[FIC] To Love a Rogue
Oh look, here's me posting something ELSE that isn't a continuation of the other stuff I'm STILL writing >.>
And it's another multi-chapter thing. Not that it was meant to be; this started as an attempt to write some Len/Hartley, because it's not a pairing I really ever see and I wanted to know how it would work. And then it grew. Oops.
Also, what is my obsession with Doctor Piper?? Seriously ><;;
Title: To Love a Rogue
Pairing: Cold/Piper, Fury/Piper
Rating: R
Summary: With the Rogues as a group still in its infancy, Len goes to Hartley with a little problem he's suffering from.
Warnings: Mentions of abuse
Being a Rogue meant a lot of things. It meant you were strong, useful; most of them had been hand-picked for their abilities. It meant keeping a low profile sometimes, and at other times it meant making sure everyone knew exactly who you were. It meant brightly coloured costumes, clashes with speedsters and breaking out of jail so many times you lost count years ago.
It meant that trips to see the doctor were nigh on impossible.
Which is the reason why Len found himself knocking on the door to Piper’s apartment extremely early one Sunday morning. He had timed it perfectly; every Sunday, Hartley left the house at 8:30am sharp, completing a run of six homeless shelters, and would not return home until long after the sun had set. Len, being Captain Cold, leader of the Rogues and a bit of a control freak, had made it his business to find out everything he could about the men he worked with. He had a file for each of them, containing everything from the name and address of their current love interest to what colour tiles they had in their bathrooms. It was a little bit obsessive, he knew, but also necessary.
A bleary-eyed, half-dressed redhead answered the door, looking more than a little surprised to see the other man. “...Len? What’re you doing here?” Hartley moved aside to let the other man enter, still not fully awake. The brunette was dressed in casual attire; jeans that were possibly a little too small for his muscular frame and a shirt that was definitely too small, by at least two sizes.
“I need some advice.” Cold stated, in a very matter of fact manner. He’d made his way through to the kitchen and was in the process of helping himself to coffee as Piper entered, seating himself down at the kitchen table and wishing he’d had chance to at least find a tee to pull on, feeling a little exposed. It was odd, he mused; Len never came to him for advice. Actually, as far as he knew Len never went to anyone for advice, unless...
“Something’s up and you don’t want to see a doctor about it, am I right?” Hartley smiled warmly, endlessly pleased that the Captain had come to him once again, trusting his judgement and ability. Pushing his messy, un-brushed hair out of his eyes, the redhead was instantly silenced as he found his face being held in a vice-like grip, Cold’s own head inches from his own, studying the younger man’s features angrily.
That was when Hartley remembered the black eye.
“What the fuck is that, Piper?” Len spat, the ugly purple and black bruise framing one of Hartley’s pretty green eyes, standing out starkly against the pale white of his skin. Further down, hidden beneath a cascade of auburn tresses, the Captain could make out another, smaller bruise that looked suspiciously like a thumb print. Len let out an angry growl; on the other side of the musician’s neck, four more matching bruises had appeared, mocking Cold for not keeping a better eye on the man.
“It’s nothing much.” Piper mumbled, turning his eyes away from the furious Rogue, his head still held firmly in place. “I had an argument with Earl...you know how he gets.” His tone was sheepish, embarrassed; what would the others think of him if they knew the kinds of things he put up with from his supposedly loving boyfriend? That he didn’t, that he couldn’t fight back?
“So you had a fight with your boyfriend and he decided it was a good idea to mess up your face and try to choke you?” Len asked, his voice deceptively calm considering the raging storm of hate that was currently brewing inside the brunette, aimed completely and totally at the pathetic excuse for a human being who had dared to raise its hand against one of his Rogues.
“It’s...honestly, it’s fine Len. I’ve dealt with it.” Hartley threw Cold one of his best reassuring smiles, tone upbeat and positive. Len didn’t need to see the rest of the damage, the other bruises that marred his slight frame, the ones that he wouldn’t be able to explain away. Bruises that said ‘stop’, ‘I don’t want this’ and ‘please, no’ in all of their black and purple glory. Len didn’t need to know about that side of his relationship.
The older Rogue growled but released him, throwing Hartley a look that clearly said ‘this isn’t over.’ The redhead was pleased Len cared about him, particularly as none of the others really seemed to, and he hated the fact that he was such a disappointment to the man he admired. Turning his eyes away, the Piper fidgeted in his seat, silence spreading out between them as Cold studied him intently, looking for any other signs of abuse that he should know about.
