FIC: Catalyst (part 30) (Harry Sinclair, Karl Urban, Orlando Bloom, Dave Wenham)
Title: "Catalyst" (Part Thirty)
Authors: Brenda (azewewish) & Jo (idiosyncratic)
Series: Claimed Universe
Notes: Click here for full disclaimers and pairings.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen | Part Sixteen | Part Seventeen | Part Eighteen | Part Nineteen | Part Twenty | Part Twenty-One | Part Twenty-Two | Part Twenty-Three | Part Twenty-Four | Part Twenty-Five | Part Twenty-Six | Part Twenty-Seven | Part Twenty-Eight | Part Twenty-Nine
Sean leaned down and met Harry's lips with his own, the kiss slow and languid, as they moved together. Harry dug his fingers in Sean's back, groaning into Sean's next thrust, and Sean welcomed the bright burst of pain. //Wanna keep you like this...//
Harry groaned again, then bit on Sean's lower lip as Sean ground down, pressed him deeper into the mattress. //Fine. Just keep moving.//
//Such a poet.//
The answering chuckle was low, thrumming through the space between them until Sean's skin pebbled. He rotated his hips, thrust deep with a low growl as Harry tightened around him. Keeping Harry like this definitely had its merits, and Sean intended on spending the next few decades exploring them. If not longer.
Harry wrapped strong legs around Sean's thighs, lifted his hips to meet the next downward thrust. They settled into an easy, slow rhythm, neither one in any hurry, the only sounds their mingled moans and the slick press of flesh on flesh. One moment bled into the next, became disjointed fragments of pleasure and need - Harry's lips on his, Harry's hard cock trapped between their bodies, the low, needy way Harry moaned his name - and Sean captured each instant, reveled in every breathy sigh, every shift of their bodies that brought them even closer together.
//Why the fuck did we wait so long for this?//
Sean smiled as he nuzzled at Harry's throat, then licked over the pulse point before sinking his fangs in, the motion as slow and easy as everything else. //Because you couldn't see past Karl first, and then Orlando.//
//Good point.//
Harry's breath hissed between his teeth. Sean lifted his head to catch Harry's lips with his own, the kiss tasting of sin and copper as Sean captured Harry's wrists and pulled them over his head. //Still so much I wanna do to you...//
//So do it.// Harry tested the hold, flexed his wrists against Sean's hands. Sean just smiled and pressed down, the warning clear.
//We've got time.// They had all the time in the world, and Sean's list was getting longer by the day. Now that he had Harry here, naked and pliant and full of his cock, he didn't intend to leave until they'd gone through the entire list at least once.
Sean sped up, hips pistoning as he drove his cock deeper and deeper in Harry's ass, rode the edge of his orgasm as long as he could before finally letting go. His fangs struck deep, the rich taste of Harry's blood coursing through him, addicting and dark. Dimly, through the roaring in his ears and the pounding of his heart, he felt Harry jerk under him, come smearing between their bodies.
When Sean could convince his muscles to work again, he rolled, flopping onto the mattress in a boneless sprawl beside Harry. Glancing over, he noticed that Harry wasn't in any better shape. "Reckon we can wait before round two."
"Think so?"
"Not if you keep smiling at me like that," Sean chuckled, and leaned in to rub a light kiss across Harry's lips. "Don't suppose I could talk you into getting me a glass of water?"
"So, I'm your slave now?"
"Sure, why not."
Harry made a rude noise, but rolled off the bed and stood, stretching his arms to the ceiling. "You're lucky I'm thirsty."
Sean propped his head up to watch Harry's progress. "You keep moving like that and you can be anything you want."
"Tell me that's not your best line."
"Well, no." He rolled to a sitting position. "Works on Dom, though."
"Everything works on Dom," Harry replied, strolling over to the mini-fridge set up in the corner of the room. He snagged two bottles of water and tossed one to Sean, who caught it in a neat swipe. "Before I met Orlando, I used to think Dom was the easiest person on earth."
