by Kannan Feng
"I didn't find a Do Not Disturb sign, so I figured a barricade would be just as eloquent,” he said with more than a little bitterness.
Minoru at least had the grace to look a little embarrassed, even as he said, “A ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign wouldn't have stopped me either."
"So what would?” Padraic said, moving farther away from him on the bed. “A punch in the face? A barbed wire fence? Or do you just call that foreplay?"
"I'm not a rapist,” Minoru said, and frowned a little. “Why are we suddenly talking about sex?"
"Because...” Padraic gestured uselessly, finally just looking at the floor. “Because it always seems to come up when you're in the room,” he muttered. He could feel his face heat up. He could hardly believe that he was saying these things, but they were coming out of his mouth and Minoru didn't seem to mind at all.
Minoru laughed a little, shaking his head.
"What a strange thing,” he said, seemingly to himself. “I was already hot for your tech..."
"What, and the body's a nice bonus?"
"More than that."
At Padraic's raised eyebrow, Minoru amended it to, “It's more than nice."
Padraic shook his head.
"I can't believe you.” Padraic let his breath hiss through his teeth, feeling his anger with Minoru rise and rise.
Suddenly Padraic wondered what would happen if he simply struck Minoru. Arch had taught him to defend himself, but Padraic had never actually had the urge to strike someone before. It was a new and unpleasant feeling, and he pushed it away before turning back to Minoru.
"You've got nothing to say to me, not now and not again, as far as I'm concerned. No,” he said sharply when Minoru started to interrupt. “And you're not going to do anything else. Get out."
"I would rather not."
"I. Do not. Give. A fuck.” Padraic said distinctly.
"You don't mean that.” Minoru said it so calmly and decisively that Padraic got up and started pacing just to put some distance between the two of them.
"Maybe I don't,” Padraic said, talking to himself as much as he was talking to Minoru. “Maybe I'd like nothing better than to lie down and fuck. Maybe I should stop saying the word fuck so much, I don't know.
"All I know is that right now, I don't want to give you the satisfaction.” At Minoru's raised eyebrow, Padraic managed a bitter smile. “In bed or out of it, okay?"
Minoru looked thoughtful for a few moments, his eyes roaming from Padraic to the bed and back again.
"I'm sorry."
Padraic stared at Minoru, briefly sure that he must have simply hallucinated the other man's contrite words.
"I'll go, then."
Minoru was halfway to the door when Padraic managed to find words.
"What?"
Minoru looked at him curiously and without reproach.
"I apologize. I really never intended for this to happen, any of it, and I'm sorry I failed to make a better impression on you."
"Yeah, that's kinda what it sounded like...” Padraic said blankly.
Minoru sighed, and for a moment, he looked exhausted.
"This is not fair to you, and... I should not have done it. It was thoughtless, cruel, and it could mean a great deal of trouble for you in the future. I'm going to do everything in my power to make it right for you, I promise."
Minoru looked genuinely sorry, and the resolve that Padraic saw in Minoru's direct gaze might have moved mountains. The thought of being so well taken care of filled Padraic with a warm feeling that he didn't want to think about.
I'm exhausted, I'm tired, I feel fucked up beyond all belief... Suddenly it didn't matter at all. It was like some infinitely more powerful part of him simply took all of those fears and inhibitions and quietly put them to bed.
"Would I completely negate every self-respecting thing I just said if I asked you to kiss me?"
Minoru was quiet for a long moment. Then he carefully crossed the floor to where Padraic was standing and picked up Padraic's hand, bringing it to his mouth and gently kissing the palm."You smell like metal and solder,” he said.
"Is that bad?"
"Not even a little."
This time when Minoru kissed him, Padraic realized that they were precisely the same height.
I should have figured that one out sooner, he thought briefly, but then he was figuring out all over again how thoroughly Minoru's mouth could obliterate his capacity for reason and higher thought.
Minoru took his hand and led him back to the bed. Maybe it was because the last time that they had done this, Padraic had started screaming, or maybe it was because the apology he had given Padraic was sincere, but he was much more gentle than he had been in either of their previous encounters.
Minoru reached over and carefully loosened Padraic's clothing, baring the naked inputs and then removing his shirt entirely.
"Pale,” Minoru said appreciatively. “Pretty."
Minoru ran his fingertips over a nipple, making it tighten before turning his attention to the other. Traveling between them, his hand slowed gently over the inputs that had so captured him before, but he didn't stop.
