'd forgotten to bring them in if they were needed or appropriate. Flipping down the vanity mirror, he ran his fingers through his hair, making sure he didn't have some sort of Einstein look going on or something.

Here goes

He nervously picked up the bottles of wine closed and locked the car door. He walked up to the front door of the house,which was nicer than he'd expected to find in Brooklyn, and knocked on the door before he had a chance to think about it. He also locked his keys in the car.

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 1:08:28 AM)

He's here. Crap. I step away from the mirror and take a quick look around, making sure that everything looks okay and there aren't any messes. For a house I just moved into, it's spotlessly clean, though. I obsessed a little, maybe. Damnit. Now he's going to think I'm some sort of obsessive compulsive clean freak.

I grab a cushion off the couch and throw it into a corner. Take that, cleanliness.

As I'm doing that, I realize I left several condoms on the end table. That's…probably a little lacking in subtlety, so I shove those in my pocket. I'm also trying not to hyperventilate.

I really need to answer the door now, don't I?

Finally, after what was probably ten seconds but felt more like an hour of spazzing out, I answer the door with a grin, leaning against it casually. "Hey!"

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 1:22:30 AM)

Tamir opened the door almost preternaturally quickly it seemed. Ray really hoped he hadn't screwed up the time and left Tamir waiting by the door, thinking he'd been stood up.

"Hey!" he said in turn, seeing as his tongue had suddenly decided that it was going to act like it was ten feet wide and covered with thick fur. Enunciating carefully he continued "I hope I'm not late! You look great!"

Ray was glad his hands were occupied holding wine bottles, so he wouldn't be fidgeting with them. While he was thinking about that, his mouth continued -"This is a nice house. I didn't expect neighbourhoods like this in Brooklyn. Not that there's anything wrong with Brooklyn. You have good taste." He clenched his mouth shut since it didn't seem to be stopping talking of its own accord, and he didn't want to say something even more idiotic like 'I like the gabling'.

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 1:27:33 AM)

"The parts that've been 'revitalized' are actually some of the most beautiful in the country," I explain, one corner of my mouth quirking into a faint smirk. It seems like nobody believes me that there are good neighborhoods in Brooklyn, though. Manhattan snobs.

As I'm talking, I realize he's got two bottles of wine in his hands. Glancing down, I blink, then step back to usher him inside. It's a small house, but plenty big enough for me and anything of mine I need to fill it with.

"Uh, wow. Are you really into wine or are you just trying to get me drunk?"

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 1:34:22 AM)

"Yeah. I wouldn't have guessed." Ray didn't continue with the 'I might have to consider a neighbourhood like this' because that would have come off stalker-y.

Ray followed Tamir inside nervously, and looked down at his hands and blinking at the comment, as if he'd forgotten about the wine in the two seconds since he'd stepped inside. Then he flushed, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, I uh. I wanted to bring something, and I didn't know if … I mean I don't drink wine so I don't know what goes with what, and I didn't mean like we have to drink them both. I mean if you want to, there's nothing wrong with that."

Mouth! he yelled at himself. He took a steady breath and clarified, "I didn't know what we were going to eat so I brought one of each kind."

When he had played this conversation out in his head earlier, he had sounded much more refined.

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 1:42:48 AM)

"Oh." Now I kind of feel like an ass. He went and got wine for dinner and I didn't even have the courtesy to tell him what we were having ahead of time. "Chicken and biscuits," I explain to him with a grin, reaching out to pluck the white wine out of his hands before I head into the kitchen to pop the cork. I'm not any kind of wine snob, but it looks good, so I'm satisfied.

"So how's work been treating you? I know you can't go into any sort of detail about it, because it's all high-class security mumbo jumbo Laukos killing, but…uh…"

I trail off, staring down at the bottle of wine and the half pulled cork. Oh shit.

"I'm…um…my sister and Rook met…uh…You know, this wine looks really good."

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 2:01:44 AM)

Ray followed Tamir into the kitchen, setting the red wine down on a nearby clean surface. Which was… all of them. Except for a lonely little pillow in a corner.

"That sounds great" Tamir probably could have said 'Antelope spleen' and Ray would have been willing to try it.

Ray smiled a bit as Tamir started asking about work, since he'd actually had a chance to check that he did work for Phoenix, which meant that he could take about lots of things in Kx euphemisms, and… his eyebrows shot up. Laukos were not one of those things.

