I turned my head slowly, not daring to believe it. But it was true. Dougie Poynter was leaning on the doorframe, a small smirk on his face as he looked in on us. He was in a smart suit with a matching hat- symbolising his rank- and looked very much at ease. My heart thumped at seeing him, but my head was reeling.

No way could Poynter be Poly1! There was no way! Poly1 didn’t get captured by Terrka! Unless it was purposeful… But…surely not! The mere thought made me feel physically sick.

He sauntered into the room slowly, “The second in command… This is a pleasant surprise…”

The Polydon beside me made a choking sound, and scrambled out of my grasp, “T-2?! But he’s meant to be…”

“…the most dangerous, yes,” Poynter finished. “That’s why it’s such a pleasant surprise. Leave us, Hall. We have things to discuss.”

That damn Polydon couldn’t get out of here fast enough, I noted with a sneer. It was amazing how simply knowing who I was had scared him so much. The door clicked closed behind him, and I was left with Poynter.

He moved towards me slowly, “It’s nice to see you again, Jones. Did you miss me?”

I didn’t say anything, just looked him right in the eye blankly. He slid a hand up my arm. “Aw… Danny… Look at you being all strong… Do you not like it now the tables have been turned?” he asked softly. “Do you not like the jerk in the balance of power?” He bit his lip gently, “Oh, no… I remember vividly now… You relish being in control… And it works.”

I still didn’t say anything. He wasn’t getting me to talk by speaking about us. His hand tailed up to my shoulder, but I shrugged him off.

“Ah-hah! Movement! So you’re not dead… What? Are you just going to stand there? That’s not very characteristic of you… You forget, Danny, that I know just how to get you to talk.” He had been walking his fingers up my chest seductively, but now he pulled his hand back. “Oh, and congratulations on getting Judd out of here.”

I tensed up, and he noticed. “Ooh. That got a rise… Is something the matter? You got what you wanted.”

“Harry could have died because of you!” I spat venomously before I could stop myself.

He gave me a lazy smile, leaning back against the wall. Once more, his arrogance was back in place, and definitely with even more power. “Really? Care to expand…?”

“You gave him too much sedative! His heart damn near stopped!”

If he was shocked by this piece of information, there was no sign of it. “I didn’t give him anything. I was still trying to bust out of that technical lockdown your geek has on your systems. I have to admit, you have a winner there.”

He pushed off the wall, moving towards where I stood with clenched fists. “Did you revive him, Danny?” he whispered, mock pity dripping from every word that passed his perfect lips. “Give him CPR, did you? Mouth-to-mouth? The kiss of life?” He smirked, “I bet he loved every second of it…”

“I used an injection.”

“That would work better,” he agreed.

“Fuck you.”

He spun behind me gracefully, his hand resting on my shoulder again as he whispered in my ear: “I dream of nothing else…”

I didn’t say anything, but my eyes flicked to the camera in the wall. He followed my gaze, “It’s visual only- and even that’s shoddy. Are we not communicating anymore, Danny? Are you sure that’s wise?” One of his fingers traced my spine where the camera couldn’t see it, “After all, we wouldn’t want you to be branded as a ‘stupid Northerner’…”

I didn’t say anything- just shot him a spiteful look. He giggled, and my knees almost buckled. Just that one sound practically brought everything out, but I forced it back down. To show weakness was to have weakness. He couldn’t see that he was having any effect on me.

“But you have such a sexy voice, Danny…” he purred breathily into my ear. “Won’t you let me hear it…? Every second you deprive me just makes me want you even more…”

I took a step forward, away from him, and turned back to face him. I was glaring at with the pure hatred I was feeling right now. A smirk quirked the corners of his lips, making him look so dangerously sexy in his suit and hat.

“Oh, come on, Dan! When you were taken by us, you didn’t start blabbing about being Terrka-Two, did you?” He cocked his head to the side, “T-93, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, but the sob story about how everyone hates you was a little much, wasn’t it?”

He jerked a shoulder, “Admittedly.”

“So, tell me this: Would you have screwed any interrogator that came along?”

His jaw dropped. His first break in composure, but I didn’t feel like celebrating right now. The adrenaline was pumping through my body, enlarged even further by the anger pulsing in my veins. “What?” he choked.

“You’re Poly1. It’s an insult to be taken hostage, isn’t it? You have to get out of there- by any means necessary…”

“Are you seriously implying-?”

“And then I’m your interrogator,” I continued bitterly. “That must’ve been another ‘pleasant surprise’… The one Terrka who’s renowned for not following the rules… Were you doing your happy dance, Poynter? To get me would’ve made it so much easier. I’m easier to seduce than other people would have been, and plus, you wouldn’t have to let some fat, lazy, ugly fucker screw you…”

“What the hell have you been smoking, Danny?! You’re fucking insane!” he snapped. “Are you calling me a slut?! I don’t use sex as a weapon!”

“Then why have I been hit by it?!” I hollered. “I can’t get you out of my head! It’s like I’m fixated on you! How many other men have you done this to?! Did you do it to Harry?!” I broke off, “Shit. Is that how he knows your name…?”

He looked disgusted, “Please…! I have no intention of letting that self-obsessed bastard near me…” He took a slow step forwards, “Do you really think I’d sink as low as to sleep with someone to benefit myself?”

“Do I have to ask…?” was my soft response.

“You bastard!” he exploded, flying at me so forcefully that I was shoved back a few steps. He beat his fists on my chest, like he was trying to drum it into me, “You using, lying, accusatory bastard! Do you think it meant nothing to me?! ‘Oh, I’m fucked anyway, so why don’t I shag the fit interrogator…. That’ll be fun…’”

He made it sound so idiotic. He shoved away from me, his eyes shining, “Well, screw you! It clearly meant more to me that it ever did to you!”

“What the hell’s that meant to mean?!” I demanded.

“I didn’t fucking seduce you so I could escape! I seduced you because I actually liked you, Danny… Or did that never cross your mind?” he said slowly. “Not for any other purpose. Cast your mind back. Did I ever, while we were together intimately, question you about Terrka? Did I take advantage of your vulnerability? No!”

He drilled a finger into my chest, fury flashing in his eyes, “But you did. You turned my emotions against me! I didn’t trust myself anymore! I had to get out of there before I let something crucial out! You made me fear myself, and all to get another man back in your arms!!”

“I never wanted to get back together with him.”

He gave a snort of contempt, “Whatever, Danny. No matter what, he was always on your mind! Nothing I did would drag you away from him! I tried everything!”

“How-? How did you-?”

He stared at me darkly, and his voice was even when he spoke: “But it was always about Harry, wasn’t it, Danny? You never gave a damn about me. I was just your replacement.”

I was momentarily stunned into silence. I’d had no idea he felt this strongly about anything. “I-”

He held up a hand to stop my pathetic excuse at speech, “I have a question, Danny…” His voice took on a calmer, softer quality, “When you were fucking me, were you thinking of him?”

I shook my head fiercely, “No. Never. I wouldn’t do that.”

“You were still in love with him,” he said flatly. His face wasn’t giving anything away now. In a matter of seconds, it had shot from showing every emotion I never thought Dougie Poynter could portray to being like a blank canvas. I shook my head.

“I don’t love him. I was concerned for him. He’s one of my best friends, for Christ’s sake!”

He laughed softly, “But both of you wish it was more, and you know it. Have you gotten back together with him, yet, Dan? We all know it’s inevitable…” I shook my head again. He sighed, “Give it time.”

“He doesn’t deserve time.”

He shook his head now- pity etched all over his gorgeous face. “Give it time,” he repeated. He moved over to the door and opened it. “Take him to his cell,” he ordered the Polydon on guard. “Sedate him if necessary. I don’t want to look at him right now.”

“You’re not just walking away from this!” I shouted, trying to move towards him. The guard grabbed hold of me, and I felt a sting in my upper arm.

