[ he finds hawk sprawled in a chair, looking like a king — a very tired king, he notices upon a silent closer inspection. hawk looks good on any given day at any given moment, but when embry perches on the armrest of the seat, he can see the shadows beneath hawk's normally steely gaze, and when he places a tentative hand on his shoulder, his muscles are knotted with tension. ]

Hey. [ he hadn't expected him to throw back his drink so fast, watching him carefully for signs of spontaneous insobriety — as well as he can, anyway, when embry hasn't been sober for hours. ] Let me just — you've gotta loosen up.

[ he swallows a mouthful of his own drink and sets the glass beside hawk's empty one, balancing a little more firmly on the armrest, though one leg presses against hawk's so he can maintain his equilibrium. the high back of the chair stops him from just standing behind him to do this, but he doesn't mind being able to watch hawk's face as he firmly kneads his shoulders, massaging his tense muscles. ]

I heard some rumors around the lot. [ his thumb presses down into a particular stubborn knot, gliding in a firm stoke upward along hawk's throat. ] I don't know — they sound stupid. But I thought — maybe you got busy and lost interest in me. Or maybe you found someone else. Another... another actor, I mean. Another movie you liked better.

[ he flashes a smile, sheepish, slowly loosening hawk's tie to gain better access, sliding his fingers beneath his collar to caress his shoulders with a firm hand. he can smell his cologne more strongly now, the heat of his fingers warming the scent. ]

Are you sleeping okay, Mr. Fuller? When I can't sleep, sometimes I — [ jack off thinking about you — ] I just run lines until I can't see straight anymore, and that usually does it. You look like you haven't been sleeping much.