Padraic released a breath that he had been holding and reached up to tug Minoru down beside him.
Even through their clothes, he could feel the heat from Minoru's body. People with implants and cybernetic modification tended to run at a slightly higher body temperature than people who didn't have the mods, and Padraic suddenly wondered whether the Inoue heir was more modded than he was. It was a strange thing to think about when the person in question was lapping at his neck, and he must have squirmed a little because Minoru paused.
"Are you all right?"
Padraic nodded, biting his lip. He was suddenly unsure why it was important to him, but it was.
"Could you take off your clothes for me?” he asked, and was relieved to see Minoru smile.
"I had intended to,” Minoru said, and sat back on his heels.
Padraic had expected that he would like what he was going to see, but he certainly didn't expect to be so turned on by Minoru simply stripping to the skin.
Minoru took off his clothes slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, and he didn't meet Padraic's eyes. It gave his actions a strangely intimate feel, as though he were all by himself, and it made Padraic ache with desire.
When Minoru had his shirt off and tossed on the floor, and when his pants had been unzipped but not otherwise removed, Padraic couldn't help himself. He ran an appreciative hand up Minoru's flanks, nearly purring at the feel of Minoru's skin. Minoru's body was lithe and strong, solid as marble against Padraic's touch. Minoru's skin was smooth under his hand, and the Inoue heir murmured with pleasure as Padraic turned his gentle touch into a caress.
Padraic suddenly remembered what he was looking for. His gaze flew between the center of Minoru's chest and the curve of Minoru's hip. Those two most common areas for interface were bare, and he looked up at Minoru's eyes, questioning.
"Completely green, I'm afraid,” Minoru said wryly, and Padraic flinched. It was a word that he heard too often from guys like his cousin and himself, and the implications weren't kind. Green, unmodded, primitive, simp—they all amounted to the same thing.
"It's not a bad thing,” he said insistently, and though Minoru seemed too polite to disagree, Padraic sat up and wrapped his arms around the other man's waist, kissing the strangely bare place on Minoru's sternum with care. “I don't care,” he said between kisses.
At first Padraic thought that he was going to get pushed away, and then it seemed as though the Inoue heir would never let go.
"Nice,” Padraic murmured appreciatively.
Minoru let Padraic pull off his shoes and socks clumsily, and then his sharp black trousers were discarded on the floor, where they mingled with Padraic's clothing. Under Padraic's searching hands, Minoru's skin was smooth and unmarred, and when Padraic put his tongue to it, Minoru moaned, wordlessly begging for more.
The feeling of being in control thrilled Padraic, and he kissed Minoru more firmly, tilting his head to bite at Minoru's earlobe and then to nibble along his strong jaw.
Padraic kissed the scar on Minoru's face, the one that ran from his lip to his chin. Minoru flinched, and Padraic wondered if he was sensitive about the imperfection.
"It's beautiful,” Padraic said softly, and even if Minoru flinched a little, he returned Padraic's kisses with a passion that took Padraic's breath away. Padraic's fingers tangled in Minoru's hair, tightening instinctively.
Pull harder, Minoru had said, and Padraic suddenly couldn't stop himself from doing just that. He pulled back until Minoru's throat was bared to his mouth, and then he couldn't get enough of that either. Padraic could feel Minoru's pulse underneath his lips, and it was all delicious, all sweet.
Padraic made a noise, or at least he thought that he did, and suddenly Minoru had him flat on his back on the bed. He found himself staring at the ceiling while Minoru worried at his throat with a ferocity that would have scared him if he could remember that he had a life to be protective of.
Minoru's body was warm, and Padraic had to remind himself that it was nothing but flesh, nothing but soft skin and sweet muscle.
"You're beautiful,” Minoru said, and there was an intensity there that Padraic had never heard before. He wondered if Minoru thought that he was as beautiful as his tech. Then that clever tongue curled around Padraic's nipple before sharp teeth bit, and Padraic half-jumped off the bed.
"Stop...” he muttered, but then he cut it off because that wasn't what he wanted at all. He wanted more and Minoru knew it. Minoru chuckled a little bit and ran a warm palm down Padraic's stomach to grasp his cock firmly.
"Ah, Christ,” Padraic moaned, arching up before forcing his body to be still. Minoru chuckled, sounding a little strained even to Padraic.