"Uhm." he said helpfully. Well, that changed things. Protocol said that he should either bring him back to Governor's Island for questioning or determine as much as he could if he did not feel it was a security threat.

"Well." he finally responded. "You're not supposed to know about that." Still, the chain was fairly obvious, Rook, Frankie, Tamir. There was not much he could do about it.

"But since you just explained how you do, I'm… going to ask you what you know, and then decide what to do next" he said.

Damnit, he just wanted to have a date. Why did work have to interfere? He crossed the kitchen and stood across the counter from Tamir.

"I'm sorry, but it is a serious question. I need to know how much you know. I don't want you getting hurt. Hopefully you can just answer and we can go on with the evening and pretend nothing happened." His training had kicked in a bit, and the nervousness had crystallized to tight alertness.

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 2:06:56 AM)

"I…know about it because my sister is the contact who informed Rook about them in the first place," I confirm uncomfortably. Shit. I just ruined everything here, didn't I? Typical of me. See? I knew I'd mess it up. I knew I couldn't possibly have a nice, normal date.

When he starts saying he wants to keep me from getting hurt, though, I laugh. "Oh, man, Ray. You have no idea. Seriously."

Obviously, I can't tell him everything I know. That would violate a lot of laws, after all. But he's aware of their existence already. I can tell him what Rook knows we know, then.

"Our family is aware of them. We hunted them down in Louisiana. I don't know what all you guys know about them or any of that, but I'm familiar with the, ah, wild breed."

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 2:17:07 AM)

Ray hadn't actually known that Frankie had tipped Rook off. He'd been presumed dead at the time. His eyes narrowed slightly when Tamir began to laugh, though. That was an unusual reaction. From the next little bit he said, he guessed that Tamir thought that well, whatever Rook had told Frankie that the security division was couldn't handle them as well as he could.

That stung a bit, not because Ray automatically assumed they were better, but because Tamir seemed to think that his concern and not wanting to get a civilian involved was useless or empty posturing.

Tamir continued explaining how they knew about the Laukos, and he nodded at the end, making a mental note to ask Rook why they hadn't called Frankie in to see if she could give them more information about them. Or maybe he already had, and just not told anyone. He hated having a double life.

Still, the explanation was sufficient, and he nodded, brutally suppressing his reaction to the insult. He knew it hadn't been meant that way or directed at him. He couldn't help it if he took his job seriously though. He knew what kind of crazy shit groups like the Ark would do if they were left to their own devices, and he didn't want to see anyone get hurt who hadn't volunteered.

"That's good, then" he said after a moment of silence. "So I'm going to pretend I have no idea that you know, and we can pick up where we were a couple of minutes ago. Ok?" he forced a smile.

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 2:23:05 AM)

"Yes. Yes. Please. I'm sorry. I'm…I have this malfunction where things come out of my mouth without actually passing through my brain. I knew I was going to do something like this, too. You probably wouldn't believe me, but there are times when I don't babble at all and I'm completely calm, cool and collected. I…I…"

Wine. I pop the cork and focus on pouring out two glasses, trying to think of something to talk about that has nothing to do with anything I can't talk about. My day job as a programmer will bore the hell out of him. I can't discuss the Clave or Predators or any of that.

Crap. See, this is why I babble and say random stupid things.

"Um. So. Where're you from?" I ask as I offer him a glass. "I figured it'd be okay if we ate bohemian like in the living room. The house is still a little…unpacked."

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 2:39:44 AM)

Ray nodded, trying hard to ignore the voice in his head that was talking about how his explanation didn't feel quite right.

You are nervous because you are on a date. Stop jumping at shadows.

Tamir started apologizing, in a babbling kind of way that was so completely adorable and disarming that it actually did manage to silence the annoying feeling of things not quite adding up.

"SoCal, actually, when I was younger. And then I travelled for a bit." Ray said, thankful for a safe topic.

"Bohemian is fine. Your house is… remarkably clean for being in not done unpacking." Ray eyed the stray cushion in the corner again. It was almost comically out of place, like a pink polka-dotted, plushy elephant.

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 2:47:22 AM)

"Oh. You know, you look like a California kind of guy. The blond hair and muscles and general air of…California. I've never been there, but I've been made familiar with some very charming stereotypes."

Yeah, this is going great. Fantastic idea, Tamir. I could've just gone back to his hotel room with him, but no. I had to try a date. I apparently felt like reminding myself as to why I'll never, ever have a relationship again.


