Scanners2/First Monday fic
This is just a repost of my Hewligan fest fic. I'm feeling down after blowing off Nanowrimo this year. (its not like I've ever finished it, lol) I'm hoping that by reviewing something I've actually finished it'll jumpstart me into writing some more. I liked these characters and would like to do more in this universe.
Disclaimer - Recognizable characters aren't mine. Pics are from http://www.david-hewlett.co.uk and http://joeflanigan.info
Title: On A Gathering Storm
Fandom(s): Scanners 2/First Monday
Author: darth_begbie
Recipient: trinityofone
Pairing(s): David Kellum/Julian Lodge
Rating: R
Summary: David Kellum has started over in a new city, intent on living a normal life. Complications arise when he falls for a repressed law clerk investigating a suspicious death on the Supreme Court.
Author's Notes: Many thanks to isiscolo for putting together this fest. I would never have finished without a deadline. :) Many, many thanks to forcryinoutloud for the outstanding beta. All the good and coherent parts are directly due to her influence and suggestions. :)
Julian smiled over his coffee cup at the man sitting across from him. They had been having lunch at the Pavilion Cafe every Saturday for the past month. David Kellum had struck up a conversation with him at the Greek Art Exhibit after one of his lectures.
"So there I was,” David was saying, "freshly dropped out of veterinary school, no prospects. I come home to find that my girlfriend has packed everything and just moved out. And I mean everything; she even took the dog and my truck."
"Sounds like a bad country song."
"Pretty much,” David shrugged with a sad half-grin. “I decided to move east and start over. My dad had some relatives in Maryland, so I came out here to study to be an EMT. And here I am."
"Here you are," Julian said. "Are you still working through all the tourist stops in DC?"
David grinned at Julian, "I think I've seen all the best sights already." Intense blue eyes studied him from beneath ridiculously long lashes.
Julian looked away, discomfited by the scrutiny of his dining companion. Suddenly the last four lunches looked a lot different. "I think, maybe there's been a misunderstanding," Julian shifted in his seat, "I don't..."
Looking away from David’s deep blue eyes, he noticed a familiar figure at a table in the far corner. It looked like Justice Snow. Julian's natural curiosity was peaked by the fact that the Justice was having lunch with Senator Sheffield. He wasn't aware that the two knew each other socially. It was certainly enough of a distraction that he forgot all about his budding outrage over David's ridiculous assumption that they had been 'dating'. Julian wasn’t gay.
"Hey, Earth to Julian," David waved his hand to get Julian's attention. "What's going on?"
Julian inclined his head and indicated the senator and the Justice, hissing out a scandalized, "For God's sake don't look!" to a bemused David.
"What do you think they're talking about?" David made a show of turning around to look. Not because he gave a shit about the men sitting at the corner table, but just to see that panicky look on Julian's face and the vein in his neck, popping out in agitation. He never used to find prissiness so charming. But that was before he wandered into the world's dullest urn lecture...given by the world's cutest urn expert.
David managed to cover his laugh under a fake cough while Julian glared at him. "Don't they sorta work together? Does lunch have to be a big conspiracy?"
He looked again, just to get that eye twitch out of Julian and felt it, a familiar itch, like a hot claw at the back of his mind.
He was being scanned.
David looked around with purpose now. There, two tables down from the senator, was a nondescript man. He was dark haired and pock marked; a few years older than David but still in the right age range to be an Ephemerol birth. The fact that he was doing such a good job blending into the shadows of such a well lit restaurant was a huge tip-off that some sort of mental suggestion was at work. David slammed down his mental defenses and was pleased to see the man flinch.
David said his goodbyes to a frowning Julian, making an excuse for his sudden departure and made arrangements to meet again next weekend. For someone who was so reluctant to admit that he was kind of dating a man, Julian certainly had no issues with setting up their next 'date'.
David threw another glance at where the dark haired man had been sitting as he exited. The man was a scanner, David was positive of it. The first one he had run into since leaving his sister and her husband in Vermont. He wasn't one of the survivors of Morse's failed F2 experiments. He didn't recognize the man at all.
***
Julian let Chief Justice Brankin know about the lunch that he witnessed the following Monday. Brankin laughed it off saying that he appreciated Julian's zeal, but Snow was free to have lunch with anyone he wanted to. Julian wasn't put off by the dismissal; of course, he knew to keep an ear to the ground for the Chief.