“He touches you again, I break his fucking neck, you got that Piper?” The brunette snarled, earning a consenting nod from the smaller man. “Why are you still with that little shit anyway? You in love with the faggot or something?” Hartley ignored the derogatory language spewing from Len’s lips, knowing that the older man wasn’t intending to offend him, that it was just part of who he was, watching as Cold took a long drink from his mug of coffee.
“I don’t know...” The redhead admitted, resting his chin on his upturned palm in thought. Why was he still with Earl? The man was rude, crude, thoughtless, violent and had no concept of what ‘no’ or ‘stop’ meant...but it wasn’t rape if he was still in a relationship with the man, right? Hartley sighed, running his hands down his face. Even after all of the abuse he’d put up with, the amount of times his boyfriend had almost put him in the hospital, he still kept going back to the man. Was it love? No, Piper certainly wasn’t able to say he loved the man, so what was it?
“Look, Piper, normally I couldn’t give a flying fuck whose bed you’re warming, you can keep seven on the go for all I care, but the moment I think that little cocksucker might do something that’ll compromise your position in the Rogues then it becomes my business and I will do something about it.” It was more of a warning than a threat, and both men knew that Earl was treading on very thin ground where Captain Cold was concerned.
“I didn’t know you cared.” Piper grinned, trying to lighten the mood a little, hoping to distract the other man away from his murderous thoughts. “But I’m pretty sure you came here to ask me something, and I’m fairly certain it wasn’t about my love life.”
Nodding, Len placed his mug down on the table, looking down at his hands. “Yeah, my back’s been hurting and I got a problem pissing. It don’t always come out and I gotta get up in the night too...” Piper was surprised to see an embarrassed flush covering the older Rogue’s cheeks; normally things like this didn’t bother him, and in terms of crudeness Cold could keep up with Digger if he wanted to.
“You’ve got an idea what it might be, haven’t you?” Hartley asked, leaning forwards and keeping his voice low, his own suspicions starting to build.
“Yeah...I had a look on some medical website at the library.” Len took a large swig of his drink, still not looking at Piper. “It said I have cancer.”
Hartley swallowed at this, knowing that the Captain was over reacting a little, but also understanding exactly what those symptoms could point towards. “It said you might have cancer, Len. Those symptoms could mean any number of things, and you’re still a bit young to develop prostate cancer.” He stood, moving over to the pin board in the corner, searching for a number he knew would be there somewhere. “Either way it’s not something I can diagnose or treat, so you’re going to need to see a real doctor.” Finding the slip of paper he was after, Piper turned and found that Len was glaring at him again.
“No, it said on the website you can tell by touching it too.” The brunette wasn’t happy about it, but he needed an answer and he needed it today. Len was never overly patient about anything, but where his health was concerned he was almost insufferable.
“You want me to stick my fingers up your ass?” Piper asked dryly, far less embarrassed about the act than he possibly should have been, considering whom he was speaking with.
“Of course I don’t fucking want you to, but I ain’t going to see a damn doctor.” Crossing his arms, the Captain continued to stare Hartley down, refusing to break eye contact until the younger man agreed to treat him.
“Alright, fine.” Hartley sighed. “But if there’s even a small chance you might have it, you’re going to a doctor to get it treated, alright?” Placing the slip of paper down on the counter, the musician moved out of the kitchen, heading into his bedroom. Len might not like the fact that he was going to be examined by the younger Rogue in such an intimate way in his bedroom, but he would just have to swallow his pride and get used to the idea.
“Can’t we do this in the kitchen or something?” The older man grumbled, shifting around nervously as he waited for Piper to direct him. Hartley had pulled the covers off his bed and was in the process of draping a clean sheet over the mattress, stopping for a moment to give the brunette a look over his shoulder before carrying on.
“I’m not doing that to you in the kitchen. It’s bad enough that you’ve got me doing it at all, we may as well keep it sanitary.” The redhead complained, finishing off preparing the bed and moving away to locate the items he was going to need. “Get yourself ready and get on the bed, face down, I’ll be back shortly.”