I'll serve the food, carrying the plates out. "Can you bring the bottle of wine, too?" I'll probably need it.

"Well, I'm from Louisiana. Baton Rouge originally, but I moved to New Orleans for college and stayed there. My mom's from down there, too, but my dad is from Egypt."

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 2:58:00 AM)

"So I've been told. I even used to surf, as if that wasn't stereotypical enough. I never really thought about it when I was there, it just seemed to be how everyone was."

Ray wiped his palms on his jeans. The sudden work tension had burned off some of his nerves, but there were plenty left over. Were dates always this… weird at the beginning? No wonder straight people always seemed grumpier.

"You said you were from Louisiana. I've never actually been there, although it sounds like an interesting place."

As Tamir moved into the other room carrying the plates, Ray's eyes were drawn to him, admiring the way he moved the way he…

"Wine bottle. Got it. Do you have the ass? Glasses. The wine glasses?" Ray could feel himself turn bright red. It was apparently his turn to say the wrong thing. He spun and grabbed the wine bottle, making sure his back was to Tamir and praying he had missed that.

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 3:04:49 AM)

"Yeah, I can imagine. I, uh, actually worked really hard to drop all the southern stereotypes in my life during college. I was pissed off at my parents for various stupid reasons, so went through this big, crazy, multicultural phase."

"It is, really. I've been getting homesick for it already, but…" I shrug a bit, flashing him a grin over my shoulder. "I think New York's growing on me, too."

I'm bending over to set the plates and the carefully juggled glasses down on the coffee table when I hear what he said. "Sure do. I like to keep it in my jeans and save it for special occasions."

When I straighten up, I give him another grin before flop down on the couch. Which is followed by a thunk and a quiet "ow" because there's no cushion against the arm.

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 3:18:52 AM)

Ray couldn't blame him, really. He'd taken a job at the airline after graduating from college to see if he could be more worldly, and to get away from everyone who seemed to want to 'hang ten' with him. Foreign tourists didn't really do that. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have picked up too many multicultural traits other than a softening of his accent.

Ray nodded at the New York comment, mostly so the wouldn't have to turn around and respond to Tamir at just that moment. He gripped the wine bottle, and got what he considered to be a very full dose of what Tamir had probably felt when Skay had done his magic drink spilling trick a few nights ago at the club. Unfortunately, the ground obstinately refused to swallow him.

Once he figured that he only looked like he had chugged half of a bottle of tabasco as opposed to the whole thing, he turned around, wine bottle in hand, and joined Tamir on the couch, carefully setting the wine bottle on table beside the glasses.

"I noticed I guess" he managed. Humour to the rescue! He shifted forward on the couch a bit and poured each of them a glass of wine. Which his mind kept reinforcing was the actual correct pronunciation of the word. He handed Tamir one of them and took the other himself.

"The food looks amazing…. thank you for inviting me over. Cheers."

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 3:26:04 AM)

"Cheers," I echo, raising my glass to meet his before I take a sip off of the wine. I'm not much of a wine drinker, but it's good, as far as wine goes. Probably a better idea than, say, doing shots over dinner or something.

After I set my glass down, I'll pick up my plate to eat. "Well, thank you for coming. I was…really kind of nervous that maybe you wouldn't come over at all or something."

Okay, spewing my insecurities all over him is not going to help matters at all. Subject change.

"Uh. So. I have a theory about pie." …wait. What?

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 3:33:28 AM)

Ray lifted his glass too, and tasted the wine. Which was tasty. Go him for picking something half decent without know anything about wine.

Echoing Tamir's motion to pick up the plate, he said "Oh, thank you for inviting me. I wasn't sure you were going to call. Not that I mean that I thought you were lying. I just didn't.. well after what I said and I wasn't sure you'd take it the right way."

Then Tamir said he had a theory about pie, and just like that he felt his tension start to deflate. Tamir was funny. And cute. Why was he so worried about this? He should be having a good time.

"So" Ray said, letting a sudden, relief-filled grin fill his face. "What is your theory about pie? I don't know many men who have theories about it. I'm intrigued."

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 3:43:43 AM)

"What about what you said? The hotel room thing?" I check, quirking an eyebrow. "Seriously, no worries there. That was downright classy of you. You could've brought up your backseat, or the men's room, or the alley behind the club or…" Yeah. Look, there are a lot of places for screwing around near gay bars in New Orleans, okay?