There were some notes on the case for the new reservoir that needed to be dropped off at Snow's offices. Obviously, Julian could have summoned Snow's clerk to pick them up but he was feeling collegial today. He really should see that the Justice got the report personally.
***
Julian passed by a tall, pock-mark faced security guard in the hall outside Snow’s office. Pushing the door to Snow's office open Julian crept in and quietly dropped the folder on the unoccupied clerk's desk. He could hear Snow's voice speaking in an angry hush in the inner office. Justifying to himself that he should let the Justice know about the folder, Julian inched closer to the slightly ajar door-just in time to see that Snow was on the phone and to catch the words senator and vote.
As Julian was about to announce his presence, Snow dropped the phone and grabbed his head screaming in agony. Julian pushed the door open and rushed in, just in time to catch Snow as a small explosion seemed to go off in his head.
***
David wasn't one of the EMTs called to the scene; his shift had just ended when he heard the call come in. Fortunately he was still in uniform and only had to show his ID (and maybe use a little mind push) to get in to see Julian. The other man was still sitting in the Justice's outer office shocky and pale. Brankin was barking out questions at the attending medical personnel; ‘What happened to Snow? Why hasn't someone taken a look at Julian, can't you see he's not feeling well?
The pretty clerk from Justice Novelli's office was hovering around Julian, concerned but unsure of what to do. David stepped up, directly into Julian’s line of sight and took over checking him out. After assuring Ellie and Chief Brankin that nothing was physically wrong with Julian, he offered to take him home.
David helped Julian into his apartment and suggested that he take a quick shower and get some sleep. He insisted that this was his professional opinion and that there was nothing untoward about his motives. That at least got a raised eyebrow from Julian which David took as a good sign.
While Julian was in the shower, David set about making tea in the small kitchen. When Julian emerged from the bathroom fresh and clean, wearing pajamas that made David think about the grandfather he never knew, he suppressed a sigh. 'How could someone so good looking have such horrible taste in clothes?' Julian’s work clothes were a big enough nightmare as far David was concerned. This just confirmed the fact that Julian shouldn't be allowed to dress himself at all.
Julian managed to drink one cup of hot tea before his eyes started to drift shut of their own accord. David took Julian’s cup and gave him a hand up from the kitchen table, asking, "Which way to the bedroom?"
"So now your real motivation comes out," Julian huffed leaning sleepily against the other man.
David rolled his eyes and assured Julian that his virtue was perfectly safe. At least for the time being he couldn’t resist adding with a leer. A wasted leer it turned out. The object of his frustrations was sound asleep by the time his head hit the pillow. David sighed, sitting beside Julian on the bed, a hand twitching to reach out and brush back Julian’s mess of hair. He watched Julian sleep for a while before finally telling himself he wasn’t the stalker type and let himself out.
***
In the days that followed Snow's death, the sense of shocked lethargy that had settled over the court began to lift as nominations and hearings began to pick a new Justice. Sheffield became a regular fixture around the building.
Julian, always possessing a suspicious nature, began to notice things. Little things at first that seemed a bit off; Sheffield being around too much...being too comfortable. Julian knew that the senator wasn't exactly a favorite person of many of the Justices and clerks. There also seemed to be more cases being brought before the court that were environmental law. Cases that Snow would have had the deciding vote on.
David had taken to meeting up with Julian at the end of the workday. Often, he would accompany Julian to happy hour and hang around with him and the other clerks. He hadn’t really thought much about David’s intentions since the day he realized David had intentions. They hadn’t spoken about it since, and Julian wasn’t actually sure how he felt about it but he wasn’t about to initiate another conversation about ‘feelings’. So while he certainly didn't mind the attention (he really did like spending time with David); he couldn't understand what David was getting from spending time with him and a bunch of law clerks. Surely, he'd have more in common with other EMTs. But Julian wasn’t a stupid man, and as he was enjoying the blond's company and quirky humor too much to dissuade him, he simply ordered another round, grinning at the man beside him.
***
David had arrived a little early today. For his part, he had checked into the ruling on Snow's death ~aneurysm~ and hadn't been satisfied. Not when it looked like the first sign of scanner activity he had seen in over five years. Definitely not when it happened so close to someone he was beginning to care a great deal about. He would never put anyone he cared about in danger again; even if it meant letting them walk out of his life for good.
