Hands Down.

Matt searched for that damn comb for an hour before he could finally settle in front of the mirror and comb his hair out and tame the mess that had been created from tossing around so much.

Then, with a deliberate rush pumping adrenaline through his body, he quickly pulled on the shirt he’d laid out the night before, buttoning it up to the second from the top before sliding on his favorite pair of loose-fit jeans, taking a moment to smooth his shirt with his hands before exiting his trailer and searching out the coffee cart.

He needed the caffeine fix if he was going to make it through the day.

Once he found it, he waited as patiently as he could for his usual cappuccino, hands in his pockets, biting his lip and looking around a lot. It was blatantly obvious to everyone that passed him that he was nervous about something, though they were still clueless as to the goings-on from in front of his trailer the night before.

He considered licking his lips as he thought of that kiss they had shared in front of the camera- of course they were being paid to do it, but the extra character and adoration that Vincent had put into it to be in character for Marius showing his love and adoration for his Amadeo…it still gave Matt chills to think about.

He was smitten, and he knew it.

Sipping at the hot drink the girl with the coffee cart gave him as he walked, Matt’s thoughts were fairly empty, since he wasn’t going to get all bothered by the fact that he and Vincent would be going somewhere together- alone together- as soon as he said the word.

And in his trailer, Vincent relaxed on his bed, a book open in his lap, his green eyes reading contentedly, narrowing slightly whenever he came across a detail he wasn’t sure of. There was no rush in him- he was the kind of man to not over consider every minute detail about something. He was comfortable, too. He wore only a shirt that laid open over his chest and a pair of cotton boxers, and it suited him. His hands were folded together, only separating to turn the page, and he was comfortable this way.

He was thinking about the day he was to have with Matt as well, but those thoughts mingled with his thoughts about the novel before him, so he was able to be relaxed by the idea instead of made nervous by it.

He smiled to himself as he heard a soft knock on his trailer door, and he marked his page before closing the book and setting it aside. “Just a moment,” he said calmly, and he rose from his bed only to retrieve a pair of jeans before sitting back down on it to pull the pants on. After that, he buttoned up his shirt, leaving the top two buttons undone, and rose again.
A few moments later, he was at the door, and he smiled warmly at Matt as he finished his coffee, laughing as he attempted to smile while swallowing the hot liquid. He quickly dropped it into the rubbish bin by the stairs to avoid any long periods of silence.

“Warum hallo,” he said with a chuckle, and Matt smiled at the sound of his voice.

“Bonjour,” he replied, and he shifted a little, feeling a slight amount of awkwardness slip into the moment. “You...er…ready?” He tried a shifty smile, and Vincent chuckled softly, stepping out of his trailer and closing the door behind him.”

“If you are. “

He smiled. “Yeah. You don’t mind a walk, do you?” Vincent shook his head, and they descended the steps together. “Was that German you greeted me with?”

Vincent laughed a little, raising an eyebrow. “Yes, it was. How did you know?”

“Well, if it weren’t for the awkward ‘v’ sound in the first word, my hint would have been the awkward tone your voice took on.” He flashed a smile, back to his usual humor- the way Vincent seemed to like it. He watched Vincent’s reaction as they walked, and he shook his head as the older man did. The awkwardness had gone. “And I would have been extra fancy with my French, but…the only French I know involves words that aren’t appropriate for children.” His gaze met a raised eyebrow. “I’ll let Armand handle the French. I’m not very good at it.”

“Oh I’m sure you could be, though, if you tried.”

“Doubt it. I failed French in high school.” He laughed again and glanced at the road before them, observing how they still seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. “Do you know what they’re filming today?”

“Something with the coven that Jesse goes to, I believe.” He smiled. “I think Marguerite is getting her makeup and hair done as we speak. Along with those that are playing the vampires, of course.” He slid his hands into his pockets, adding, “They are starting late today. Nearly noon and they’ve only just begun.”