Since he doesn't seem to think my random declaration of pie theories is insane, I flash Ray a dimpled grin, relaxing a bit. I didn't even know I had a theory about pie until I started thinking.

"See, you can tell a lot about a person by their favorite type of pie. Assuming, of course, that the person involved isn't some sort of anti-pie freak. And I've got to let you know now that if you're anti-pie then you're a sad, sad waste of human flesh.

"Apple pie people are, much like overly baked apples, somewhat mushy and bland, but sweet. Rhubarb pie people are entirely inedible without massive amounts of extra sugar. I have no idea what that means, but just go with it. Myself, I'm all about the caramel peach pie. Which means I'm exotic and probably bad for you."

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 3:56:30 AM)

"Oh. Good. I wasn't even sure what I was going to say until I said it. I'm glad it was the right thing."

Ray picked up piece of chicken, but paused, holding it while Tamir explained his theory. Which made this weird backwards sense, actually, when he explained it. Pie. He would never have guessed. Since it made sense, he decided to go with it.

"My mom can't bake to save her life but I had this aunt who made delicious raisin pies, but I'm also partial to pecan. I hope that doesn't mean I'm some waste of human flesh either.

And I've never tried caramel peach pie."

but I wouldn't mind trying it. At all

He took a bite of the chicken. "This is really good. Hopefully if raisin and pecan mean I'm a jerk, liking this makes up for it."

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 4:00:59 AM)

"No, that doesn't mean you're a waste of human flesh. Pecan pie is a perfectly acceptable choice. In fact, it's one of the finer types of pie known to man. I…you know what? I've never actually had a raisin pie. I'll have to try that sometime." It sounds like it could be good, at least. I'm generally fond of anything involving fruit anyway.

When he says he's never tried caramel peach pie, I nod, because I figured as much. It's my favorite, but not a terribly common combination. "Well, that's what you're gonna have for dessert," I offer with a grin.

"Thanks. It's my grandmother's recipe. These were always my favorite when I was a kid, and I figured something elaborate wouldn't work too well without a dining room set up. Unless I wanted to really go all out and have some sort of Middle Eastern dining experience and make you sit on a cushion on the floor."

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 4:11:02 AM)

"Good. I've never really given much thought to my pie preferences and what they say about me. I'd hoped not to disappoint."

Caramel peach pie for dessert Ray could feel a small blush beginning to steal back up over his collar. He knew the sense Tamir had meant it in but…. Ray took another bite of the chicken.

"They're a great choice." Ray asserted, regarding the chicken.

"And while an authentic sit-on-a-cushion Middle Eastern dining experience does sound like it could be interesting, it also sounds like it would be a lot of work, and I wouldn't want to put you through that."

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 4:16:32 AM)

"Nah, it's not actually that hard. Probably about on par with properly fried chicken in difficulty. The hard part would be finding the belly dancers in Brooklyn."

Once I finish my plate, I'll set it aside on the coffee table, picking up my wine to sip it.

"And having women gyrating around your head is…really not the kind of date I'd had in mind anyway."

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 4:24:10 AM)

"If you say so. My talent for cooking extends as far as burning water when I try to boil it so I'm pretty impressed with this."

Ray considered the belly-dancer visual for a moment, finishing his plate as he did so.

"The decor for that is all wrong too, right? It's not really my style either, so good call." he said.

The dancers would clash with the cushion! Ray bit back a laugh. It was obvious that Tamir had tried really hard, and he didn't want to make him feel bad, considering how good everything had been so far.

Ray leaned forward to put is plate on the table and picked up both his glass of wine and the bottle, offering Tamir a refill.

"I'm not seeing a frightening amount of electronics in here. You had me thinking it was going to be some crazy web of cabling and blinking lights." he shifted slightly, getting more comfortable on the couch. And if that brought him a tiny bit closer to Tamir, well, bonus.

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 4:29:47 AM)

"Yeah, I, uh…" I look around, picturing this done up like a Moroccan themed restaurant or something. No. Very no. My eyes drift over to the cushion on the floor, though, and I frown a little. "…I do have a cushion on the floor, though, so I guess it's a start."

I accept a refill on the wine, before shifting a bit on the couch myself. Away from the uncomfortably cushionless arm and just a bit closer to him. Subtle. Very subtle.

"Nah, I'm not that bad about electronics. I've got all my game systems tucked in the entertainment center and once I have my office set up I'll have my computers in there."