These dark thoughts were interrupted by an unwelcome and familiar presence. He looked up sharply to see the dark haired man from the Gallery restaurant in a security uniform. The man gave him a nasty smile and nodded in recognition. David knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was looking at Snow's killer. Eric Revok the name badge read.
Revok gave him a predatory smile and circled David, as though sizing up an opponent. "I've seen you here before, boy. See you come here almost every day to pick up your pretty boyfriend. You need to slap a leash on that one." Revok leaned into David's personal space. "He's a nosy bastard. Could wind up not so pretty anymore."
"He doesn't know anything," David said through gritted teeth.
"I see him at work...digging through files he doesn't need to be in. He could cost my bosses a lot of money."
An icy knot was forming in the pit of David's stomach. He was about to warn Revok to stay the hell away from Julian when the nosy bastard in question came walking around the corner.
With a final glare at Revok, David rushed over and grabbed a bewildered Julian by the arm and rushed him out the door.
"We need to talk,” David said quickly, holding up a hand to forestall Julian’s protest, muttering quietly, “Not here."
Withholding the truth from Julian certainly wouldn't keep him safe. It was time for David to come clean about his past.
***
David's apartment had the saving grace of being closer, so they ended up there. Julian looked nervously at David waiting for him to start talking about attraction and feelings again. Julian had managed to convince himself that they could keep going the way they were without ever having to take the next step, without ever having to *discuss* anything. It was an uncomfortable subject even though David rarely brought it up.
The talk they did end up having was just as uncomfortable and much more surprising. David sat down and very seriously explained that he could do things with his mind - telepathy, telekinesis. He went on to describe the plot to a bad sci-fi movie. Complete with power hungry villain and a mutant superhero.
Most definitely not the conversation that Julian had been expecting when David had man-handled him out of the office. He’d always prided himself on being a good judge of character and he was a little surprised he’d managed to so completely miss the fact that David was obviously insane. Surprised and disappointed. A hysterical part of him wondered if David’s interest in Julian stemmed from an actual attraction or if it was just one more side-effect of David being completely unbalanced.
Julian debated whether to pat him on the shoulder. Comforting or misleading? When David exploded.
"I'm not crazy!" he yelled, "I can control people with my mind."
"I never said you were crazy," Julian said in a calming humor-the-crazy-person tone of voice as he edged toward the door.
"I can prove it!” David snapped, eyes a brilliant blue. “Take off that stupid bow tie and drop it in the wastebasket."
Julian opened his mouth to protest the insult to his neckwear even as his hands moved, seemingly of their own volition. His eyes widened, first in disbelief, then fear. David could hear Julian’s thoughts, practically screaming at him. Jesus, David wasn’t kidding. And if he wasn’t kidding that meant... Suddenly Julian wasn’t afraid anymore-he was pissed.
By the time the tie hit the bottom of the wastebasket, David realized his mistake. "Revok, the security guard, is a scanner too. I think he's working for someone in office; maybe the senator, or another Justice." Julian continued to stare in wordless fury. "He definitely killed Snow; he as much as confessed it. And threatened you, I might add." Silence. "Please talk to me, Julian." David reached out and Julian backed up a step.
"Don't touch me! You used your mind control to make me feel like this." Julian’s hands were clenched at his sides.
"Like what?"
"This," Julian waved his hand to encompass David and most of the room at large. "Making me want to talk to you, want to be around you all the time. Making me notice things...physical things about you...wanting to touch you. I knew this couldn't be coming from me." Julian’s eyes were narrowed and he was practically hissing at David now.
"That would be a convenient excuse for you, wouldn't it, Julian? That I'm making you gay with my mind?" They’d been dodging this for a while, David never pressuring Julian, never asking for more. But he was tired of hiding now, tired of the lying and the repression and most of all he was tired of letting Julian get away with it all.
David stepped closer, watching Julian as he backed away, stopping only when his back hit the wall. David leaned in, pressing against Julian’s warm body, feeling the heat coming from Julian’s skin, hearing Julian’s half-panicked, half-aroused panting. The weeks of teasing and frustration with his oblivious lunch date overlaid with the more recent terror for Julian's safety welled up. He didn't know if he wanted to kiss the stupid prick or shake some sense into him.
Julian looked at him almost forlornly, wide eyed and shaken, "This can't be me. I've never felt like this before!"