Hartley was gone from the bedroom for less than a minute, returning with a pair of surgical grade latex gloves and a tube of lubricant. The sight that met his eyes upon his return made his jaw drop; instead of doing as expected and pulling his pants and boxers down to his knees, Len had completely removed all clothing from his lower half. On top of that, rather than lying face down on the clean sheet, the taller man was up on his knees, ass in the air and legs spread; the sight was really quite...distracting.
“I’ll try to make it quick.” The musician murmured, moving to stand behind Cold and choosing not to mention the older man’s error; Len was mortified enough at having to undergo such a horribly invasive procedure, it wouldn’t be fair to make him feel any worse.
“Thanks, kid...” The Captain folded his arms in front of him, lowering his head down to press against the sheet, hiding the flush that had covered his face. Unfortunately, this had the added effect of raising his ass up further and adding a rather erotic curve to his spine, opening himself further to the slightly flustered Piper. The younger man remained silent, frantically trying to tug one of the gloves over his right hand and failing miserably, eyes roaming over the expanse of flesh in front of him.
A wave of guilt washed over the Piper as he found himself checking the other man out; long legs, packed with dense muscle, led up to a pair of firm, boxy ass cheeks. Between those legs hung Cold’s flaccid cock, a good size considering, and Hartley couldn’t help but wonder what it would look like fully erect, how large it would be.
Dragging his eyes away in shame, the redhead finally managed to pull the glove into place, flexing his fingers a few times before uncapping the lubricant and smearing a large amount over two of his digits. He hoped that the older man hadn’t noticed him staring, hadn’t realised that he had been checking out his equipment when he should have been focusing on helping his friend. If Hartley wanted to continue as the Rogue’s makeshift doctor, then he knew he needed to start acting like it, and his current behaviour was about as far from professional as was possible.
“This is going to be cold, and it might be a little uncomfortable, but it’ll be easier if you can relax. Tell me if it hurts and I’ll stop.” Hartley hoped that Len hadn’t noticed the slight waver in his voice, or the tremble in his hands as he placed his left on one exposed ass cheek to steady himself, while the other found its way to the Captain’s rosy pucker. Not wanting to hurt the older man, he went as slowly as he could, pressing the tip of his middle finger against the tight ring of muscle, feeling it twitch and obediently part for him.
“Fuck!” Len tightened his muscles at the intrusion, internal walls clamping down on Hartley’s finger which had been inserted up to the first knuckle, his whole body going rigid for a moment. “You weren’t fucking kidding, that shit’s cold, Piper!” He let out a breathy, embarrassed laugh, before forcing his internal muscles to unclench somewhat shakily, allowing the musician to continue.
Hartley resumed his task, pushing into the other man, Len’s body taking his slim finger without too much difficulty. As soon as he was far enough inside, Piper began searching for the Captain’s prostate, not wishing to prolong the experience for any longer than was necessary for his own sake as well as Len’s. Unfortunately for Cold, the redhead seemed to be struggling to find his prostate, and the wriggling, stroking sensations from within him were having a rather unfortunate and unexpected effect on the older man. Taking several deep breaths, he tried to focus on something else, anything else, but his body didn’t seem to want to cooperate and, to his horror, he found himself getting hard.
“Piper, can you hurry the fuck up, please?” Len’s voice shook a little as he spoke, betraying his aroused state and making the brunette wince, his embarrassment evident by the flush that was spreading rapidly down his neck.
“Sorry, I’m having trouble finding it.” Hartley squeaked, his own cheeks stained red, unable to take his eyes off the twitching length standing proudly between Cold’s thighs. He knew full well that Len was hard because of what he was doing, not because he wanted to be, and felt no small amount of shame at the realisation that not only would he never be able to look the older man in the eye again, but that Len would probably avoid him from now on.
“What the fuck?! You’re meant to be the fucking expert in gay sex!” Len exploded, twisting his neck around so he could glare at the younger Rogue and realising immediately that it was a bad move when the sight of the redhead, long hair still messed up, cheeks flushed and lips parted in a way that just couldn’t be accidental, sent a shudder of unbidden desire through his body.
“This isn’t sex, Len, this is a medical procedure! And one I’ve never had the displeasure of having to perform before!” The musician protested indignantly, his tone surprisingly steady considering the situation he had found himself in. “This is pointless.” He huffed, deciding that there was no way he’d be able to do as Len had asked and pulling his finger slowly back out.