“Not too much,” I heard Poynter snap. His voice echoed in my head. My vision blurred, and my knees weakened as I stumbled forward. I collapsed to the ground, and my eyes flickered closed.

*****

I jolted upright suddenly, gasping for breath. I felt hands trying to restrain me. “Ssh… Danny…” a soothing voice murmured. “It was just a dream… Calm down…”

Dream or not, it had frightened the life out of me. I couldn’t remember any of it now I was awake. It was like an old, forgotten memory, hidden in the back of your mind and cloaked in the past. It had terrified me, though. My heart was thumping in my chest, and my skin felt cold and clammy.

Through the darkness shrouding the room, I took in Dougie’s features. He was sitting on the edge of the surprisingly comfy bed, and was watching me carefully. He had taken off his hat, but the suit remained. His hands were still on my shoulders to stop me from sitting right up. “What the hell did you give me?” I asked groggily.

“It wore off after an hour,” he said with a shrug. “You’ve been out for eleven. Looks like you needed the rest…”

I propped myself up on my elbows, still surveying him as he retracted his hands, “Why are you being so friendly? Why can’t you hate me…?”

A low sigh tumbled from his lips, “I tried…”

“And?” I prompted.

“And I can’t do it…”

My lips curled slowly, “I thought you didn’t want to look at my face right now.”

He giggled softly, leaning over and putting a hand under my chin, “But it’s such a pretty face.”

“Pretty?!” I asked incredulously, making him giggle again. “That’s everyone’s dream, isn’t it? To be a pretty bloke…” I sat right up, “Why am I here, Doug?”

He looked uncomfortable, and leaned forward with his face in his hands, “I wish it wasn’t you. I just ordered that we needed a Terrka for interrogation.”

I shuffled over to him and put my arm round him comfortingly. He tried to move away, but I pulled him back and he leaned into me finally. “It’s just bad luck.”

“Do you think if we’d met under normal circumstances we would’ve had a chance?” he asked softly.

I considered, “Would we be us if we’d met under normal circumstances?” His weak giggle made me tighten my grip on him, and he leaned his head on my shoulder, looking up at me.

“Probably not…” he whispered. I dipped my head slightly and touched my lips gently to his. I meant for it to end at that, but he shifted, moving up and catching my lips again with his. It lingered for a long moment as we stared into each other’s eyes.

He angled his head slowly, his lips rubbing off mine, and kissed me harder. I opened my mouth slightly, and his tongue met mine immediately. As the kiss got deeper, I felt that warm feeling spread through me again. The one that only seemed to fill me completely when Dougie was around. I didn’t understand it. With Harry, sure, the kiss had been amazing, but there hadn’t been this state of warmth and mirth- not to this extent.

Dougie found his grip on my shoulders as his mouth moved fluidly over mine. Sure, we may seem like the worst couple since the dawn of time because of the barriers standing between us, but it was moments like this that made me wonder the exact same thing as him. If Terrka and Polydon weren’t in the way, could we be together?

As the kiss came to a natural end, and I opened my eyes, I found myself staring into the exact pair of eyes that had been imprinted on my mind. Dougie giggled, and brushed his lips over mine again, “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” I whispered, laying my head on his shoulder. And, right now, I wasn’t sure what to think of that fact…

I heard Dougie giggling again as my eyes drooped closed, “Hey! Don’t fall asleep on me…” He played with my hair absent-mindedly, making me smile. “You really have been burning the candle at both ends, haven’t you?”

“I’ll have plenty of time to sleep once I’m dead,” I muttered, stifling a yawn. “It’s all your fault. Your stuff may only have lasted an hour, but it gave my body the impression it was allowed to sleep.”

I could sense him grinning, “I’m sorry… You should probably catch another couple hours while you have nothing better to do. I have to go. Someone will be in to see you in the morning.”

“Not you?” I asked with a frown.

“Depends if anything comes up. I’m not chief interrogator.” He smiled at me, “Go back to sleep.”

I nodded obediently, falling onto my side and rolling onto my back on the mattress. I felt the covers being pulled up around me as sleep engulfed my brain, and I faintly heard Dougie whispering something as I let my body shut down.

*****

I looked up as the door slid open the next morning. I had woken an hour previously, and had just sat there, thinking. I studied the man standing just inside the door. He was tall, lean, and looked about my age. His hair was dark, and gelled to perfection, and there was a small amount of stubble on his chin.

His eyes were a dark hazel, and he had a cheeky face. Or it would have been a cheeky face had he not been glaring at me like I was a piece of shit he’d just scraped off his shoe. “You’re Terrka-Two?” he asked in disgust, his eyes raking over me. Cockney… I mused. Not expected after all the others hadn’t seemed to be from around here- not that I could talk.

“That’s what people seem to think,” I said easily. “I’m hardly going to correct them if they’re wrong, am I?”

He nodded. “You have a mouth on you.”

“So do you.” I raised an eyebrow at him, “You complaining? I thought your job was to get information out of people.”

“Yes, but we both know how hard it is to interrogate an interrogator.”

I smiled slowly, “Damn. And I thought I was being so cunning…” The smile vanished as my face hardened, “Why don’t you just cut the crap and tell me what you want to know? Then I’ll tell you if I want to speak or not.”

“How did you get into this base to rescue your little third in command?”

My smile was cold and deliberate this time as I leaned towards him, “Wrong question.”

*****

“And he hasn’t said a word since.”

Dougie sighed irritably, leaning on the table of the interrogation room I’d been dragged into, “Willis, you’ve had two days to get something out of him.”

“He’s smarter than he looks,” Willis defended, pointing a finger at me.

Dougie’s eyes were cold and calculating, a look I’d seen before in the showers, “Are you honestly telling me you’ve tried everything? Because if I find out you’ve been wasting my time, you will not go unpunished. Do I make myself clear?”

Willis nodded, “Yes, sir.” I didn’t judge him on his nerves. Dougie was very intimidating when in Poly1 mode.

Dougie turned to look at me, “Jones, when asked a question by an interrogator who- unlike yourself- is not above physical harm, would it not be wise to answer?”

I smirked slightly, and pulled up my sleeves, holding out my arms for his inspection. Marked decoratively up them were a collection of various coloured bruises I had obtained over my two days. Yes, Willis had become enraged a few times, but I wasn’t talking and- as Tom said- anyone who treated me like a glass doll deserved to be shot.

“You won’t tell us how you got in, so answer us this: Why is it that none of our security devices picked you up at all? None of you are on any cameras or bugs.” He leaned across the table towards me, “Rest assured, the higher ranks can tell a Terrka from a Polydon.”

“You’re not the only one who can hack,” I whispered in a low voice. Dougie’s hand shot across the table, and my head snapped to the side as my cheek burned red hot from the blow. I pulled my arms back, righting the sleeves.

“Buckingham,” Willis supplied. I gave him a sweet smile.

“How did you get in?” Poynter demanded. “We know about the explosive device, but that didn’t give you enough time. The guard on Judd’s cell door told us a doctor came with a Bolton accent, and you knocked him out.” He smiled lightly, “From the jumbled witness reports, you were very clever. But I think the explosive was a distraction to get you out of the building. How did you get in?!”

He was starting to get frustrated, I could see it. I just stared at him, enjoying the slight flush in his cheeks and the look of anger in his eyes. Definite loss of composure. He moved back slowly, “Fine then, Jones.” He reached into his jacket and produced a gun. I recognised it right away.

It was his turn to smirk now. “You know who’s this is, don’t you? And I’m willing to bet that Terrka-One will recognise it as yours as well. Shall I send it to him? Let him know we have you? And then we’ll know exactly how you got in as Terrka come rushing to your rescue. And we’ll be ready to take you all down- starting with Judd.”

That was a personal jab. I tried to stand up, but Willis shoved me back down into my chair. “You wouldn’t dare!” I hissed.

Dougie looked amused, “Oh, and what would make you think that?”