"For God's sake,” David muttered. “We can settle this right now." David grabbed Julian's face and plundered his mouth none too gently. He worked a leg between Julian's and used the leverage to keep him pinned while his hands roamed, swallowing Julian’s moans. He pulled back with a final nip to a full lower lip. "Did you hate that?"
Julian stared at him, panting, dazed and hard. "No," he whispered hoarsely, eyes darkening as he stared at David’s mouth.
This time when David reached for Julian, he met him halfway. They kept touching and kissing as David led him to the bedroom. Julian had another moment of panic on the threshold but David kissed him through it. They fell to the bed frantically pulling at each other's clothes. By the time they were finally skin to skin David knew he wasn't going to last. He’d been wanting to get Julian Lodge in his bed since their first impromptu date.
Relaxed above his soon to be lover David realized that Julian was too nervous to do much more than let David take control. David was good with that; he wrapped one big hand around both of their cocks and started to stroke. Watching Julian’s eyes flutter closed, watching the way he swallowed when David’s thumb circled the head of his cock.
It wasn’t long before Julian's hips took up the rhythm David had set, heels digging into the mattress, giving himself more leverage. His legs opening wider, settling David even closer against his body and David leaned down to kiss and nuzzle at his ear. "Can I show you something?" David whispered.
When Julian gave his assent, David started a full color slideshow in Julian's mind of all the things that David wanted to do with him...to him.
The images in his mind--David fucking him, him on his knees with David’s cock in his mouth, David perched above him, riding Julian for all he was worth--only added to the arousal that came from David’s hand stroking him, David’s voice whispering in his ear. When Julian came, he came so hard he could see stars behind his eyelids, his mouth opened in a silent cry as he spilled over David’s hand, as he striped both their stomachs with his release. Somewhere above him he could hear David gasping out his own orgasm, not sure if it was real, too relaxed to open his eyes and check, or if it was part of the porn movie still playing in his head.
David collapsed beside him, curling against Julian’s side; his hand tracing abstract designs across Julian’s come smeared stomach, lulling them both into a sated, exhausted sleep.
***
David didn't even need to track down Revok. Revok had issued some idiotic challenge like they were Old West gunslingers facing off for the run of the town. He never learned what prompted Revok to call him out; he was just grateful that there were no bystanders to be hurt.
In the end it was like he watched the whole thing from somewhere outside himself. David remembered facing off against Revok and attempting to reason with him. He hadn't used his abilities to kill since the night that he'd stopped Forrester from implementing his plans for a new world order. He had managed to stop short of killing Forrester that night. He never wanted to kill again.
Revok had broken into David's mind though, taunting him with all the ways he could destroy David through the people that he cared most about, his sister and her family, his father, Julian. When Eric Revok described in loving detail all the ways he was planning to break Julian open and make him bleed, David lost it.
Everything was red and heat and fire and madness.
By the time David managed to pull back he had obliterated the other scanner's mind so effectively that Eric Revok was as good as dead.
***
David almost didn't realize that Julian had let himself into his apartment until he's settling onto the couch next to David.
"Did you see the Post?" Julian handed him the paper, "Sheffield was in a fatal car accident."
"I didn't have anything to do with that," David said defensively.
"I know," answered quietly, watching David toss the paper onto the coffee table. "You're not planning on leaving are you?" Julian gestured to what looked like a collision between a Salvation Army and a U-Haul on David's living room floor.
"I almost killed him...Revok," David said quietly, ignoring Julian’s question.
"But you didn't." Julian’s tone of voice was matter of fact.
"But I wanted to. I wasn't in control. I promised myself after what happened with Forrester that I wouldn't use my abilities to kill." He turned bruised eyes toward Julian. "Why are you here? You should get as far away from me as possible."
"I'm not going anywhere," Julian shook his head, bumping his shoulder against David’s.
"You should be afraid of me. I'm a freak, a monster." David turned away, eyes on his hands.
Julian’s voice was firm, his fingers sliding against the back of David’s neck. "That's not true."
The laugh that fought its way out of David's throat was dry and strangled. "Aren't you at least scared off by my freaky gay-making mind control powers?"
Julian smirked. "I've managed to get over the fact that you have a penis. Freaky mind control power is pretty small next to that."
David grinned at Julian. "Well everything's pretty small next to my penis."
Julian rolled his eyes and moved to stand up.
"That's it. Now I'm leaving."