It was then that Hartley brushed something inside Len that made him see stars. Completely taken by surprise, the brunette let out a shout, shuddering as his hips snapped forward of their own accord and he pushed back onto the invading digit without even realising what he was doing.
“F-fuck...” The Captain groaned, torn between listening to the pleasure coursing through his veins by begging the redhead to repeat whatever it was he had just done, and screaming at Piper to get the hell out of him because what right did he have to make Cold feel so damned good? It wasn’t that the brunette was questioning his sexuality; he was straight, he knew he was straight, but Len was still able to appreciate the form of his own gender and that didn’t make him any less straight. Unfortunately, the thoughts he was currently entertaining about the young man standing behind him probably did mean he wasn’t quite as straight as he’d previously thought.
“I...found it.” Hartley blinked, surprised and more than a little turned on by the violent reaction he’d received from the other man. “It won’t take long now.” He reassured Cold, receiving nothing but laboured, panting breaths in response. Forcing himself to concentrate, the musician quickly felt over and around the walnut-sized bundle of nerves, swollen in arousal, drawing more deliciously erotic noises from the older Rogue’s mouth as a thin, constant dribble of precum formed a wet patch on the otherwise clean sheets from Len’s swollen, leaking cock.
With some serious effort Piper was able to extract himself from within Len, moving across the room to remove any residual temptation to touch the other man as he pulled the latex glove from his hand and tossed it unceremoniously into the bin. He ignored, or at least tried to ignore, the sounds of protest the handsome brunette made when his finger slid free, the way he gasped for air, and the slight tremble running through that strong body, making the Captain seem just that little bit vulnerable for the moment.
“The bathroom’s down the hall, there’s fresh towels in there if you need them.” Hartley croaked, mentally shaking himself, telling himself that he hadn’t done anything wrong, that it was just a procedure and he’d done everything by the book, though that didn’t mean he was able to look at Cold. Nor did it make the tent in his pants go away, flashes of the half-naked Rogue writhing beneath his touch spinning through his mind at speed.
Len was thankful for the chance to escape, gathering his jeans and boxers before retreating to the bathroom and locking himself in. Even in the tiny, locked room he felt open, exposed. Staring down at his aching erection, the brunette swore to himself, regretting coming to Piper with his problem; he’d probably scarred the poor kid for life now.
Switching the water on and turning it all the way down to cold, the Captain stripped of his remaining clothing and stepped under the spray, loving the way the icy water beat down on his skin, leaving it reddened from the pressure alone. The chill managed to succeed where his own willpower had failed, Len’s cock softening and shrinking, though the memory of it remained along with the unpleasant squelch of lubricant inside him every time the brunette moved.
“What the hell is wrong with me?” Cold groaned, leaning against the shower wall and running both hands down his face. Eventually the water became too chilly even for him, goosebumps breaking out all over the Captain’s body and minute shivers rippling through him. Turning the temperature up until the water was pleasantly warm, Len let out a pleasured sigh as it tumbled over his back and down his legs, simply enjoying the heat.
Len knew that he was going to have to clean back there, to remove every last trace of Piper’s presence, else he would be reminded of it with each step he took as the lubricant altered the sensation of movement, and even just the thought of it alone was enough to send a decent amount of blood rushing straight down to his cock.
The brunette had never held any interest in anal play, even with the women he’d been with; it seemed both dirty and pointless, and there were other places he would rather shove his dick, thank you very much. Now though, he couldn’t get the idea out of his head, and what made it worse was that the mental images he was suffering from revolved completely around Piper! Len had never held any real attraction to the much younger man before now; sure he was cute, really cute. ‘Stick a set of norks on ‘im an’ oid bloody do ‘im’ Digger had remarked once, whilst considerably drunk. The others had agreed, albeit jokingly, but the fact remained that Hartley was incredibly pretty for a boy, with his slender frame and long red hair.
Captain Cold was neither stupid nor closed-minded enough to panic about what he was feeling; he was lusting after the boy, nothing more and nothing less. It didn’t particularly bother him that Hartley was a man, and he didn’t really care what the other Rogues thought about it. What bothered him was that he was feeling this way about one of his own, another Rogue, and the youngest no less! Len was practically old enough to be the boy’s father, how could he even entertain such thoughts? The Piper would likely freak out if he ever caught wind of it, and they’d lose a valuable asset as well as a valued team member. No, Len couldn’t afford to ever allow Hartley to find out what he was thinking.