"They are rather a pair," Sean agreed. "Speaking of pets, however, have you heard from Josh since we've been holed up here in illicit bliss?"
"Is that what we're calling it?"
"Illicit sounds sexy."
"Good point." Harry settled back next to Sean on the bed. "And yes. The contractor's been out to the house, and there's a crew out there fixing up everything."
"I like him. I think he'll be good for Karl."
"I think so, too." Harry dropped a light kiss on Sean's shoulder. "It'll be nice for him to have someone that's just for him again."
Sean draped an arm around Harry's shoulders, pulled him close. Reveled in the warmth and closeness. "You know it won't be the same."
"I know. But he needs it." Harry placed a leg over Sean's, easily trapping him. Not that he had any plans on moving. "And Karl knows I'll always be his."
Sean took a long swallow of his water. "You know what I find interesting?"
"What's that?"
"The fact that you don't seem to need anyone just for you."
"You don't think my life has enough complications?"
"You think having someone for you would be one?"
The space between Harry's brows wrinkled in thought. "I have Karl and Orlando. And Monica." He glanced at Sean. "And this - what you and I have - this is just ours. It's enough. I don't need a Dom or a Josh."
"A Dom or a Josh would be good for you," Sean said, deliberately echoing Harry's words. He smiled when Harry gave him a level look. "I've always wondered why you did it."
"Did what?"
"Let Karl go through with claiming Orlando." He held up a hand when Harry opened his mouth. "And I've heard the whole 'I was grieving and not in my right mind and besides Orlando was for both of us' speech, so spare me. The entire house felt what happened when you had Orlando trapped in that hallway."
He kept his gaze steady, daring Harry to try to weasel out of an honest answer. Oh, he knew Harry, down to the ground. Knew that Harry hated talking about himself more than just about anything, but he also knew that Harry sometimes needed to talk about what he was feeling. He supposed it was one of the reasons they were still best friends after six centuries.
Finally, Harry sighed. "You know why."
"I have a good idea, but I still want to hear you say it."
"Because I was hoping it would go away. You know I was never 100% comfortable with how things were with Karl. Orlando...well, that meant accepting a few things I didn't want to."
"Such as the fact that you love sucking cock as much as you love eating pussy?" Sean grinned when Harry just made a face. "I love you, you know this. But I swear it's a wonder you haven't managed to kill yourself with your stubbornness."
Harry poked Sean in the side. "Since I'm lying here naked with you and have been for the past week or so, I think it's safe to say I got over the hang-up."
"A fact for which I will be forever thankful," Sean laughed, capturing Harry's tormenting fingers. His smile faded as he studied Harry's eyes. "I'm glad you're going through with it. Becoming his Sire, I mean."
"I knew what you meant," Harry said, quietly, letting his eyes close as his head fell back against Sean's shoulder.
"It's going to be fine. The two of you need this."
"I know." But Harry's throat worked when he swallowed.
"I mean it." Sean pulled Harry close to him, the hug full-bodied and reassuring, with Sean pouring all of his love and affection into it. Harry just clung to him for a few long moments, shuddering in his arms.
"Thank you," Harry said, when they finally broke the easy silence between them.
"No need," Sean replied, brushing his lips across Harry's forehead, then lips.
"Are you as hungry as I am?"
Sean took that as his cue that Harry really was fine, and nodded. "Starved. And not just for more of your incredible cock, either," he added, with an exaggerated leer.
"I promise to give it to you for dessert."
"Something to look forward to," Sean quipped, rolling from the bed and out of Harry's reach. "Take out or do you plan on cooking?"
"I hope that was a joke."
"Thai, then?"
"Is there any other kind of take-out?" Harry asked, as he tossed Sean a pair of pajama bottoms.
Harry made the call once they got upstairs and into the library. From the sound of it, Harry ordered up the entire menu, which was fine with Sean. Felt like he hadn't eaten in days. He wandered carefully around the stacks of books and papers, taking note of anything new or intriguing.