David touched Julian lightly on the arm, pushing himself off the couch. He ran his hand up to Julian's face and held it there, soothingly. For all his bravado, David could still see Julian's old fears battling for dominance. He leaned in placing a kiss on Julian’s lips, almost chastely. "Thanks for staying."
Disclaimer - Recognizable characters aren't mine. Pics are from http://www.david-hewlett.co.uk and http://joeflanigan.info
Title: On A Gathering Storm
Fandom(s): Scanners 2/First Monday
Author: darth_begbie
Recipient: trinityofone
Pairing(s): David Kellum/Julian Lodge
Rating: R
Summary: David Kellum has started over in a new city, intent on living a normal life. Complications arise when he falls for a repressed law clerk investigating a suspicious death on the Supreme Court.
Author's Notes: Many thanks to isiscolo for putting together this fest. I would never have finished without a deadline. :) Many, many thanks to forcryinoutloud for the outstanding beta. All the good and coherent parts are directly due to her influence and suggestions. :)
Julian smiled over his coffee cup at the man sitting across from him. They had been having lunch at the Pavilion Cafe every Saturday for the past month. David Kellum had struck up a conversation with him at the Greek Art Exhibit after one of his lectures.
"So there I was,” David was saying, "freshly dropped out of veterinary school, no prospects. I come home to find that my girlfriend has packed everything and just moved out. And I mean everything; she even took the dog and my truck."
"Sounds like a bad country song."
"Pretty much,” David shrugged with a sad half-grin. “I decided to move east and start over. My dad had some relatives in Maryland, so I came out here to study to be an EMT. And here I am."
"Here you are," Julian said. "Are you still working through all the tourist stops in DC?"
David grinned at Julian, "I think I've seen all the best sights already." Intense blue eyes studied him from beneath ridiculously long lashes.
Julian looked away, discomfited by the scrutiny of his dining companion. Suddenly the last four lunches looked a lot different. "I think, maybe there's been a misunderstanding," Julian shifted in his seat, "I don't..."
Looking away from David’s deep blue eyes, he noticed a familiar figure at a table in the far corner. It looked like Justice Snow. Julian's natural curiosity was peaked by the fact that the Justice was having lunch with Senator Sheffield. He wasn't aware that the two knew each other socially. It was certainly enough of a distraction that he forgot all about his budding outrage over David's ridiculous assumption that they had been 'dating'. Julian wasn’t gay.
"Hey, Earth to Julian," David waved his hand to get Julian's attention. "What's going on?"
Julian inclined his head and indicated the senator and the Justice, hissing out a scandalized, "For God's sake don't look!" to a bemused David.
"What do you think they're talking about?" David made a show of turning around to look. Not because he gave a shit about the men sitting at the corner table, but just to see that panicky look on Julian's face and the vein in his neck, popping out in agitation. He never used to find prissiness so charming. But that was before he wandered into the world's dullest urn lecture...given by the world's cutest urn expert.
David managed to cover his laugh under a fake cough while Julian glared at him. "Don't they sorta work together? Does lunch have to be a big conspiracy?"
He looked again, just to get that eye twitch out of Julian and felt it, a familiar itch, like a hot claw at the back of his mind.
He was being scanned.
David looked around with purpose now. There, two tables down from the senator, was a nondescript man. He was dark haired and pock marked; a few years older than David but still in the right age range to be an Ephemerol birth. The fact that he was doing such a good job blending into the shadows of such a well lit restaurant was a huge tip-off that some sort of mental suggestion was at work. David slammed down his mental defenses and was pleased to see the man flinch.
David said his goodbyes to a frowning Julian, making an excuse for his sudden departure and made arrangements to meet again next weekend. For someone who was so reluctant to admit that he was kind of dating a man, Julian certainly had no issues with setting up their next 'date'.
David threw another glance at where the dark haired man had been sitting as he exited. The man was a scanner, David was positive of it. The first one he had run into since leaving his sister and her husband in Vermont. He wasn't one of the survivors of Morse's failed F2 experiments. He didn't recognize the man at all.
***
Julian let Chief Justice Brankin know about the lunch that he witnessed the following Monday. Brankin laughed it off saying that he appreciated Julian's zeal, but Snow was free to have lunch with anyone he wanted to. Julian wasn't put off by the dismissal; of course, he knew to keep an ear to the ground for the Chief.
There were some notes on the case for the new reservoir that needed to be dropped off at Snow's offices. Obviously, Julian could have summoned Snow's clerk to pick them up but he was feeling collegial today. He really should see that the Justice got the report personally.