I glance at him, grinning a bit. "Besides, a true professional would never leave all of his cables visible in a web."

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 4:39:15 AM)

"Oh I see. You draw boys in with promises of amazing food and interesting revelations about pie. You don't need a web." It made more sense in his head than when he said it out loud.

"And thank you for dinner Tamir. The cafeteria at works sucks, as I have learned. This most definitely did not." Ray closed his eyes relaxing for a moment, enjoying the food, the wine, the company.

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 4:45:50 AM)

"You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'd kind of feel put out if I made dinner and you hated it," I point out with a grin. While he's relaxing like that with his eyes closed, I just have to give into the temptation I've had since I first saw that blond hair and slide my fingers through it to play with it a bit.

"You've still got pie coming, though, if you're up for it."

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 4:52:37 AM)

Ray nodded. Good home cooking was a real luxury for him. Then Tamir was running his fingers through his hair, which made the whole thing even better. He decided against opening his eyes right away.

"I think I can deal with that." He moved his hand over a bit so that it was lying palm up on the couch, the outside of his thumb barely brushed up against Tamir's leg.

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 1:59:19 PM)

I grin a bit at Ray, continuing to comb my fingers through his hair. He looks very peaceful like that. And inviting. Now, I'm torn between kissing him and pie, because probably if I kiss him, I'll forget about the pie, and I really wanted to eat the pie, too. I mean, it's okay as leftovers and everything, but right now it's fresh pie.

"You should be proud of yourself. You're more tempting than pie, and you have no idea just how much I love food," I inform him, lightly drawing my fingers against his upturned palm before I lean in to kiss him. Just a brush of my lips over his before I'm pulling away, because I have the feeling he'll distract me really, really bad otherwise.

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 2:17:01 PM)

Ray was glad he was doing something right. He had a half clever complimentary response ready when Tamir kissed him.

It was brief, but caught him by surprise, making him forget his line and making him open his eyes with a surprised look.

"More tempting than pie." he managed to say. He didn't care about pie at all at this point, and he knew that if he kissed Tamir back he wasn't going to want to stop. Which sounded like a perfect idea to him.

"I'm sure the pie is wonderful. It will keep, right?" he looked over at Tamir. God, he felt like he could stare at him for hours. He could fall into those eyes.

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 2:26:19 PM)

"Oh, yeah. It really has to be heated up if you want to have it when it's no longer fresh, because the caramel needs to be hot for it to really be best, but it can wait for, um, later."

Later. Yes. Sometime later. Possibly hours later. Or tomorrow. I could go for pie for breakfast.

My eyes move over Ray's face, considering him and my willpower. I did manage to get through the main course of dinner before I started kissing him. That's pretty impressive, right?

"Um. I could put the pie in the fridge for now."

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 2:34:56 PM)

"Well, I don't want to make you have done all sorts of work cooking just to waste it either." That was the polite thing to say, right? Funny, considering the various post-pie-in-fridge activities he was thinking about. None of which fell anywhere close to 'polite'.

Ray stood up, breaking contact with Tamir. He picked up the plates and the wine glasses and the now mostly empty bottle of wine, bringing him them into the kitchen before he had a chance to veto his actions for something more…. rewarding.

"I'll leave it up to you, though. You'd know best."

Jonathan Tamir Kendall (Caerie) (7/10/2009 2:40:34 PM)

Pie…or Ray. Pie…or Ray. This is not a fair choice to have to make. I mean, obviously one can come before the other and I can enjoy both, but which one comes first is a really important decision!

Hopping up off the couch, I'll head into the kitchen to slide the pie off the rack it was cooling on, popping it into the fridge, before I shut the door and turn on him. I don't have that many dishes, so I do wait for him to set the plates and glasses down before stepping forward.

One hand goes on either side of him on the counter as I lean in, sort of catching him in place. Ray wins over pie, this time.

"Leftover pie is fine."

Ray McKenzie (Zxaos) (7/10/2009 2:47:44 PM)

Ray put the dishes down and turned in place, pinned against the counter by Tamir's arms on either side. Tamir was saying something about pie, but he was barely listening anymore, the polite part of his brain having thrown in the towel.

Ray leaned toward Tamir and stopped his mouth with a kiss, a real one not just a brush of lips, his arms finding their way around Tamir's waist.

"Forget the pie." he said, and kissed him again.