"I will never understand your filing order," he commented, once Harry hung up the phone.
"It works for me." Sean accepted the glass that Harry pressed into his hand. "Karl still has ideas on improving an already perfect system."
"I'm not surprised. You're the only one who can find anything."
"Not true." Harry settled onto the sofa and sprawled there, arms stretched along the back as he watched Sean. "Orlando's gotten quite competent."
"Now that surprises me." Sean looked around again, appreciating the organized chaos for what it was.
"He spends a lot of time here, asks a lot of questions," Harry shrugged, the motion flexing broad shoulders. "Didn't take him long to get the hang of how everything's laid out."
"Well, perhaps you can enlighten me one day."
"Angling to spend more time here?" There was no mistaking the amused invitation in Harry's voice.
"You saying I wouldn't be welcome?" Sean asked, casting a sidelong glance Harry's way.
"You've always had a key," Harry pointed out, in a mild tone. "I don't see that changing."
"I would hope not." Sean slid through a narrow, open space to drop onto the sofa beside Harry. "Your other half might get suspicious if it did."
"Karl?" Harry's eyes sparkled with amusement as he took a long swallow of his drink. "You're assuming he'd notice."
Sean laughed. "True. So we leave things as they are. With the exception of the collar, of course."
"I wouldn't say the collar would be the only exception."
"So what are you saying?" Not that Sean wanted or needed labels - he knew what he was to Harry, always did, and even the self-admitted nuclear sex between them would never change that.
Gentle fingers dropped to toy with the hairs on Sean's nape. "Might take me decades to get my fill of you," Harry answered, his voice a slither of heat. "Might take me centuries. And not because of the collar."
"Centuries?" Sean's skin pebbled as those fingers slipped along his nape. "That long, huh?"
Harry leaned in, so close that all Sean could smell was Harry. "Maybe longer," he said, tongue flicking out to trace the curve of Sean's ear.
"I could do with longer," Sean said, once he could trust his voice, and couldn't bite back the groan when Harry's lips dipped down to the pulsing vein at his neck.
"Barely scratched the surface of all I want to do." Each softly uttered word fluttered along Sean's skin.
"Me too," he agreed, and Harry was halfway towards pushing him back on the sofa when the doorbell rang.
Harry lifted his head with a low growl, and Sean blinked. What...oh. The food. "Saved by the bell," he muttered as Harry rolled to his feet.
"Don't think I'm done with you," he said, tugging Sean up and off-balance so Sean had no choice but to fall against Harry's chest. "After we eat..."
"Planning on taking advantage of me, are you?"
"Is it taking advantage if you're gagging for it?" Harry asked, and smothered Sean's reply with a hard kiss before heading out of the room. Sean took the time to collect his breath, will his body back into some sense of control. He'd always wondered how the hell Karl managed to keep from tying Harry to the nearest bed on a permanent basis, and now that he'd had a small taste, he wondered how he would manage to do the same. Keeping Harry naked sounded like a damn good way to spend the next hundred years or so.
//Food's in the kitchen if you feel like joining me.//
//If you think I'm leaving you alone with all that food, you're crazier than Viggo.// Sean snagged their now empty glasses and a bottle before following Harry. Stopping just inside the kitchen, he looked at the bags on the table. "You really did order enough for an army."
"Does that mean you're really not hungry?"
"Touch my phad thai, and you'll pay for it."
"Much as I like the thought of wrestling with you, I ordered enough for both of us," Harry grinned, and passed Sean a container filled to the brim with chicken phad thai, his favorite.
"We can wrestle later."
Harry flashed a grin around a mouthful of won ton. //Actually, I could use a sparring partner later.//
//I'm not the swordsman Karl is.//
//I never expected you to be.//
Sean swallowed. "Is that your way of saying you haven't got enough exercise this past week?"
