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Ted walked into the room, trying his best to be discreet as he slipped through the open crack in the hotel door. He turned his head slowly, his careful demeanor extending into his behavior as he gently pushed the door shut-
A flash momentarily blinded him and suddenly the room was filled with stark white light.
Damnmit.
"Ted? Ted, what in the world are you doing coming in so late? I thought-" but the words died on Marco's tongue as he caught a shimmer of red glistening on Ted's face. The other man tried to turn his head, to look away, but it was futile. He was already seen.
"Ted!" Marco exclaimed. "What is this? What happened? Are you alright? Come here."
Ted remained where he stood as Marco rushed over.
"Let me look at you," Marco said, his voice soft as he reached out to turn Ted's cheek with his hand.
Ted heard the gasp. He was waiting for it. Marco's reaction was as scripted as he fantasized it would be. Yet he knew that his fantasies would always end very differently from what would be the reality.
"Oh my God, Ted. You look like you were punched in the face! Where have you been?"
Ted remained silent. He knew exactly where he had been, exactly what he had been doing, and Marco didn't need to hear it.
"Ted, answer me," Marco demanded, his hand dropping to his side as he stared into his lover's eyes. Ted saw a flicker of worry in Marco's gaze, the emotion coupled with a more subtle indicator of fear, and Ted swallowed hard, a pang of regret hitting him at being the reason for Marco's distress.
"The blood's just from a nosebleed; don't worry about it."
Marco took a step back. "You're lying to me Ted. I've been with you too long to know when I'm being lied to."
"It's nothing, honestly," Ted tried, but there was no use.
He looked at Marco, taking in his rumbled clothes and distressed state. His face was pale and lined with worry yet still Ted thought he was the most beautiful man he had ever seen.
He couldn't do this anymore. Conceal himself. It wasn't right; it wasn't fair to Marco.
He said a silent prayer to himself, thanking the Heavenly Father for the opportunity he was granted to spend at least some of his mortal years with the company of his political darling, his love, Marco Rubio. It was time to reveal the truth.
"I got into a scuffle. The other party punched me. Broke my nose. I defended myself."
"Where is he?"
"He?"
"Yes, He. The "other party." The man who punched you. Where is he?"
And this is why you never lie to a fellow lawyer, Ted thought with a sense of misplaced humor.
"I killed him. Disposed of the body in a foolproof way. There will be no trace of evidence to be found."
The silence in the room was near palpable, lasting longer than Ted had anticipated it would.
Well, he thought, this can end in one of two ways: he calls the cops, in which Ted would not resist; or he kicks him out, in which Ted would probably never seen the other ex-senator again.
Ted opened his mouth, not really sure what he was planning on saying. He wasn't sure if any excuse he came up with for his actions would be able to justify them in Marco's eyes.
His mouth stilled as a hand came to touch his face, a single finger jutting out to trail a slow decent down his skin. He felt the light pressure of the touch, of wet blood being dragged down in a vertical strip from the bottom of his nose to his chin with a shaky finger. He watched with crossed eyes as Marco stopped, tenderly lifting his finger and slowly bringing it to his own lips. He watched as Marco's lips slowly closed around the digit, watched the subtle change in his reaction as the metallic flavor settled on his taste buds.
Time seemed to stand still, everything around him was stagnant and Ted unconsciously held his breath.
Marco's hand fell down to his side as the two men just stood there; Ted felt his heart beating in his chest, afraid of what Marco would do next.
He heard the shuffle of feet as Marco moved closer and closer and Ted backed up without processing the motion until he was pinned against the wall behind him. He could feel Marco's hot breath caressing his exposed neck, warming his skin and making it tingle uncomfortably.
And then Marco spoke, his words barely above a whisper yet his voice seeped into every empty space and hidden crevice of the room.
"We can keep this between us, Ted. Our relationship is already built on secrets. Another one won't kill us."
And with that, Marco closed the gap between them, his arms coming up to embrace the other man as he pressed forward into a soft kiss.
It was sensuous and tender, and wicked and sinful and Ted realized that this moment transcended beyond even his wildest fantasies. Nothing could ever compare to this reality.