“You have no idea how many of us could come swarming into your precious base. Our entrance could be huge! You won’t risk that… You can’t afford to risk that….”

He sneered at me, “Are you willing to risk that, Jones?”

“Shoot me in the foot if I’m wrong.”

*****

“Shower,” Poynter announced stiffly, striding into my cell the next day. He had walked out of in the interrogation after my final comment without a backwards glance, and I hadn’t seen a Polydon since Willis had banished me back to my cell. A tray of food had arrived as I slept, but that was it.

Poynter pulled his gun on me, and I raised my eyebrow at him in response. “We don’t have a high-tech electrical bracelet here,” he said in a low voice. “You’re going to stand up, and you’re going to move, but if you try to escape, I’ll put a bullet in you.”

I stood up slowly, and moved towards him as he opened the door again. I wasn’t going to be civil to him if he was threatening to shoot me. I couldn’t get a hold on Poynter right now. It was like whenever I pegged him down to a certain mood with me, it changed.

I walked out the door, and he was right behind me, gun to my back. “Turn left,” he said slowly into my ear. I did as commanded. We moved down the corridor, and he put a hand on my shoulder to stop me in front of what looked like a private lift.

Keeping the gun on me, he slid a key into the lock, and the doors opened smoothly. “Get in,” he told me. Once I had, he inserted the key into another lock, pressed a button, and the doors closed before we started up.

I knew he was still pointing the gun at me as I stared intently at the wall of the lift. I wasn’t going to run anywhere now, though, was I?

There was a sudden bang, and the lift shuddered to a halt. I whirled round in shock, to see Poynter standing- staring straight at me- with his hand on the emergency stop button.

“What the hell d’you think you’re doing?” I demanded.

He bit his lip softly, clicking on the safety and throwing his gun to the side, “Don’t be angry, Danny…. You know how I feel about you when you’re angry…”

In seconds he was on me, his body pressed against mine, our tongues fighting a ferocious battle. I knocked his hat off his head, wanting to feel his hair under my fingers. “Screw foreplay,” he murmured against my lips. “I can’t wait any longer. Just fuck me now.”

His hands found my belt buckle, and his nimble fingers went to work on it, “I will beg if I have to, Danny. I need you inside me.”

I kissed him again, sliding my hands down his body eagerly. I undid his belt with ease and pushed his trousers down. Feeling this, he broke away. “What the hell is with this thing?” he muttered, still fiddling with my belt.

I laughed, feeling better than I had in days, “Having a little trouble there?”

“Just give me a moment,” he muttered, bending down slightly to get a better look. He pulled it tightly, and yanked, “Ah-hah!”

I was still laughing as he kicked his trousers to the side, having removed his shoes. He pouted at me childishly, “I swear, that’s the first time that’s ever happened to me.”

I stepped out of my shoes, and then my own trousers, before moving forward and putting my hands on his shoulders, “And you dealt with it so admirably…”

He leaned up and brushed his lips over mine so lightly that it tickled, “Shut up and screw me.”

Dragging him against me, I spun sharply so his back was pressed up against the wall. Staring into his eyes, I reached down, but he shook his head: “Just do it.” Then he boosted himself up on the wall of the lift and impaled himself on me.

Stifling a gasp of pain, his face contorted slightly as I filled him, but nevertheless his legs locked around my waist tightly. I kissed his lips softly, brushing his hair out of his face as I began to move in and out of him.

“Hurry,” he groaned. I sped up my actions, thrusting into him as hard as I could, hitting the correct spot every time like a well practised routine. His groans of pain became sensuous moans of pleasure as he began to buck his hips to meet me. Our lips collided once more in a messy kiss.

“You…are…the best…I’ve ever had,” he panted heavily, his eyes starting to mist over.

I couldn’t help the smile that came to my face. “Dougie, I’m gonna-” His inner muscles clamped around me, and I ejaculated deep inside him at the exact same time that he came over both of us.

He giggled weakly, “We’re gonna need that shower…” I pulled out of him, but he stayed where he was, savouring the moment. This was all very well, except for the fact he was still gripping onto my arms, and now the pain was starting to register.

“Doug, can you let go?” I asked in a strained voice.

“Oh, my God, I’m sorry!” he exclaimed, dropping to the floor. He undid the buttons of my soaked shirt, and pushed it off my shoulders. His eyes took in the full extent of the bruising that covered my torso and arms. “Danny…” he whispered.

“It’s fine,” I told him.

“No, it fucking well isn’t!” he snapped. He leaned in and touched his lips to my shoulder, where one bruise lay. Then he kissed another with the same care. “No-one should be allowed to hurt you like this… He’s not allowed to mar your perfect body…”

I couldn’t believe what he’d just said, “My ‘perfect’ body?”

“Uh-huh…” he murmured contentedly, dragging his tongue lightly along my collarbone, tracing it. “All the scars, they personalise it…” He touched his hand to the jagged scar under my right nipple. “They tell stories… This was before Terrka.”

“Street fight,” I explained. “Stabbed. I took his corner, apparently. He was new on the block- couldn’t tell the dangerous from the docile. He never bugged me again.”

He looked up into my eyes, “Most of us have to fake toughness… You had to develop it to live. It’s natural with you.”

“It barely helps.”

“I beg to differ.” He smiled at me, shrugging out of his own shirt now and throwing it to the side along with his tie, “Why d’you think people fear you? It’s because you have this aura of ‘I’ve seen worse than this’.”

I turned, and sank down the wall of the lift, dragging him with me so he ended up in my lap. “I’ve never seen worse than this,” I admitted, as he rested his head comfortably in the crook of my shoulder.

“Worse than what?”

“Us.” Hearing him giggle made my lips curl slightly, “I’m torn between whether to hit you or shag you half the time. You have moments where you seem like the ideal lover- sweet, and caring, and then you fucking turn on me! I don’t know what to think!”

“That goes for me as well,” he said with a laugh. “What is it about us, Danny? We’re always either at each other’s throats or at each other’s mouths.”

“That’s an apt way of putting it,” I remarked. He shrugged. “Why don’t we make a deal? No matter what happens in the company of other Polydon or Terrka, when it’s just us, we’re ourselves. And, if you ever slap me again, I’m hitting back.”

He laughed. “Ourselves? Do we know who that is?” he asked tauntingly. “Would we recognise each other?”

“There’s one way to find out… We’d muddle our way through it- like we do everything else…” I leaned back against the wall of the lift, “Man… I’d never have believed it… T-2 and Poly1? We’re bad for each other…”

He slid a hand smoothly over my chest, “But it feels so good… We’ll set an example, Danny. This proves that neither group is evil. Everyone will know what happened between us.”

“I’m assuming this is set sometime in the future?”

“Naturally,” he affirmed. “But signs will be made as precaution. They shall adorn the cell doors, and warn of the dangers inside. ‘Caution: Hostage’.”

I couldn’t help but laugh with him as he dissolved into a fit of giggles. “Aw…” I murmured, pulling him closer to me and putting my arms round him. “You’re just a little freak at heart, aren’t you…?”

He shot me a crafty grin, “It makes it so much more fun. Don’t you think…?”

“Definitely.” I inclined my head and touched my lips to his. He moved up so the kiss was firmer than I’d intended, his eyes boring into mine. He kept doing this to me… He moved back in again, inspiring an even deeper kiss. Neither of us made any move to turn it into something more, but we just sat there, kissing each other, our lips melding together so perfectly it felt like heaven.

“Harry could never compare to you…” I whispered as we broke away.

There was a long pause, where Dougie looked like he was contemplating whether to kiss me again or throw up. He studied me carefully, “Are you serious?”

I nodded, “Perfectly. With him, it was never this easy to loose myself. I could never just forget the outside and focus solely on him. Probably a good thing, since he cheated on me in the end.”

His eyebrows winged up in surprise, “He cheated on you? Why? It can’t be because the sex was crap…” He massaged my shoulders gently as he mused this.