***
Julian passed by a tall, pock-mark faced security guard in the hall outside Snow’s office. Pushing the door to Snow's office open Julian crept in and quietly dropped the folder on the unoccupied clerk's desk. He could hear Snow's voice speaking in an angry hush in the inner office. Justifying to himself that he should let the Justice know about the folder, Julian inched closer to the slightly ajar door-just in time to see that Snow was on the phone and to catch the words senator and vote.
As Julian was about to announce his presence, Snow dropped the phone and grabbed his head screaming in agony. Julian pushed the door open and rushed in, just in time to catch Snow as a small explosion seemed to go off in his head.
***
David wasn't one of the EMTs called to the scene; his shift had just ended when he heard the call come in. Fortunately he was still in uniform and only had to show his ID (and maybe use a little mind push) to get in to see Julian. The other man was still sitting in the Justice's outer office shocky and pale. Brankin was barking out questions at the attending medical personnel; ‘What happened to Snow? Why hasn't someone taken a look at Julian, can't you see he's not feeling well?
The pretty clerk from Justice Novelli's office was hovering around Julian, concerned but unsure of what to do. David stepped up, directly into Julian’s line of sight and took over checking him out. After assuring Ellie and Chief Brankin that nothing was physically wrong with Julian, he offered to take him home.
David helped Julian into his apartment and suggested that he take a quick shower and get some sleep. He insisted that this was his professional opinion and that there was nothing untoward about his motives. That at least got a raised eyebrow from Julian which David took as a good sign.
While Julian was in the shower, David set about making tea in the small kitchen. When Julian emerged from the bathroom fresh and clean, wearing pajamas that made David think about the grandfather he never knew, he suppressed a sigh. 'How could someone so good looking have such horrible taste in clothes?' Julian’s work clothes were a big enough nightmare as far David was concerned. This just confirmed the fact that Julian shouldn't be allowed to dress himself at all.
Julian managed to drink one cup of hot tea before his eyes started to drift shut of their own accord. David took Julian’s cup and gave him a hand up from the kitchen table, asking, "Which way to the bedroom?"
"So now your real motivation comes out," Julian huffed leaning sleepily against the other man.
David rolled his eyes and assured Julian that his virtue was perfectly safe. At least for the time being he couldn’t resist adding with a leer. A wasted leer it turned out. The object of his frustrations was sound asleep by the time his head hit the pillow. David sighed, sitting beside Julian on the bed, a hand twitching to reach out and brush back Julian’s mess of hair. He watched Julian sleep for a while before finally telling himself he wasn’t the stalker type and let himself out.
***
In the days that followed Snow's death, the sense of shocked lethargy that had settled over the court began to lift as nominations and hearings began to pick a new Justice. Sheffield became a regular fixture around the building.
Julian, always possessing a suspicious nature, began to notice things. Little things at first that seemed a bit off; Sheffield being around too much...being too comfortable. Julian knew that the senator wasn't exactly a favorite person of many of the Justices and clerks. There also seemed to be more cases being brought before the court that were environmental law. Cases that Snow would have had the deciding vote on.
David had taken to meeting up with Julian at the end of the workday. Often, he would accompany Julian to happy hour and hang around with him and the other clerks. He hadn’t really thought much about David’s intentions since the day he realized David had intentions. They hadn’t spoken about it since, and Julian wasn’t actually sure how he felt about it but he wasn’t about to initiate another conversation about ‘feelings’. So while he certainly didn't mind the attention (he really did like spending time with David); he couldn't understand what David was getting from spending time with him and a bunch of law clerks. Surely, he'd have more in common with other EMTs. But Julian wasn’t a stupid man, and as he was enjoying the blond's company and quirky humor too much to dissuade him, he simply ordered another round, grinning at the man beside him.
***
David had arrived a little early today. For his part, he had checked into the ruling on Snow's death ~aneurysm~ and hadn't been satisfied. Not when it looked like the first sign of scanner activity he had seen in over five years. Definitely not when it happened so close to someone he was beginning to care a great deal about. He would never put anyone he cared about in danger again; even if it meant letting them walk out of his life for good.
These dark thoughts were interrupted by an unwelcome and familiar presence. He looked up sharply to see the dark haired man from the Gallery restaurant in a security uniform. The man gave him a nasty smile and nodded in recognition. David knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was looking at Snow's killer. Eric Revok the name badge read.