Knowing that he would not be able to get those images out of his head without some help, Len decided to kill two birds with one stone, spreading his legs and sliding his hands down his solid, toned body, leaning against the wall again for support as he took his mostly hard shaft in one hand and gave it a few good strokes. His other hand slipped behind to cup and tug at his balls, the brunette’s head falling back against the cool tiles as he allowed a quiet moan to slide from his lips.
Moving his hand backwards, Cold attempted to mimic Hartley’s motions from earlier, pressing his middle finger against his already lubricated and slightly stretched entrance, the tip sliding easily into the tight heat. It felt different from before, more uncomfortable and far less erotic, though the hand pumping his shaft more than made up for the loss. He wondered, somewhat distantly, whether the difference was due to his inexperience or if he simply found the idea of Hartley touching him that much of a turn on.
Switching his attention back to the task at hand, Len pushed in further, looking for that one spot Piper had found which made him see stars. Having had no experience whatsoever in his own internal workings, or anyone else’s for that matter, Cold had no idea what he was looking for. Pushing in a millimetre at a time, the brunette made circular sweeping motions with his finger, hoping that he would eventually get lucky and locate that elusive pleasure point.
Whether it was as a result of his aroused state or whether he was simply lucky Cold didn’t know, but he found his prostate reasonably quickly, jolts of electricity travelling through him at the touch. It was intense, thrilling, but the brunette struggled to keep up the stimulation with the way his hips kept moving of their own accord. When he came, it was sudden, sharp, and without any of the needy desire he’d felt earlier on when Piper had touched him. The evidence of his release coated his fingers for mere moments, before the torrent of water sent the sticky white fluid racing down the plug hole.
“You can’t have him, Lenny.” The brunette murmured to himself with a sigh, lifting one arm to cover his eyes. “He doesn’t want you...” It wasn’t that Len was particularly upset at the knowledge that he could never be with the younger man, he simply assumed it was simply frustration at not being able to even touch, when the other had been so very close.
Dragging himself away from his inner musings, Len finished washing himself, pleased that it no longer felt quite as strange whenever he moved. Once he was clean, the Captain switched off the water, stepping out of the shower to dry himself off before dressing quickly and checking his appearance in the small bathroom mirror. He didn’t look too bad, considering the internal conflict that was still raging within him, though that didn’t stop the man from secretly wishing he’d brought his visor in with him.
“So what’s the diagnosis, Doctor Piper?” Len had made his way back to the kitchen, finding Hartley sat nursing a large mug of coffee, a fresh pot and a clean mug sitting ready for the Captain. Not one to turn down hospitality, the brunette decided to help himself, consciously aware that Hartley was avoiding his gaze.
“I couldn’t find anything abnormal.” The redhead finally responded, voice barely above a whisper.
“Right, so I’m...clear?” Len asked, the air in the room seeming to grow heavier with each passing second. He was painfully aware of the large clock above the door and its incessant tick, tick, ticking, serving only to accentuate the long silences that spread between the two men.
“I don’t know. I hope so.” Hartley replied, dipping his head to hide his embarrassment. “Go and see that doctor. He won’t ask questions.” He indicated at the small slip of paper he’d left on the other side of the table, still not looking at the other man. The doctor he’d recommended had served him well, patching the musician up after heists gone wrong or particularly bad arguments with his boyfriend.
“Thanks, Piper.” Len downed the remainder of his coffee and scooped up the name and number, pocketing it and throwing the younger man one last glance before turning to leave. “Don’t forget tomorrow’s planning meeting, we need you there.” Cold knew that Hartley would in all likelihood avoid him for a while, but he also knew the redhead would never disobey a direct order from him, and the mission he had set out for the group relied heavily on the talented young musician.
“I’ll be there, don’t worry.” Piper finally looked up at the brunette, throwing him a winning smile. Len quashed the small spark of emotion that surfaced at that small, meaningless expression, nodding as he turned and left.
Len didn’t notice the eyes staring daggers at the back of his head as he climbed into his battered old car. Nor did he notice the tall, muscular, dark-haired man who watched him drive off with a sneer before making his way over to the apartment building and beginning the long climb up to the top floor. By the time the sound of splintering wood split the air, he was already four blocks away. When the screams started, Captain Cold was almost home.