“He never said.”

“That means he didn’t have a reason.” He leaned into me again with a sigh. “Doesn’t it feel weird to live properly again after being on the street?”

I blinked at the change of topic. But I got that he was sick of talking about Harry when it was clearly depressing both of us. “It was weird when Tom first asked me to move in with him,” I said slowly. “I didn’t know him. He was just this smuck that took pity on me. It felt like I was there illegally. It felt…wrong, like I shouldn’t be there.”

“Did you consider a steal and run?”

I rolled my eyes, “Of course I did! But then I couldn’t. There was no point when all I had been fighting to get back was right there. Tom wasn’t trying to change me, why shouldn’t I stick around and get all I could off him?”

He smiled, tracing my scar with his finger again, “Y’know, we’re not so different…”

“How come? Did you get a corner of London after running away from home?” I asked dryly. “‘Cause that would explain the accent…”

He shook his head, “No. Not as exciting as yours. My family moved here after my dad got a big promotion. He claimed it would be a ‘fresh chance’ for us. A ‘new life’ away from all our troubles in Essex. Just me, him, and mum- a ‘clean slate’.”

He shook his head slowly, letting out a snort of disgust, “It was worse here. He started to scream at us- beat us. It was worse when he drank more, which he did. So I learned to fight back. I protected my mum from him. I considered it my duty. In the end, I begged her to go back to Essex, leaving me with him. I didn’t give her a choice.” He shuddered, and a tightened my grip around him to remind him he wasn’t there anymore.

“I was thirteen, Dan,” he said hoarsely. “I didn’t know what to do… So one night I just ran. I didn’t know where I was going- fuck if I cared- but I just wanted…needed to get away from him. After a while, my legs just… gave out on me and I collapsed. Rashman found me, unconscious, in the street outside the base.”

“He took you in.”

He nodded, “He helped me escape, like I had helped my mother escape only a year before.”

“And he made you his heir.”

He giggled, the sound lightening my heart after he had sounded so bleak, “Yeah. That caused a stir. People complained that they’d been there longer, been more loyal, but he insisted. Claimed he saw something in me.”

“I see something in you boy. You’d make a fine Polydon if you ever got sick of Fletcher. Worthy of my own heir.”

Dougie noticed that I’d stiffened as the flashback hit me, as Rashman’s voice sounded in my head so clearly it was like he was in the room. “What is it?”

“Dougie… I killed him.”

His eyes widened, “What?”

“There were four of us, and four of you. Three Polydon were holding guns to Tom, Harry and Steve’s heads, and I was holding mine to Rashman’s. I knew if I shot him, the Polydon would be shocked enough to give the others a chance to get out.”

I broke off, took a shaking breath, “It was his life or theirs. The Polydon were freaking out. They were seconds off pulling the trigger on one or all of them. It would be like a chain reaction. If one fell, they all would. At nineteen, and even now, it’s a no-brainer.”

“Danny…” Dougie whispered, but I shoved him gently off my lap. Just having his warm skin in contact with mine made me feel terrible.

“I liked him, Dougie. I liked him, and he liked me. He was always trying to talk me over. If there had been any other way, I would’ve taken it.” I shook my head fiercely as he reached for me, “He knew what I was going to do. And just as I was about to pull the trigger, I heard him whisper to me. Over those damn Polydon squawking, I heard him.”

“What did he say to you, Danny?”

“‘I knew you should have joined us…’ and then ‘Treat him kind.’” I made no move to stop the tears that were streaming down my face at the recollection. Dougie’s hand flew to his mouth in shock.

“Me? He-”

I nodded slowly, “That’s all he said. He didn’t blame me for it. He understood completely, and continued to insist I’d be welcome here. And that made it so much harder to pull the trigger on him.” I pulled my knees up to my chest and hid my face in them. My whole body began to convulse with the sobs I was now trying to retain.

I never thought of that day, because this was the state it got me in. It had taken Tom four days to get me functioning again afterwards. To kill at nineteen was horrible, but to kill a good man…

I felt a hand on my arm, but I jerked it off. “Don’t shut me out, Danny,” Dougie begged. “It won’t do you any good to shut me out now.” He moved my knees down slowly, coaxing me back out. He peeled my hands away from my face and whispered: “‘Treat him kind.’”

“Dougie, I-”

He shushed me softly. “I don’t blame you for doing it. You did what you had to do. Three lives or one, Danny. I would’ve done the same. Come on, just let it out…”

He put an arm round me and pulled me into his body comfortingly. I was still crying silently, but into his chest now. He made soothing noises above me, running his hands through my hair. “Have you been sleeping properly?” he asked. I frowned, shaking my head slightly. “I thought so… You’re normally so guarded… But it’s been like sharer’s corner in here…”

“Do you regret telling me anything?” I asked.

He put a hand under my chin and moved my face up so I was staring into his eyes again. A small smile quirked his lips, “Not a word.”

I moved up so my mouth closed over his gently. His tongue flicked out his lips and over mine lazily, as if he were savouring me. Our lips moved fluidly, taking our time about it.

“We should head to the showers,” I whispered once we’d broken away. “People will be wondering what’s happened.”

He made a sound of agreement. “You can use my shower. We walk into the shower block dressed in skin, people may start talking. And I am not putting that shirt back on.”

I laughed at the look on his face. “That’s fine by me. How d’you restart this thing?”

“I have the key…somewhere.” He clambered off my lap, stood up, and began to search through the clothes. As he bent to get something out of his jacket pocket, I was given a delectable view of his rear end. “Got it!” he crowed. I seized him round the waist and pulled him back so my lips connected with the soft skin of his bum.

He giggled, “Behave yourself.” He leaned over me to insert the key into the emergency stop button. As he turned it, the button popped back out, and the lift rumbled into life again. I gathered up all the clothes- not looking at who’s was who’s- and carried them out the lift with me when the doors opened.

“Just put them in there,” he told me, pointing to a hamper. I did as commanded, and looked around, “Wow. I should’ve agreed to be Terrka-One-Equal. You two have much nicer offices than I do. And you have your own private shower!”

He grinned, “But your office is cute and personal. Could be a little tidier…but then it wouldn’t be you.”

I frowned, “When have you been in my off-?” My eyes widened as I realised, “You broke in before you left! That’s why my door’s not working! That was you!”

“Of course it was me,” he exclaimed, rolling his eyes. “I wanted to see your office. And, if there was anything worth nicking in said office.”

“Was there?” I asked in interest.

“There would have been,” he admitted with a shrug. “But I couldn’t see it under all the crap, and I didn’t have enough time to hack your computer. I took a suit from your cabinet, though. That helped me get out.” He grinned, “You didn’t even know it was missing, did you?”

I blushed, “It’s a spare suit… I don’t need it, I don’t look for it.” I reached out, touched a hand to the delicate-looking golden chain that always hung around his neck- with a pretty Celtic D on the end. “Do you ever take this off?” I murmured.

He shook his head, his fingers moving to cover mine. “No. My mum gave it to me…”

“Oh.” Because he looked like he needed it, I leaned forward and touched my lips to his. What was it about this base and seemed to fill us with this incontrollable need to share with each other? “Shower?” I asked.

He pointed round the corner, “First door you come to. No rush.”

*****

I braced my hands either side of the shower nozzle, letting the water run down my hair and face.

Why was I letting myself get back into this thing with Dougie? It wasn’t going to end well, and one of us was probably going to get hurt. I knew I was a cynic for thinking it, but we really were breaking the primary rule of being Terrka or Polydon. Don’t fraternise with the enemy. And I’m pretty sure sleeping with him counts…

There was just something so open about Dougie. You didn’t feel like you had to hide anything from him, and he seemed to be fully open with me- especially now I knew about his Polydon status.

I mean, I couldn’t deny we got along. There wasn’t a moment around him that I didn’t feel secure in myself, and we had a lot in common when you thought about it.