Revok gave him a predatory smile and circled David, as though sizing up an opponent. "I've seen you here before, boy. See you come here almost every day to pick up your pretty boyfriend. You need to slap a leash on that one." Revok leaned into David's personal space. "He's a nosy bastard. Could wind up not so pretty anymore."
"He doesn't know anything," David said through gritted teeth.
"I see him at work...digging through files he doesn't need to be in. He could cost my bosses a lot of money."
An icy knot was forming in the pit of David's stomach. He was about to warn Revok to stay the hell away from Julian when the nosy bastard in question came walking around the corner.
With a final glare at Revok, David rushed over and grabbed a bewildered Julian by the arm and rushed him out the door.
"We need to talk,” David said quickly, holding up a hand to forestall Julian’s protest, muttering quietly, “Not here."
Withholding the truth from Julian certainly wouldn't keep him safe. It was time for David to come clean about his past.
***
David's apartment had the saving grace of being closer, so they ended up there. Julian looked nervously at David waiting for him to start talking about attraction and feelings again. Julian had managed to convince himself that they could keep going the way they were without ever having to take the next step, without ever having to *discuss* anything. It was an uncomfortable subject even though David rarely brought it up.
The talk they did end up having was just as uncomfortable and much more surprising. David sat down and very seriously explained that he could do things with his mind - telepathy, telekinesis. He went on to describe the plot to a bad sci-fi movie. Complete with power hungry villain and a mutant superhero.
Most definitely not the conversation that Julian had been expecting when David had man-handled him out of the office. He’d always prided himself on being a good judge of character and he was a little surprised he’d managed to so completely miss the fact that David was obviously insane. Surprised and disappointed. A hysterical part of him wondered if David’s interest in Julian stemmed from an actual attraction or if it was just one more side-effect of David being completely unbalanced.
Julian debated whether to pat him on the shoulder. Comforting or misleading? When David exploded.
"I'm not crazy!" he yelled, "I can control people with my mind."
"I never said you were crazy," Julian said in a calming humor-the-crazy-person tone of voice as he edged toward the door.
"I can prove it!” David snapped, eyes a brilliant blue. “Take off that stupid bow tie and drop it in the wastebasket."
Julian opened his mouth to protest the insult to his neckwear even as his hands moved, seemingly of their own volition. His eyes widened, first in disbelief, then fear. David could hear Julian’s thoughts, practically screaming at him. Jesus, David wasn’t kidding. And if he wasn’t kidding that meant... Suddenly Julian wasn’t afraid anymore-he was pissed.
By the time the tie hit the bottom of the wastebasket, David realized his mistake. "Revok, the security guard, is a scanner too. I think he's working for someone in office; maybe the senator, or another Justice." Julian continued to stare in wordless fury. "He definitely killed Snow; he as much as confessed it. And threatened you, I might add." Silence. "Please talk to me, Julian." David reached out and Julian backed up a step.
"Don't touch me! You used your mind control to make me feel like this." Julian’s hands were clenched at his sides.
"Like what?"
"This," Julian waved his hand to encompass David and most of the room at large. "Making me want to talk to you, want to be around you all the time. Making me notice things...physical things about you...wanting to touch you. I knew this couldn't be coming from me." Julian’s eyes were narrowed and he was practically hissing at David now.
"That would be a convenient excuse for you, wouldn't it, Julian? That I'm making you gay with my mind?" They’d been dodging this for a while, David never pressuring Julian, never asking for more. But he was tired of hiding now, tired of the lying and the repression and most of all he was tired of letting Julian get away with it all.
David stepped closer, watching Julian as he backed away, stopping only when his back hit the wall. David leaned in, pressing against Julian’s warm body, feeling the heat coming from Julian’s skin, hearing Julian’s half-panicked, half-aroused panting. The weeks of teasing and frustration with his oblivious lunch date overlaid with the more recent terror for Julian's safety welled up. He didn't know if he wanted to kiss the stupid prick or shake some sense into him.
Julian looked at him almost forlornly, wide eyed and shaken, "This can't be me. I've never felt like this before!"
"For God's sake,” David muttered. “We can settle this right now." David grabbed Julian's face and plundered his mouth none too gently. He worked a leg between Julian's and used the leverage to keep him pinned while his hands roamed, swallowing Julian’s moans. He pulled back with a final nip to a full lower lip. "Did you hate that?"
