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“Your brother's not speaking to me.”
Charlie looked up from his grading. Most of this office was dark. Most of CalSci was dark and that had certainly helped Ian sneak in. Charlie looked at Ian lurking in the shadows for a moment then hunched back over his work. “I wouldn't worry about it. Don once went almost 15 years barely speaking to me.”
“I didn't make him take that shot at Hoyle. I don't know why he's freezing me out.”
“He's freezing everyone out. Like I said, don't worry about it. It's not your problem.” Charlie hadn't intended for that last comment to come out as sharp as it had but as much as he hated to admit it things had changed between himself and Ian as well.
Ian was quiet for a long time and Charlie didn't look up. He half expected Ian to just silently slip away back into the night.
“And how are you doing?” Ian suddenly asked.
Charlie shrugged and drew a large red F on a paper. “I'm fine. I lecture students, I find missing flight computers, yadda, yadda.”
“You go out with your girlfriend.”
Charlie finally looked up. Ian had stepped a little closer to the light. “What do you want me to say Ian? I could go out with my boyfriend.”
“I'm on the road for months at a time, Charlie.”
“I lock myself in my own garage for months at a time.”
Ian stocked back into the shadows. “I don't want to have this argument.”
“Again,” Charlie added. Ian growled a little. “Was there a particular reason you came here tonight or did you just want to bitch about my brother's lack of communication skills?”
Ian was quiet for a long time again. Charlie nearly went back to his grading. “I took a good shot tonight.”
“I heard. Head shot through two tinted windows.”
“Should move me up the rankings.”
“Congratulations.”
Ian just nodded a bit. “Do you love her?” He asked suddenly.
“Sure, she's everything a man could want.” Charlie didn't even believe himself as the words came out. Ian let a low chuckle roll across the dark. “She's here. She's willing to be seen in public with me.”
Ian prowled into the light and perched on the far edge of Charlie's desk. “I'm here now.”
“Good for you. Am I now supposed to strip off my clothes and grab my ankles for you?”
Ian shrugged. “It's a thought.”
Charlie tried to figure out which was growing faster, the lust or the irritation. “You are a piece of work aren't you? I made you an offer. A real honest offer and I completely meant it. I was willing to have you the few times a year I could get you and be faithful in between, and forget about all the standard things I was supposed to want and all you had to do was put aside the lone wolf nonsense and actual act like you give a shit about me once in a while but you couldn't. The great Ian Edgerton can't be chained down to one place well guess what Ian you missed out, the boat sailed, the train is a mile down the track, the...”
Ian leaned across the desk and pressed his lips to Charlie's. Charlie briefly wondered if this was how junkies felt when they fell off the wagon. A combination of self loathing and total bliss. He grabbed Ian's head and pulled him down scattering student papers across the floor.
Ian tried to take charge of the kiss but Charlie was having none of it. He got his finger's deep into Ian's hair then bit at his lips. Ian whimpered and began to tear at Charlie's shirt. Charlie pulled away long enough for them to both strip then threw himself back into Ian's arms.
This time the kiss slowed down into something soft, tender and half forgotten. “Damn you.” Ian whispered between the kisses.
“I was about to say the same thing.” Charlie whispered back.
“There's not going to be a next time is there?”
“I don't know. But you might want to make this time count.”