But was anything ever going to happen outside of our bases? Was it just going to be continual hostage-taking so we could screw? It felt like more than that to me, but it couldn’t be, and we both knew it. It was like a strange sort of…

Stockholm Syndrome.

When a captor fell in love with his hostage.

Was that what this was? Sure, that wore off after a while, but could it develop into something more? Was I in love with Dougie?

Maybe not entirely yet, but there was something there I didn’t want to give up. I couldn’t get him out of my head, and it was weird to think that we had barely known each other for four months, maybe even less than three. It felt like much longer than that…

If you gave up on a relationship before it began, that same relationship was doomed to failure. I understood complications- fuck, I could work with complications- but this didn’t appear to have any besides the gangs.

It was all running so smoothly- so perfectly.

Something had to happen.

*****

As I stepped back into Dougie’s office with just a towel around my waist, I saw that Dougie had dressed again, and was sitting behind his computer. He grinned at me, trailing his tongue along his lower lip sexily. “Now that is a sight I’d like to see in my office more often…”

He jerked his head towards the wall, where a large sofa sat. For all of the scabby outside, Polydon had a nice interior. This office was gorgeous… Rashman’s original layout, I could tell, but Dougie had made it his own. “I got you some clothes.”

“Thanks, Dougs.” I made my way over to the sofa, and began to dress. He let out a whistle as I dropped the towel, making me laugh. I couldn’t resist giving him a little shake before pulling on the clean boxers. Next were the stone grey combat trousers, which I did up easily. A loose black t-shirt completed the look, and a pair of black socks that I put on with my own smart trainers I had been wearing before.

“We got the sizes pretty much right,” Dougie remarked. I turned to look at him. My whole body felt so much lighter now it was clean and in fresh clothes.

“Yeah. Perfect.” I moved over to his desk, “Thanks.” I took a seat in one of the chairs facing him, “What do you want me to tell you, Dougie? What did you want a random Terrka to tell you?”

He sighed, looking uncomfortable, “You’re not on our cameras, Dan. We have no idea how you got into this building.”

“And we have no idea how you got out of ours,” I responded. “In fact, the only reason we’re certain you didn’t just teleport out of a secured room and here is because we have you on camera until you disengaged them.”

“Which we don’t even have,” he snapped.

“You have witnesses,” I said coolly. “Tapes can be doctored, but witnesses can’t. There’s a guard who placed my accent at the cell. If you showed me to him, the nurse, Snake Face, they’d all confirm I was there.”

Dougie frowned, “Who the hell’s ‘Snake Face’?”

“We didn’t exchange ranks.” I leaned forward in my chair, “What would you have done if you’d taken someone that wasn’t on that mission? There weren’t very many.”

“Then we would have kept taking until we found someone who was,” he said hotly. “So you were here?”

“Dougie, the fact that Harry vanished when he was so heavily sedated he could barely walk implies at least one of us was here.”

“And of course it was you.” He studied me over his desk, “Damn it, Danny! How did you get in?!”

“That would take out the element of surprise,” I said with a wink.

“You’re infuriating.”

My lips curled slowly, “I try… How did you get out of our base?”

He lobbed a pen across the desk at me, “Oi! Who’s interrogating who here?”

“Sorry. Habit.” The pen hit my arm and bounced off. I bent to retrieve it from where it had rolled under the table. When I straightened up, Dougie was staring at me with a funny look on his face, “What?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly, a blush creeping into his cheeks. “I was just- You-”

I frowned as I leaned forward to put the pen back on the desk in front of him. He was staring at me again. “Seriously. Is there something on my face or what?”

He moved towards me so his face was right in front of mine, and brought up a hand to cup my cheek. “You look perfect,” he whispered, touching his lips to mine gently. The pressure built, and I rose out of my seat. He did the same on the other side. “This is in the way…” he murmured against my mouth, leaning on the desk. I grinned.

In one swift motion, he parted the objects on his desk and hopped up onto it, sliding along the surface and slotting perfectly into the small gap between my body and the desk. “This is better,” I agreed, before claiming his mouth with mine again.

He pulled my top over my head, and I pulled his shirt out of his trousers and slid my hands up over his toned stomach. He boosted himself back up onto the desk and lay back, pulling me with him so I was on top of him. I pulled his tie off swiftly, and threw it to the side. Our lips were a mash; passionate lust throbbed through us.

The phone rang.

Dougie broke away from me with a groan, and slapped his phone deck angrily before picking up the receiver. I waited until he had it next to his ear before pressing the flashing button for line one. “This better be the most important piece of information you’ve ever had to depart,” he snapped.

I laughed softly, and lowered my mouth to his neck, pressing my lips to it. As he shifted automatically to give me better access, I went in properly. I felt his pulse pick up as I nipped the skin above it with my teeth.

“Well, have you tried everything?” he asked in exasperation. He breathed out heavily as I sucked on his neck gently, and his body arched up into mine. “Yes, I’m fine,” he spat into the mouthpiece. “You’re just interrupting something very important.”

I looked up with a grin, and pecked him on the nose. He smiled up at me, before sighing, “Okay… I’m on my way.” He made an irritable noise, “I’ll be there when I’m there, McDaid.”

I took the phone out of his hand and put it back, “Does this mean we don’t get to have sex on your desk? I’ve always wanted to do that…”

He reached up a hand and touched it to my nose, “When you wrinkle this, you look so unbelievably adorable… I can’t believe I have to shut you up again…”

I shoved his hair back, “I’ll cope.” I kissed his lips again softly, and climbed off, finding my t-shirt and pulling it back on. He slid off the desk, and tucked his shirt back into his trousers.

“Where’s my tie?” he asked. I attempted to throw it to him, laughing as it fluttered down and landed on his shoe. He scooped it up and walked over to the mirror in his wall. He stared into it, “God, Dan. I just ooze ‘I-was-about-to-fuck-a-man-in-my-office’.”

“It’s not obvious it was a bloke.”

He laughed, “Yeah. But it’s obvious I was the bitch. My hair’s a mess, and my lips are swollen! These are not the marks of a dominative man.”

“And yet you still look gorgeous… How do you do it, Dougie?” I marvelled. He shot me a sideways glance, and pulled a brush through his hair. He grabbed his hat and gun, and nudged me towards the lift, “Come on.”

*****

“It’s not a bad room…” Dougie muttered to himself as we stepped back into it.

I laughed, “It’s fine. Seriously, stop fretting. I’ve lived in worse.” I smiled at him, “Shouldn’t you be going?”

He pouted pathetically, “I don’t want to.”

“You have to,” I told him gently, like you would say to a stroppy teenager. Well, I suppose he still was… I put a hand on his shoulder and steered him towards the door. “You have to show the Polydon who’s boss. They’re never going to respect you if you aren’t in control of the gang.” I shook my head slightly, “I can’t believe I’m giving Poly1 tips.”

Dougie giggled. He turned sharply so his body was pressed up against mine. “If this is our last chance…” he whispered. His hands snaked up my chest and around my neck as his lips found mine. I pulled him into me lightly, my tongue starting a gentle caress over his.

I couldn’t believe how close we’d gotten again in a matter of a few hours. It felt like we were a real couple. We could be if we didn’t have Terrka and Polydon hanging over us, and the small prospect of us never seeing each other again.

He broke away with a soft smile, “I have to go. He pecked me on the lips one last time, and walked over to the door. And then he was gone.”

*****

“How did you get into this base?!” Willis demanded two days later, slamming his fist straight into my stomach, aggravating the mass of bruises that were already there. I doubled over- effectively winded- but still didn’t speak.

I wouldn’t even if I had the breath to do so. Willis was an example of everything I had strived not to be as an interrogator. I lost my temper occasionally, but I had vowed never to physically harm a hostage unless it was self-defence.

“Fine,” he hissed. “If you’re not going to talk, you can go back to your cell and stay there. You can live without food, right?”