"Not with the right muscle groups," Harry replied, with a slow grin that made Sean's body tighten. Fuck, but it was indecent (and more than a little embarrassing) how Harry managed to get a reaction from him with the slightest expression. Once again, he wondered how Karl managed to deal with it on a daily basis.
"In that case, I'll be happy to wear you out," he finally said, with his own smile.
"I look forward to it."
"Speaking of Karl, however, how are he and Orlando doing?" Sean asked, scooping up another bite of glass noodles.
"Karl mentioned they were sailing up the coast to the San Juan Islands."
"Did he?" Sean didn't try to contain his glee at the prospect of more time alone with Harry. As much as he missed Dom, who was still in Brazil and probably lying on a beach while working on his tan and getting serviced by any number of beautiful women, he wasn't quite ready to end his time with Harry just yet.
"He did. Asked if I'd missed them yet and just laughed when I said no," Harry chuckled.
"You know he'll spend a week after he gets back looking around here for Monica's lingerie."
"God, I hope so. I may leave some around, just so he's not disappointed."
"You," he said, pointing his chopsticks at Harry, "are an evil, evil man."
"And one reason we're friends." Then Harry lifted a brow. "I could always invite her over if she's in town..."
For a second, Sean's eyes glazed over in lust. The idea of being the in middle between Harry and Monica was at once hot as hell and completely intimidating. "Maybe another time," he got out, surprised he could speak. "I'm still getting used to having you like this."
"The invitation's an open one."
Sean wasn't sure he'd survive a night with the two of them, but he thought he wouldn't mind finding out one day. "The collar would stay here."
"Of course." Harry didn't even hesitate. "I told you, the collar ours and only ours. No one gets to see you wearing it except me. No one gets to own you like that except me."
The intensity in Harry's gaze silenced Sean. With an effort, he looked at his food, then cleared his throat. "Long as we're in agreement on that."
"Sean -"
"No, it's fine, I promise," Sean said, lifting his eyes to Harry's again. The intensity was still there, but softer now, easier to bear. "I want the collar and all that comes with it. I'm just not completely used to it yet. I'll get there, so don't worry about it."
"C'mere."
Sean leaned in, and their lips met easily, fit together in a slow, soft kiss that finished soothing the ragged edges of Sean's nerves. "Thank you for being patient."
"This is new for both of us. I expect we'll settle into it soon enough, but I also expect there will be missteps on both sides." Harry trailed his fingers down Sean's arm until he could slide their fingers together. "As long as you know, even if this part of it ends today, that we won't change."
"I appreciate that." For a long moment, Sean just looked at their joined hands. Part of him couldn't help but wonder what if, but he squashed the thought ruthlessly. The time for that had passed centuries ago, and more importantly, Harry had never been his. "The last thing I want is to damage our friendship. It means too much to me."
"You're my best friend. Nothing will change that."
"Is this where we get maudlin?"
"No, this is where you give me another kiss, then we finish tackling the mountain of food we have left, and then I beat you into submission at sparring."
"And if I beat you?" With Harry's eyes on him, and the safety in their fingers still twined together, Sean felt a little reckless. Like pushing the boundaries a little more. They hadn't gone anywhere near the collar since that first night.
"The boon would be of your choosing, of course," Harry told him, in a tone that told Sean he knew exactly what Sean was thinking. "And should I win?"
Sean's lips curved in a smile. "I'll leave it to your imagination."
"You should know it's rather vivid where you're concerned."
"I'm counting on it."
"Food first," Harry said, voice slightly heavy as he continued to watch Sean.
"No," Sean corrected, reaching out to tangle his free hand in Harry's hair. "Kiss first."
Before Harry could say anything else, Sean pulled him in for another slow kiss that was full of heat and promise. Their tongues tangled teasingly, and Sean was pleased to see hazed eyes and a faint flush across Harry's face when they parted. "Now," Sean said, aware that his voice was more than a little smug, "food."