Julian stared at him, panting, dazed and hard. "No," he whispered hoarsely, eyes darkening as he stared at David’s mouth.
This time when David reached for Julian, he met him halfway. They kept touching and kissing as David led him to the bedroom. Julian had another moment of panic on the threshold but David kissed him through it. They fell to the bed frantically pulling at each other's clothes. By the time they were finally skin to skin David knew he wasn't going to last. He’d been wanting to get Julian Lodge in his bed since their first impromptu date.
Relaxed above his soon to be lover David realized that Julian was too nervous to do much more than let David take control. David was good with that; he wrapped one big hand around both of their cocks and started to stroke. Watching Julian’s eyes flutter closed, watching the way he swallowed when David’s thumb circled the head of his cock.
It wasn’t long before Julian's hips took up the rhythm David had set, heels digging into the mattress, giving himself more leverage. His legs opening wider, settling David even closer against his body and David leaned down to kiss and nuzzle at his ear. "Can I show you something?" David whispered.
When Julian gave his assent, David started a full color slideshow in Julian's mind of all the things that David wanted to do with him...to him.
The images in his mind--David fucking him, him on his knees with David’s cock in his mouth, David perched above him, riding Julian for all he was worth--only added to the arousal that came from David’s hand stroking him, David’s voice whispering in his ear. When Julian came, he came so hard he could see stars behind his eyelids, his mouth opened in a silent cry as he spilled over David’s hand, as he striped both their stomachs with his release. Somewhere above him he could hear David gasping out his own orgasm, not sure if it was real, too relaxed to open his eyes and check, or if it was part of the porn movie still playing in his head.
David collapsed beside him, curling against Julian’s side; his hand tracing abstract designs across Julian’s come smeared stomach, lulling them both into a sated, exhausted sleep.
***
David didn't even need to track down Revok. Revok had issued some idiotic challenge like they were Old West gunslingers facing off for the run of the town. He never learned what prompted Revok to call him out; he was just grateful that there were no bystanders to be hurt.
In the end it was like he watched the whole thing from somewhere outside himself. David remembered facing off against Revok and attempting to reason with him. He hadn't used his abilities to kill since the night that he'd stopped Forrester from implementing his plans for a new world order. He had managed to stop short of killing Forrester that night. He never wanted to kill again.
Revok had broken into David's mind though, taunting him with all the ways he could destroy David through the people that he cared most about, his sister and her family, his father, Julian. When Eric Revok described in loving detail all the ways he was planning to break Julian open and make him bleed, David lost it.
Everything was red and heat and fire and madness.
By the time David managed to pull back he had obliterated the other scanner's mind so effectively that Eric Revok was as good as dead.
***
David almost didn't realize that Julian had let himself into his apartment until he's settling onto the couch next to David.
"Did you see the Post?" Julian handed him the paper, "Sheffield was in a fatal car accident."
"I didn't have anything to do with that," David said defensively.
"I know," answered quietly, watching David toss the paper onto the coffee table. "You're not planning on leaving are you?" Julian gestured to what looked like a collision between a Salvation Army and a U-Haul on David's living room floor.
"I almost killed him...Revok," David said quietly, ignoring Julian’s question.
"But you didn't." Julian’s tone of voice was matter of fact.
"But I wanted to. I wasn't in control. I promised myself after what happened with Forrester that I wouldn't use my abilities to kill." He turned bruised eyes toward Julian. "Why are you here? You should get as far away from me as possible."
"I'm not going anywhere," Julian shook his head, bumping his shoulder against David’s.
"You should be afraid of me. I'm a freak, a monster." David turned away, eyes on his hands.
Julian’s voice was firm, his fingers sliding against the back of David’s neck. "That's not true."
The laugh that fought its way out of David's throat was dry and strangled. "Aren't you at least scared off by my freaky gay-making mind control powers?"
Julian smirked. "I've managed to get over the fact that you have a penis. Freaky mind control power is pretty small next to that."
David grinned at Julian. "Well everything's pretty small next to my penis."
Julian rolled his eyes and moved to stand up.
"That's it. Now I'm leaving."
David touched Julian lightly on the arm, pushing himself off the couch. He ran his hand up to Julian's face and held it there, soothingly. For all his bravado, David could still see Julian's old fears battling for dominance. He leaned in placing a kiss on Julian’s lips, almost chastely. "Thanks for staying."