Save me… He actually thought that was going to scare me… I straightened up slowly, and smiled at him in a patronising way. He let out a roar and grabbed me by the neck, pulling me down the corridor to my room- which was within another room. As soon as the doors opened, he shoved me inside roughly. I fell heavily on my knees, the rest of my body bent over. I heard the door close, and I looked up with a frown.

What had been that noise as I had hit the ground? It had been like a hollow echo. I looked down at the wooden floor of the room thoughtfully.

Executing a neat backwards roll, I took a critical look at the area where I had fallen. I knew there were no cameras in this room. One, I had checked. And two, Dougie had kissed me in here, so there couldn’t be.

I hadn’t seen Dougie since he had returned me to my room. Probably a good thing, because right now I had a bold black eye and a split lip thanks to Willis.

I ran my fingers over the wood in front of me, searching for imperfections in the smooth, varnished texture. All the floorboards seemed to be gelled together…

Oh, hang on! There was a ridge in the floor, and I traced it with my finger until I came to a corner. Following this ridge, I traced a large rectangle in the floor. Was there something under here?

My nails had grown a little since I’d been here, and I used this fact to my advantage now to attempt to pry up the rectangle. I pulled, but it wouldn’t give. After about ten minutes, I gave my aching fingers a rest.

If there was something under here, it was logical that it wouldn’t be terribly hard to access… There had to be an easier way. I considered this for a moment. Now I knew it was there, I could see the darker cracks where the rectangle was quite clearly in the floor, but it was perfectly well hidden. If I hadn’t have heard the sound, I wouldn’t have guessed.

Leaning forward, I ran my hands over the centre of the rectangle hopefully, but nothing popped out at me. I punched it in frustration, and something did.

Half of the rectangle swung out, while the half that I had hit slid out of sight. I stared at it in shock, and glanced down at my fist, which was hanging in the space where the side had been. It was about ten centimetres below my clenched fist. I leaned forward and pushed the air-born side testingly.

It shifted, and the other side came back up to meet me as it began to sink back down, but I caught it and pulled it back up. I moved round the other side and grabbed hold of the side in the air, pulling it towards me.

It shifted, and- with renewed hope- I pulled harder. The rectangle slid right up and out of the floor. It was a trap door! Pushing it to the side, I looked inside the hole.

It was filled with tins. Tonnes and tonnes of tins. What the hell was this? I stretched down and took one out. It was rice pudding. I took out another- this one Macaroni. Both of them had ring pulls. What was this supply of food for? It was like a bomb shelter, I realised, sighting blankets and torches further in. Was this their preparation in case we attacked them? Was one of these in every room on the bottom floor?

Whatever their cause, I mused. I could use this to my advantage…

*****

If I never said anything else remotely positive about Willis in my life, I had to admit he knew how to hold up to a threat, I decided. I had no idea how long it had been, but I hadn’t seen a Polydon in at least two days, and- if it weren’t for the convenient cans of food in the floor- I would’ve been seriously reminded of my street days.

I was drinking the last bits of juice from a can of chopped tomatoes when I heard movement through the door. Mimicking a move I’d practised extensively while in solitary confinement, I slithered down into the gap I’d created in the tins and quickly pulled the rectangle over me.

I put my empty can to the side and grabbed a torch, switching it on so I could see while I listened for movement through the thin wood above.

“Hey, Terrka, you ready to talk yet?” a voice I didn’t recognise called. There was silence, and a gasp, and then he swore loudly. I heard pounding footsteps, and I threw the cover off the hole with ease- another practised move- and rolled the torch along the floor.

It came to a halt in front of the closing door, and it slid back open automatically as it set off the motion detectors, as I’d suspected. I pulled myself up out of the hole and ran for the door.

I checked there were no Polydon around before moving into the adjoining room and pulling open the manual door into the corridor. I found myself staring straight at Dougie, who was leaning against the wall casually.

“And where d’you think you’re going?” he enquired.

“I’m getting out of here,” I told him honestly. “I don’t see the point in sticking around if your interrogator’s not even taking the time to beat me up anymore. In fact, he’s trying the different approach of ignoring me and starving me…”

Dougie smiled slightly, “You found the shelter, though, didn’t you? You had food?”

I nodded in confirmation, “I found it.”

“I’d hoped you wouldn’t,” he murmured. “I don’t want you to starve, but it has gotten us into this rather complex situation…” He ran a critical eye over me, and giggled before he could stop himself.

“What?”

“It’s all curly,” he marvelled, reaching up and threading his fingers in my hair. “I had no idea…”

“Well, there was nothing I could do since I wasn’t provided with complimentary straighteners,” I responded. He giggled again.

“You know I can’t let you go, Danny…” he whispered, his hands falling away. I rested mine on his hips, holding him close.

“I know. But you know I’m going to keep trying until I succeed. You can’t hold me here forever.”

“I just wish-” he began. There was movement around the corridor and- thinking fast- I grabbed his gun out of its holster by his side and spun him sharply so I was holding it at his head.

It was my gun, I realised as the Polydon came into view. Why was Dougie carrying around my gun? The Polydon gasped as they saw us.

“Sir, are you alright?” one of them called stupidly. Dougie would’ve rolled his eyes if I didn’t have him by the neck with a gun pointed at his temple.

“If you come any closer,” I hissed. “I’ll shoot him. Don’t think I won’t.”

“If any of you move so much as one muscle,” Dougie managed. “The rest of you are under strict orders to kill the offender. Do not move!”

“Where’s the exit?” I demanded. No-one answered, so I cocked the gun against Dougie’s head. “Where’s the exit?!”

“There’s a lift at the end of the corridor,” one of them blurted out, pointing behind me. “Take it up to floor six and you’re out. You need a key, though.”

“Do you have a key?” I asked Dougie. He nodded weakly. “Good.” I began to back up down the corridor, dragging him with me. I didn’t want to take my eyes off the Polydon. We reached the end. “Is this it?” I asked Dougie. He nodded again. “Open it.”

He pulled a key out of his pocket and turned it in the miniscule lock. The doors opened with a cheerful ping that seemed out of place in the current time. I shoved him in ahead of me and hit the button reading six. The lift doors closed.

“Holding the boss hostage,” he mused. “You really are desperate, aren’t you?”

I kept the gun trained on him, “I’m sorry, Dougie. I have to do this. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He took a step forward, reached up and clicked the safety onto my gun right in front of my eyes, before batting it to the side carelessly. “I would’ve done the same thing…”

Then his lips were on mine again, biting and sucking, his tongue battling with my own. His hands roamed my body. “Do I have to tell you how hot you were back there…?”

“Nothing I do can deter you, can I?” I asked in between short, heated kisses. “I call you a bitch, you get turned on. I hold a gun to your head, you get turned on. You are so teenage!”

He giggled, “That’s because you turn me on no matter what you do…” He leaned in to whisper in my ear: “I’m under your curse, Danny…” We kissed again passionately, and the lift doors pinged open. Dougie broke away, and stared into my eyes. “Danny…” he whispered breathlessly. “How is this possible…?”

I kicked the discarded gun back so the doors wouldn’t close, and reached up to take the hat off his head. He giggled as I put it on, but the laughter died away as I traced his cheekbone with my thumb. “What is it?” I asked softly.

“Danny, I think I’ve…” He stopped, and took a deep breath. “I…” I’d never seen him so nervous. I smiled at him comfortingly, squeezing his hands. “I’m in…”

“In what?” I prompted.

He shook his head, smiling at me, “Never mind. It’s not important. You should go… You owe me one, Dan.”

I moved in to kiss him one more time, “Just tell me when you want the debt repaid…”

He hugged me tightly, “How long’s it going to be this time? Hoe long before I see you again? Will I see you again?”

“Well…” I said, inclining my head thoughtfully. “What’s Polydon’s response going to be to Terrka-Two holding Polydon1 at gunpoint?” I brushed my lips over his once more, “Bye, Dougs. Don’t wait for me.” I put his hat back on his head with a wink, and left the lift, bending to scoop up my gun in the process. I stepped out into the interior of a run-down building.