Harry's only response was to salute him with his fork.
(To Be Continued)
Authors: Brenda (azewewish) & Jo (idiosyncratic)
Series: Claimed Universe
Notes: Click here for full disclaimers and pairings.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen | Part Sixteen | Part Seventeen | Part Eighteen | Part Nineteen | Part Twenty | Part Twenty-One | Part Twenty-Two | Part Twenty-Three | Part Twenty-Four | Part Twenty-Five | Part Twenty-Six | Part Twenty-Seven | Part Twenty-Eight | Part Twenty-Nine
Sean leaned down and met Harry's lips with his own, the kiss slow and languid, as they moved together. Harry dug his fingers in Sean's back, groaning into Sean's next thrust, and Sean welcomed the bright burst of pain. //Wanna keep you like this...//
Harry groaned again, then bit on Sean's lower lip as Sean ground down, pressed him deeper into the mattress. //Fine. Just keep moving.//
//Such a poet.//
The answering chuckle was low, thrumming through the space between them until Sean's skin pebbled. He rotated his hips, thrust deep with a low growl as Harry tightened around him. Keeping Harry like this definitely had its merits, and Sean intended on spending the next few decades exploring them. If not longer.
Harry wrapped strong legs around Sean's thighs, lifted his hips to meet the next downward thrust. They settled into an easy, slow rhythm, neither one in any hurry, the only sounds their mingled moans and the slick press of flesh on flesh. One moment bled into the next, became disjointed fragments of pleasure and need - Harry's lips on his, Harry's hard cock trapped between their bodies, the low, needy way Harry moaned his name - and Sean captured each instant, reveled in every breathy sigh, every shift of their bodies that brought them even closer together.
//Why the fuck did we wait so long for this?//
Sean smiled as he nuzzled at Harry's throat, then licked over the pulse point before sinking his fangs in, the motion as slow and easy as everything else. //Because you couldn't see past Karl first, and then Orlando.//
//Good point.//
Harry's breath hissed between his teeth. Sean lifted his head to catch Harry's lips with his own, the kiss tasting of sin and copper as Sean captured Harry's wrists and pulled them over his head. //Still so much I wanna do to you...//
//So do it.// Harry tested the hold, flexed his wrists against Sean's hands. Sean just smiled and pressed down, the warning clear.
//We've got time.// They had all the time in the world, and Sean's list was getting longer by the day. Now that he had Harry here, naked and pliant and full of his cock, he didn't intend to leave until they'd gone through the entire list at least once.
Sean sped up, hips pistoning as he drove his cock deeper and deeper in Harry's ass, rode the edge of his orgasm as long as he could before finally letting go. His fangs struck deep, the rich taste of Harry's blood coursing through him, addicting and dark. Dimly, through the roaring in his ears and the pounding of his heart, he felt Harry jerk under him, come smearing between their bodies.
When Sean could convince his muscles to work again, he rolled, flopping onto the mattress in a boneless sprawl beside Harry. Glancing over, he noticed that Harry wasn't in any better shape. "Reckon we can wait before round two."
"Think so?"
"Not if you keep smiling at me like that," Sean chuckled, and leaned in to rub a light kiss across Harry's lips. "Don't suppose I could talk you into getting me a glass of water?"
"So, I'm your slave now?"
"Sure, why not."
Harry made a rude noise, but rolled off the bed and stood, stretching his arms to the ceiling. "You're lucky I'm thirsty."
Sean propped his head up to watch Harry's progress. "You keep moving like that and you can be anything you want."
"Tell me that's not your best line."
"Well, no." He rolled to a sitting position. "Works on Dom, though."
"Everything works on Dom," Harry replied, strolling over to the mini-fridge set up in the corner of the room. He snagged two bottles of water and tossed one to Sean, who caught it in a neat swipe. "Before I met Orlando, I used to think Dom was the easiest person on earth."