Matt laughed a little. “Yes well…I’m not sure it matters what time of day it is when the majority of the scene is set inside a building.” He peered over at Vincent, who chuckled softly. “Stuart probably held them up anyway, what with his awkward sleeping patterns.”

“Yes, that could be true as well. Say…how far away is this place we’re going to?”

“Not very.” Matt glanced ahead of them. “It seems like we’re in the middle of nowhere, but really. There is civilization here. It actually just pops up out of nowhere, to be honest.”
Vincent smiled, his eyes catching sight of a street and a few buildings. “Like that?” he asked, tilting his head in the general direction.

Matt laughed, nodding. “Yeah. Like that.” He heard Vincent say something to himself in French, and even though he had no clue what had been said and he was curious, he decided not to ask, biting his lip a little as the memory of how it had felt to have Vincent’s hand folded around his-so warm, so inviting, and purely nonjudgmental- leaked into his thoughts, spurred by what seemed to be nothing.

They reached the pub without saying much more, and Vincent held the door open for Matt, smiling as the younger man passed. As he followed him inside, he glanced around, studying his surroundings. It was quiet in here, as there weren’t many people to visit, and an inviting aroma filled the entire room. It made him smile, it really did. He followed Matt to a table for two, where a pair of small menus awaited them, and observed the comfortable silence as they both surveyed their choices.

Eventually, Matt broke the silence. “Good food,” he said quietly, and Vincent looked up at him, smiling slightly. He sighed, looking over the menu. “It really is too bad I’m not hungry anymore.” The way he said it almost made it sound too dramatic, too deliberate.

Vincent’s eyebrow lifted slightly, and his lips curved into a smile as he set his menu down. “Not hungry?” he questioned, his voice becoming amused. “Whatever shall we do?”

Matt pretended to think for a moment. “Screw the food and move to the bar?” His voice sounded hopeful and playful to Vincent, but to his own mind, it sounded desperate. He sounded desperate. He sounded as though he were only trying to get Vincent drunk. He sounded like a fan boy.

Vincent laughed. “The bar sounds appealing, yes.” He smiled, and glanced into Matt’s eyes. “That is what pubs are notable for, are they not?”

“Well of course. What would a pub be without somethin to drink?” He rose from his seat, and Vincent did as well. “Shall we?”

“We shall.”

He followed Vincent to the bar, and the bartender gave them a friendly greeting before pulling out glasses, asking the two men what they wanted to drink and pouring their selections once they told them.

And for about an hour, they stayed there, laughing and smiling and becoming more and more playful as the drinks continued to come, and even though they didn’t have a lot to drink (they would regret the hangovers to follow), they still had enough for Matt to relax and for Vincent to slowly realize how appealing his costar truly was.

He observed the younger man’s soft blue eyes, his bright smile, his ridiculously soft skin, and the ruggedness to his knuckles that suggested he had skill with his hands in many things. What those things included, Vincent really wasn’t sure, but he thought that maybe he was a musician- piano, guitar, drums…really anything of that sort.

But as his green eyes began to absorb more and more information, his mind seemed to be more and more attracted to the things that were Matt.

After an hour had passed, Vincent let out a short sigh of content, finishing the last of his drink and kindly telling the bartender that he was done, holding his hand out for Matt to take.

Confused and slightly addled by the alcohol he had consumed, Matt raised an eyebrow, glancing from the rugged hand offered to him to the warm green eyes that awaited his response. When his only response was a warm smile, he hesitantly folded his hand into Vincent’s, feeling a rush of nerves fill his body and his heart beating a bit louder for a few seconds.

It felt unreal to him.

“Are you-?”

“Matthew. I would like to give being with you a try.”

“But, I thought you were-“

“I was many things.” Matt glanced at the empty mugs on the bar- hadn’t those three beers affected him at all? “Except yours, and I want to try that.”