“Danny?” Dougie called. I turned to see him leaning out of the lift. “You wouldn’t’ve shot me,” he said.

I grinned, “Oh? And why not?”

“Look inside the gun,” he suggested with a light giggle, before stepping back. The lift sunk down and out of sight. I ejected the cartridge from my gun with a frown.

It was empty. I literally couldn’t have shot him, even if I’d really wanted to, and he’d known it the entire time.

He’s let me get away.

I snapped the cartridge back into place, and tucked my gun into the waistband of my jeans. Then I ran.

*****

I arrived home about two hours later, panting and out breath. You never realised how big London was until you had to run across about two thirds of it. At least the running had warmed my blood since I didn’t have a coat. I paused outside the door to my flat. Damn it! How the hell was I going to get in? Polydon had taken my wallet, my keys, everything.

With a sigh, I moved to the door next to mine and rung the doorbell. Brenda, my neighbour, pulled it open. “Danny?!” she cried in shock. “Oh, my God, are you alright?! What happened to your face?!”

“I was mugged,” I lied. “The thing is: They took my keys. You wouldn’t still happen to have that spare set, would you?”

“Of course.” She vanished from sight for a moment, and reappeared holding them. She looked worried, “Do you need help with anything else? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine for now, thanks.” I smiled as I took the keys off her, “You’re a star. See you around.”

“Right,” she agreed, still sounding a little shocked. I smiled at her again and moved back to my door, opening it stepping inside my flat.

My answering machine was flashing ten to the dozen as I stepped into the kitchen. I put my gun down on the counter, and hit the correct button.

“You have eight new messages. First message:”

“Danny? Hey, it’s Harry. Where we you today? I know you were feeling down, but you’ve never missed a day since Terrka began without one of us having to force you. I’m sorry I pressured you. Call me back when you get this message.”

I groaned. I’d totally forgotten that Harry would panic after a day of me missing. I didn’t even know how long it had been since Polydon had first taken me.

“Second message:”

“No-one’s seen you in three days, Dan. Where the hell are you?! I came round your flat, but you either weren’t there or didn’t answer the door. Please call me.”

If I thought he’d been panicking in the first message, it was nothing to what this was. They probably didn’t think about Polydon, just thought that I’d gone off somewhere to think this Harry thing through. If I was going to say no to Harry, though, I wouldn’t run away. I would say it straight to his face.

“Third message:”

“Hey. It’s Neilson. Look, I didn’t think much of it before- figured it was Terrka business- but Judd asked me if I knew where you were today. Where are you, Danny? It’s weird that I haven’t seen you; you were turning into my little stalker. Hope you’ve not got dead.”

I grinned. I couldn’t help it. There was something about him that made me smile. And to think I hadn’t known him until recently.

“Fourth message:”

“Danny, I’m getting seriously worried now. Where the hell are you?! It’s been five days and no-one’s heard from you at all. Even Tom’s getting worried, and we all know he’s the first to argue that you can take care of yourself. Well, besides you. Call me. Please, when you get this message, call me.”

Oh, God. I hated to think I was freaking people out. I wasn’t used to people worrying about me. I still wasn’t used to people caring about me. Not even seven years could drill that lesson out of me.

“Fifth message:”

“Hey, Stalker. Just calling to see if you’re back. Guess you’re not. You’d laugh if you were. Judd’s been marching around, interrogating everyone like we might know something and be keeping it from him. I think he wants your job…

“T-9’s been oddly chirpy. I have no idea why- I always thought the two of you got on superbly. Oh, and Brant’s been skipping across the offices, and feigning concern and sympathy whenever Judd talks to him. I think he has the hots for your ex. Anyway, hope you make it back to the asylum soon.”

Finally someone who saw what I saw! I wasn’t delusional! Brant was attracted to Harry! It was damn obvious, but Tom and Harry claimed they couldn’t see it. Steve had admitted there may be something once as well, but a second positive was what I had been waiting for. And I couldn’t help but grin at Neilson’s laid back tone. He was one never to make you feel guilty if he didn’t have proper reason to.

“Sixth message:”

“It’s been a week, Danny. A bloody week, and nothing. I’m this close to calling the police. If ten days pass, I’m calling. Are you okay?!”

Damn it! I never anticipated Harry calling the police and reporting me as missing! How many days had it been? If it had been over ten days, I was screwed! Where was a calendar when you needed one?!

“Seventh message:”

“Danny, its Tom. I know you can take care of yourself, but this isn’t like you. We normally have to pry you away from work. I know Harry thinks it’s his fault, but it’s not. Contrary to what he likes to think, you wouldn’t avoid him if the answer was no. You’d tell him straight out, and watch him cry. … I hope you’re okay. For fuck’s sake, Dan… Be okay…”

That one got to me. When Tom got worried, you knew there was a crisis at hand. He knew me so well that he would have gotten worried. I sighed, leaning on the countertop.

“Eighth message:”

“Danny, it’s me again. You have one more day before I call the police. I’m freaking out. Tom said he couldn’t get hold of you, either, and your flat’s still empty. What the hell’s happened to you…?”

“End of messages.”

Shit. I dragged a hand through my hair slowly. I’d caused a panic. I hadn’t meant to, but I’d caused a panic. I turned round and shoved my hands into my pockets moodily, and frowned when I felt a piece of paper under my fingers. I pulled it out. It was a small slip of paper, like children passed to each other in films. I unfolded it. There, in black capitals, it read:

‘TREAT HIM KIND.’

I gave a hollow laugh. This must’ve been there since I got these trousers. That showed how much I’d used the pockets…

I couldn’t see Dougie anymore, I thought sadly to myself. Both of us had known that that was it. Terrka-Two and Polydon1 couldn’t be together! I didn’t want to think about Dougie. Why did I have to?

I picked up the phone, and dialled. “Hello?”

“Call off the police, Harry. It’s me.”

There was a gasp, then a pause, “Danny…? Where the hell have you been for nine days?! I’ve been worried sick!”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I told him. “But I don’t want to be alone, either. Can you come round?”

“Of course,” he said softly. “I’m at my house, though. Give me half an hour, okay? I’ll be there. Thank God you’re okay…”

“I’m not perfect,” I remarked.

“Hang on, Danny. I’ll be there as fast as possible.”

*****

Half an hour later, I was ready. I looked into the mirror critically. My black eye had healed well in the five days since it had been given to me, and my split lip was pretty much cleared up as well. I had showered, and the loose, unbuttoned white shirt I was wearing hid most of the bruises, while showing off my chest perfectly. And I’d straightened my hair. I hated the fact that it was naturally curly.

I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of wine. I let out a long breath. Why did this feel so wrong? Yes, I was about to seduce Harry after he had cheated on me, but it felt like a different wrong than that.

Like I was the one cheating.

I wasn’t, though. I wasn’t cheating on Dougie. We were probably never going to see one another again. Why was I even thinking of Dougie right now?

I was shaken. I needed comfort, I decided, taking a sip of my wine. And that was exactly what I knew Harry was going to provide.

The doorbell rang and I moved towards it, glass still in hand. I took a deep breath, and pulled it opened. “Oh, my God, Danny, I was so worried about you! What-?!” Harry faltered, and his eyes widened as he took me in. My lips curled in amusement as his eyes came to rest on my face.

“Hi.”

“Erm…hi. Are you okay?” he asked.

“Perfect now you’re here…” I pulled him in, trying to cover the fact that that was one of the worst lines I ever could have used, and closed the door. “Thanks for coming over,” I called, walking towards the kitchen before he could embrace me. The last thing I needed was wine on my shirt. That would be the cherry on top of a perfect day. “I just couldn’t stand to be alone tonight…”

“What happened, Danny?” he asked, taking off his jacket and putting it on one of the chairs as I poured him a glass of wine. As I held it out to him, he reached up and touched the skin under my eyes, then dragged his thumb lightly over my lower lip. “Did someone hit you?”