"They are rather a pair," Sean agreed. "Speaking of pets, however, have you heard from Josh since we've been holed up here in illicit bliss?"
"Is that what we're calling it?"
"Illicit sounds sexy."
"Good point." Harry settled back next to Sean on the bed. "And yes. The contractor's been out to the house, and there's a crew out there fixing up everything."
"I like him. I think he'll be good for Karl."
"I think so, too." Harry dropped a light kiss on Sean's shoulder. "It'll be nice for him to have someone that's just for him again."
Sean draped an arm around Harry's shoulders, pulled him close. Reveled in the warmth and closeness. "You know it won't be the same."
"I know. But he needs it." Harry placed a leg over Sean's, easily trapping him. Not that he had any plans on moving. "And Karl knows I'll always be his."
Sean took a long swallow of his water. "You know what I find interesting?"
"What's that?"
"The fact that you don't seem to need anyone just for you."
"You don't think my life has enough complications?"
"You think having someone for you would be one?"
The space between Harry's brows wrinkled in thought. "I have Karl and Orlando. And Monica." He glanced at Sean. "And this - what you and I have - this is just ours. It's enough. I don't need a Dom or a Josh."
"A Dom or a Josh would be good for you," Sean said, deliberately echoing Harry's words. He smiled when Harry gave him a level look. "I've always wondered why you did it."
"Did what?"
"Let Karl go through with claiming Orlando." He held up a hand when Harry opened his mouth. "And I've heard the whole 'I was grieving and not in my right mind and besides Orlando was for both of us' speech, so spare me. The entire house felt what happened when you had Orlando trapped in that hallway."
He kept his gaze steady, daring Harry to try to weasel out of an honest answer. Oh, he knew Harry, down to the ground. Knew that Harry hated talking about himself more than just about anything, but he also knew that Harry sometimes needed to talk about what he was feeling. He supposed it was one of the reasons they were still best friends after six centuries.
Finally, Harry sighed. "You know why."
"I have a good idea, but I still want to hear you say it."
"Because I was hoping it would go away. You know I was never 100% comfortable with how things were with Karl. Orlando...well, that meant accepting a few things I didn't want to."
"Such as the fact that you love sucking cock as much as you love eating pussy?" Sean grinned when Harry just made a face. "I love you, you know this. But I swear it's a wonder you haven't managed to kill yourself with your stubbornness."
Harry poked Sean in the side. "Since I'm lying here naked with you and have been for the past week or so, I think it's safe to say I got over the hang-up."
"A fact for which I will be forever thankful," Sean laughed, capturing Harry's tormenting fingers. His smile faded as he studied Harry's eyes. "I'm glad you're going through with it. Becoming his Sire, I mean."
"I knew what you meant," Harry said, quietly, letting his eyes close as his head fell back against Sean's shoulder.
"It's going to be fine. The two of you need this."
"I know." But Harry's throat worked when he swallowed.
"I mean it." Sean pulled Harry close to him, the hug full-bodied and reassuring, with Sean pouring all of his love and affection into it. Harry just clung to him for a few long moments, shuddering in his arms.
"Thank you," Harry said, when they finally broke the easy silence between them.
"No need," Sean replied, brushing his lips across Harry's forehead, then lips.
"Are you as hungry as I am?"
Sean took that as his cue that Harry really was fine, and nodded. "Starved. And not just for more of your incredible cock, either," he added, with an exaggerated leer.
"I promise to give it to you for dessert."
"Something to look forward to," Sean quipped, rolling from the bed and out of Harry's reach. "Take out or do you plan on cooking?"
"I hope that was a joke."
"Thai, then?"
"Is there any other kind of take-out?" Harry asked, as he tossed Sean a pair of pajama bottoms.
Harry made the call once they got upstairs and into the library. From the sound of it, Harry ordered up the entire menu, which was fine with Sean. Felt like he hadn't eaten in days. He wandered carefully around the stacks of books and papers, taking note of anything new or intriguing.