Matt blinked. Maybe they hadn’t had as much to drink as he thought. “Okay,” he said. “Just don’t come rape me in the middle of the night. I so don’t go for that.”

Vincent chuckled. “I would never.” He glanced toward the door, watching as four or five people walked lazily in, finding their way to the bar, glancing pointedly over to the two men. “We should go back.” He used his free hand to pull his wallet from his pocket, leaving payment for their drinks on the counter.

Matt nodded, still a little thrown off. He was sure that he would have had the courage to bring up the subject of how he felt about the man that currently held his hand, and surely the drinks in his system would have boosted said courage. But…something about the way Vincent had said it…in a way, it sounded more normal and more ideal than any way he could have put it, and he’d been tossing over it all night.

They left, and they began the walk back to the trailers.

And Matt was, for once, silent.

Vincent took notice of this, and he held his curiosity for a while, letting the silence consume most of their walk, becoming lost within his own thoughts, but then Matt’s silence was becoming too profound to bear.

“Are you alright?” he questioned.

Matt looked over at him. “Me? Yeah? I’m great. Just thinking, sorry.”

Vincent smiled. “No, it’s fine. You’ve just not been this quiet since I met you at the beginning of filming.”

Matt was still trying to figure it out. Why did Vincent seem so unaffected by the alcohol? Had he had less than Matt had? Had he simply accepted this ‘dinner’ date for the sake of being a gentleman and now only wanted to spend time with him?

He kept his expression calm, but inside, he was twisting with confusion.

“You and drinks and many things to think about don’t mix very well, do you?”

Matt looked over at him, offering an impish smile. “Yeah, I guess not. Wasn’t such an awesome idea to go to the pub, I guess.”

Vincent laughed aloud once, surprising the man beside him. “What are you talking about? I rather enjoyed myself.” His lips spread into a smooth smile. “It gave you and I a chance to have time together. I don’t really mind the situation when it comes to things like that.”

Matt looked over at him, knowing that all attempts of resisting would be futile now. “You honestly don’t mind this?” His gaze shifted down to their interlocked hands for a moment before returning to the green eyes he’d dreamed about the night before. “I mean, you have so much sex appeal, and I…well.”

“I have always been fond of you,” Vincent said gently, and left it at that. He looked up, spotting his trailer becoming closer and closer, and he gave Matt’s hand a gentle squeeze. “We are back,” he said, and once they had reached their destination, he stopped at the bottom of the steps. “I had quite the time with you today,” he said softly.

“So did I,” Matt said in reply, his voice sounding sheepish, almost as though Vincent’s comfort with being with him like this was too intimidating for his voice to function properly. “Despite the obvious lack of dinner in what was supposed to be a dinner date.” He wrinkled his nose to show his frustration with himself, and he pulled his hand away to let Vincent go inside. “See you later, yeah?”

“Matthew.”

“Yeah?”

“Come here.” He took Matt’s hand again, pulling him closer, and then released it, instead letting his hands rest on the Australian’s waist. His green eyes gazed endlessly into bright blue ones, and then they closed as his lips met Matt’s. At first, he could sense surprise, but then that shifted into comfort as soft hands found the sides of his neck. He smiled into the kiss, letting it last long enough for the initial surprise to fade away, and then he broke it.

“Wow.” Matt’s voice was quiet.

“That, Matthew, is how one says goodbye to one’s boyfriend.” Vincent’s was quiet too, and it so resembled the voice he used for Marius that it nearly made Matt’s palms sweat from the rush of nerves that filled him once again. “And yes, I will see you later.”

Matt nodded, his hands slowly slipping from where they rested. “Uh-huh. Of course.” He sighed in content as he was given another, shorter kiss, and then he pulled away as Vincent’s hands slid from his waist. “Later, then.”

Vincent chuckled, and Matt stepped back, lingering long enough to watch Vincent turn, walk up the steps, slip into his trailer, and close the door.

Then, Matt returned to his own trailer.

Stuart was going to have a field day…