Damn it. Maybe they weren’t as healed as I’d hoped. “I don’t want to talk about it, Harry,” I told him, jerking my head away. “Maybe later, but not now. Can we just…watch a movie or something?”

He nodded, his eyes filled with concern. He took the wine glasses out of my hands and set them aside, before hugging me tightly. I think it was something he had to do- to reassure himself that I was here. “Sure,” he said. “I’m just so glad you’re safe. Go and pick.”

*****

Forty minutes later, I smiled softly to myself. We were on the sofa, and I was leaning into Harry. He seemed fairly engrossed in the film, though he kept glancing at me as well. Both good things.

Because this film had been doctored.

Halfway through the next scene, it was going to cut to gay porn for about a minute, and then go back to the film. I’d made it as a joke for Harry, just before I’d found out about his cheating, and I’d never gotten round to showing it to him.

As it went on to the next scene, I shifted, and looked up at him. “I’m out of wine…” I murmured into his ear, letting my lips brush against it. “Need a refill?”

He turned his head, so we were so close our noses were almost touching. He smiled at me, “Please.” I took his glass off him, and stood up, leaving the room.

I timed it perfectly. As I reached the kitchen, I heard moans begun to sound from the TV. I grinned to myself, reaching for the wine bottle. If this didn’t turn him on, then I was going to have to simply drag him into the bedroom. It would work, but it wouldn’t be as enjoyable.

“Danny?” I heard him call, panic lacing the one word he spoke.

“What?” I called back; glad he couldn’t see the smirk on my face as I took a long sip of my wine.

“Can you come here a minute?” he requested.

“Hang on,” was my lazy reply as I topped off my glass and sealed the bottle.

“Now, Danny!” he was sounding a little desperate now. A screaming orgasm sounded through my apartment, making me wince. That was my cue. I walked back into the living room just as it flicked back to the film.

“What? I am capable of going to the kitchen on my own, you know. You don’t have to check up on me.

He motioned at the TV frantically- his eyes wide, “There was porn…on the…”

I frowned as I set the glasses down on the coffee table, “Harry, I know you probably haven’t had sex since you got taken…but imagining it?”

“It was there!” he claimed. “I’ll prove it to you! Where’s the remote?”

Hidden, I thought to myself. I’d known he’d do this. “I lost it,” I lied.

He started to get up, “Then I’ll just press the-”

I shushed him gently, putting a hand on his arm and a finger to his lips. “There’s nothing there. You look a little flushed. Maybe you should-”

I was silenced by his lips as his hand curled around my wrist and he pulled me towards him suddenly, so I ended up straddling him on the sofa. I gripped the back of his neck, holding him into the kiss as I took it deeper. His hands slid up under my shirt, exploring my naked torso.

With alcohol pulsing in our veins and lust controlling our minds, he lowered me down onto the sofa she he was straddling me in the more dominant position. He kissed my neck harshly, causing me to gasp. His hands found my shirt, and he began to ease it off.

I panicked. He was going to question the bruises! Damn it! Why hadn’t I considered this before?

There was an explosion on the TV, and we both looked over. I laughed. “Maybe we should take this to the bedroom,” I suggested, making my voice seductively lower. I reared up and kissed him fiercely, switching our positions so I was on top. Then I rolled off him. I turned off the TV, and unplugged it at the wall. It was so he couldn’t quickly look at the DVD, but I could argue the dangers of house fire.

“Turn off the light, will you?” I asked him huskily, giving him a slow smile before turning and walking to the bedroom. Once there, I didn’t turn on the light, but rather just pulled the covers back and lay on the bed, closing my eyes. Only a few seconds later, I felt the bed go down, and his mouth on my neck again. I made a contented sound in the back of my throat.

“You’re so beautiful, Danny…” he whispered, his face coming level with mine. “I don’t care if you hear me say it…because it’s true.” He touched his lips to mine, “You’re gorgeous…” With this, he kissed me softly again, then peeled off my shirt and moved down my body. I shoved his t-shirt up over his head and threw it to the side.

I could feel the muscles in his arms as I trailed my hands down them, arching my back luxuriously as his mouth fixed over my nipple. Another moan fell from my mouth as he nipped on it gently, and swirled his tongue around the hard bud. Then he moved even further south, and kissed along my hipbone, before easing my jeans down past my straining erection.

He grinned up at me suggestively. “Do you want me, Danny?” he asked, his voice dripping with seduction of the most lethal variety.

“No, I’m actually picturing Sean Bean while you do this,” I managed. “But you’re here, so- by all means- carry on.”

He laughed, “Cheeky! Maybe I won’t.” He sat back with a smug look on his face.

I chuckled lightly, “I’ll do it myself, then.” I stripped off my boxers, and took hold of my length, starting to pump it slowly right in front of his eyes. Those same eyes widened as he watched me jerk off. I kept my gaze fixed on his as sighs tumbled from my parted lips.

As I got closer to my climax, I felt his hand on mine, easing it away. I complied, flopping back on the bed again. Then I cried out in shock as he suddenly deep-throated me. I was engulfed in the hot wetness of his mouth as he sucked eagerly on my penis, his head bobbing up and down. His hands moved up to massage my balls gently, causing me such an overload of pleasure that I began to murmur nonsense furiously, bucking my hips and twisting my head on the pillow.

I came with a cry that even I couldn’t translate into English. If I had to guess, I think it had something to do with penguins eating doughnuts. Not the sexiest thing, I am aware, but I did say it was nonsensical.

Harry swallowed all that I had to give and moved back up to face me. He kissed me softly on the lips, both of us panting slightly. “Do you have-?”

“Top drawer,” I murmured. “Do we need-?”

“I haven’t been with anyone since you left,” he replied. He noticed the subtle narrowing of my eyes even through the restrictive lighting. “I didn’t catch anything before that, either. What about-?”

“No.”

“So, should we-?”

“Takes too much time,” I whispered, trailing a hand down his torso. I flipped him so he was underneath, and kissed down his chest slowly. He shivered under my touch.

“Don’t tease me, Dan,” he growled. “I’ve waited too long for you to tease me.” I pulled his trousers off, taking pity on him, and removed his boxers as well. I pressed a light kiss to the tip of his penis, and he shuddered.

I grinned, licking the precome off my lips and reaching for the lube in the drawer. I squeezed some onto my lips, and spread a generous amount over his length, taking my time about it so he moaned. Then I lowered myself onto him slowly.

I gasped in pain as he filled me, having not prepared myself at all, and my walls clamped around him. He thrust his hips upwards carefully. He hit my spot, and any and all pain was cancelled out by this insane pleasure.

I moaned loudly as he bucked up again, catching the spot. I leaned down into him, my mouth meeting his. I rocked slightly on top of him and I felt his muscles clench. We both cried out in unison as he ejaculated deep inside me. I rolled off him, lying next to him as I tried to catch my breath.

He rolled onto his side so we were face-to-face. “You’re so…”

“Perfect? Amazing?” I supplied. He laughed. I considered, casting my eyes upwards, “Tight?”

“I love you,” he whispered. I bit my lip softly as I stared back at him. He smiled understandingly. “You don’t have to say it back. Not until you mean it…”

“Thank you,” I murmured, kissing him lightly. He put his arms around me as I tugged the duvet up to cover us and we both drifted into sleep.

*****

I stretched out slowly as I woke, and opened my eyes to an empty bed. I frowned, and levered myself up. Harry wasn’t the type to leave someone in bed. Where was he? I swung my legs out, wincing as I aggravated the bruises on my calves.

Standing and pulling on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, I went off in search of the man who I had shared my bed with last night. Nearing the living room, I froze as I heard low, sensuous moans coming from it. Oh, crap. I pushed the door open carefully.