"I will never understand your filing order," he commented, once Harry hung up the phone.
"It works for me." Sean accepted the glass that Harry pressed into his hand. "Karl still has ideas on improving an already perfect system."
"I'm not surprised. You're the only one who can find anything."
"Not true." Harry settled onto the sofa and sprawled there, arms stretched along the back as he watched Sean. "Orlando's gotten quite competent."
"Now that surprises me." Sean looked around again, appreciating the organized chaos for what it was.
"He spends a lot of time here, asks a lot of questions," Harry shrugged, the motion flexing broad shoulders. "Didn't take him long to get the hang of how everything's laid out."
"Well, perhaps you can enlighten me one day."
"Angling to spend more time here?" There was no mistaking the amused invitation in Harry's voice.
"You saying I wouldn't be welcome?" Sean asked, casting a sidelong glance Harry's way.
"You've always had a key," Harry pointed out, in a mild tone. "I don't see that changing."
"I would hope not." Sean slid through a narrow, open space to drop onto the sofa beside Harry. "Your other half might get suspicious if it did."
"Karl?" Harry's eyes sparkled with amusement as he took a long swallow of his drink. "You're assuming he'd notice."
Sean laughed. "True. So we leave things as they are. With the exception of the collar, of course."
"I wouldn't say the collar would be the only exception."
"So what are you saying?" Not that Sean wanted or needed labels - he knew what he was to Harry, always did, and even the self-admitted nuclear sex between them would never change that.
Gentle fingers dropped to toy with the hairs on Sean's nape. "Might take me decades to get my fill of you," Harry answered, his voice a slither of heat. "Might take me centuries. And not because of the collar."
"Centuries?" Sean's skin pebbled as those fingers slipped along his nape. "That long, huh?"
Harry leaned in, so close that all Sean could smell was Harry. "Maybe longer," he said, tongue flicking out to trace the curve of Sean's ear.
"I could do with longer," Sean said, once he could trust his voice, and couldn't bite back the groan when Harry's lips dipped down to the pulsing vein at his neck.
"Barely scratched the surface of all I want to do." Each softly uttered word fluttered along Sean's skin.
"Me too," he agreed, and Harry was halfway towards pushing him back on the sofa when the doorbell rang.
Harry lifted his head with a low growl, and Sean blinked. What...oh. The food. "Saved by the bell," he muttered as Harry rolled to his feet.
"Don't think I'm done with you," he said, tugging Sean up and off-balance so Sean had no choice but to fall against Harry's chest. "After we eat..."
"Planning on taking advantage of me, are you?"
"Is it taking advantage if you're gagging for it?" Harry asked, and smothered Sean's reply with a hard kiss before heading out of the room. Sean took the time to collect his breath, will his body back into some sense of control. He'd always wondered how the hell Karl managed to keep from tying Harry to the nearest bed on a permanent basis, and now that he'd had a small taste, he wondered how he would manage to do the same. Keeping Harry naked sounded like a damn good way to spend the next hundred years or so.
//Food's in the kitchen if you feel like joining me.//
//If you think I'm leaving you alone with all that food, you're crazier than Viggo.// Sean snagged their now empty glasses and a bottle before following Harry. Stopping just inside the kitchen, he looked at the bags on the table. "You really did order enough for an army."
"Does that mean you're really not hungry?"
"Touch my phad thai, and you'll pay for it."
"Much as I like the thought of wrestling with you, I ordered enough for both of us," Harry grinned, and passed Sean a container filled to the brim with chicken phad thai, his favorite.
"We can wrestle later."
Harry flashed a grin around a mouthful of won ton. //Actually, I could use a sparring partner later.//
//I'm not the swordsman Karl is.//
//I never expected you to be.//
Sean swallowed. "Is that your way of saying you haven't got enough exercise this past week?"
"Not with the right muscle groups," Harry replied, with a slow grin that made Sean's body tighten. Fuck, but it was indecent (and more than a little embarrassing) how Harry managed to get a reaction from him with the slightest expression. Once again, he wondered how Karl managed to deal with it on a daily basis.
"In that case, I'll be happy to wear you out," he finally said, with his own smile.
"I look forward to it."
"Speaking of Karl, however, how are he and Orlando doing?" Sean asked, scooping up another bite of glass noodles.
"Karl mentioned they were sailing up the coast to the San Juan Islands."
"Did he?" Sean didn't try to contain his glee at the prospect of more time alone with Harry. As much as he missed Dom, who was still in Brazil and probably lying on a beach while working on his tan and getting serviced by any number of beautiful women, he wasn't quite ready to end his time with Harry just yet.
"He did. Asked if I'd missed them yet and just laughed when I said no," Harry chuckled.
"You know he'll spend a week after he gets back looking around here for Monica's lingerie."
"God, I hope so. I may leave some around, just so he's not disappointed."
"You," he said, pointing his chopsticks at Harry, "are an evil, evil man."
"And one reason we're friends." Then Harry lifted a brow. "I could always invite her over if she's in town..."
For a second, Sean's eyes glazed over in lust. The idea of being the in middle between Harry and Monica was at once hot as hell and completely intimidating. "Maybe another time," he got out, surprised he could speak. "I'm still getting used to having you like this."
"The invitation's an open one."
Sean wasn't sure he'd survive a night with the two of them, but he thought he wouldn't mind finding out one day. "The collar would stay here."
"Of course." Harry didn't even hesitate. "I told you, the collar ours and only ours. No one gets to see you wearing it except me. No one gets to own you like that except me."
The intensity in Harry's gaze silenced Sean. With an effort, he looked at his food, then cleared his throat. "Long as we're in agreement on that."
"Sean -"
"No, it's fine, I promise," Sean said, lifting his eyes to Harry's again. The intensity was still there, but softer now, easier to bear. "I want the collar and all that comes with it. I'm just not completely used to it yet. I'll get there, so don't worry about it."
"C'mere."
Sean leaned in, and their lips met easily, fit together in a slow, soft kiss that finished soothing the ragged edges of Sean's nerves. "Thank you for being patient."
"This is new for both of us. I expect we'll settle into it soon enough, but I also expect there will be missteps on both sides." Harry trailed his fingers down Sean's arm until he could slide their fingers together. "As long as you know, even if this part of it ends today, that we won't change."
"I appreciate that." For a long moment, Sean just looked at their joined hands. Part of him couldn't help but wonder what if, but he squashed the thought ruthlessly. The time for that had passed centuries ago, and more importantly, Harry had never been his. "The last thing I want is to damage our friendship. It means too much to me."
"You're my best friend. Nothing will change that."
"Is this where we get maudlin?"
"No, this is where you give me another kiss, then we finish tackling the mountain of food we have left, and then I beat you into submission at sparring."
"And if I beat you?" With Harry's eyes on him, and the safety in their fingers still twined together, Sean felt a little reckless. Like pushing the boundaries a little more. They hadn't gone anywhere near the collar since that first night.
"The boon would be of your choosing, of course," Harry told him, in a tone that told Sean he knew exactly what Sean was thinking. "And should I win?"
Sean's lips curved in a smile. "I'll leave it to your imagination."
"You should know it's rather vivid where you're concerned."
"I'm counting on it."
"Food first," Harry said, voice slightly heavy as he continued to watch Sean.
"No," Sean corrected, reaching out to tangle his free hand in Harry's hair. "Kiss first."
Before Harry could say anything else, Sean pulled him in for another slow kiss that was full of heat and promise. Their tongues tangled teasingly, and Sean was pleased to see hazed eyes and a faint flush across Harry's face when they parted. "Now," Sean said, aware that his voice was more than a little smug, "food."
Harry's only response was to salute him with his fork.
(To Be Continued)