"Keep moving,” he said, stroking Padraic firmly. “Show me how much you like it."
Padraic moved fitfully, finally lacing his hands into the headboard behind him and thrusting up into Minoru's accommodating hand. The friction was delicious, and he could hear his own gasps and whimpers. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Minoru touching himself.
Somehow, Padraic found the strength to pull away, and before Minoru could protest, he was on his knees on the floor, looking up at Minoru with a small smile.
"Please?” Padraic said, sounding coy even to himself, and Minoru, looking less and less restrained by the moment, came to the edge of the bed. Minoru spread his legs, but Padraic spread them wider. Minoru grabbed a fistful of Padraic's hair, making him squirm and writhe.
Experimentally, Padraic tried to pull away, and the only result was that Minoru tugged sharply and brought him forward. The sensation managed to blot out any reservations that Padraic might have had about the situation. Minoru's cock was pressing against his lower lip, almost hard enough to bruise, and Padraic opened his mouth and gratefully started licking.
Minoru tolerated the long, wet licks for a few moments, but then he tugged at Padraic's hair again.
"You want to be careful about that,” said Padraic, pulling back and wiping his mouth. “I might bite."
Minoru's smile was cool, but he stroked Padraic's face tenderly. “If you do that, I'll make you wish you hadn't."
"What are you going to do?” Padraic wasn't sure if he was hopeful or not.
While keeping a tight hold on Padraic's hair, Minoru ran down Padraic's chest. Padraic shuddered convulsively when Minoru flicked the capped interfaces, but Minoru's hand kept going until it was stroking Padraic's erection again with deceptive gentleness. Padraic heard himself purr, but it turned into a yelp when Minoru tapped those perfect nails against his hard flesh.
Minoru did it again, and Padraic would have fallen back if Minoru hadn't been holding his hair so firmly.
"You would like it,” Minoru said with just a hint of a growl in his voice. “It would take a little while, but you would like it."
Padraic could recognize a threat when he heard one, and he thought about making Minoru prove it, but when he swallowed he could still taste Minoru on his lips and against the roof of his mouth. He was ready, more than ready, to be a good boy. Willingly, he settled down again, and there was no teasing this time. He took Minoru straight down his throat, swallowing to take more than he thought he could, and he was rewarded by hearing Minoru groan.
He knew that he would gag if he let himself think about it too hard, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from doing just that. The thought of having his throat full, of letting Minoru fuck his mouth, was wildly arousing, and blindly he reached for his own erection, stroking in time with each thrust of Minoru's hips.
Padraic could have made himself come, but for some reason he held off. He wanted to see Minoru climax first. He didn't want to miss seeing the man that out of control, that needy, and for a moment, pulling with his lips and nearly choking, he thought he was going to get it.
With a deep growl, Minoru pulled him off, and there was a hiss of pain when Padraic inadvertently drew his teeth too hard across the sensitive skin.
"Your own fault,” Padraic said when Minoru had to breathe for a moment. He regretted it when Minoru looked up with a sharp glint in his eyes.
"Not like that,” Minoru said with that same precise diction. “Not down your throat, not right now."
The direct way he said it, and the calm, matter-of-fact way that he reached for the tube of lubricant by the bedside, made Padraic stammer a little.
"Safe sex?” was all he could squeak out, and he was gratified by Minoru's raised eyebrow and slightly scornful look.
"Please,” Minoru said, already sliding a condom on his cock. “I was fucking in the soaplands when I was eighteen."
"What was that, five, six years ago?” Padraic said wryly.
Minoru frowned, for all the world as if he were being told something he didn't want to hear about a new software program or that he couldn't get a table at his favorite restaurant. It didn't seem like a look that he should have had on his face when he was sleeking a palmful of lube on his cock.
"Hm, I don't think I like your attitude toward my age,” Minoru observed mildly, scrubbing his hand on the bedspread before resuming his grip on Padraic's hair. Padraic's eyes closed, but Minoru wasn't handling him roughly. Instead, he brought Padraic's face up for an insistent kiss.
"Safe is good,” Minoru said. “It's just fine..."
Padraic started to climb back on the bed, unable to keep his body from pressing against Minoru's As urgent as they both were, Minoru paused to kiss him firmly on the mouth. It melted him, and suddenly he was clinging to Minoru, stuttering and completely unable to tell him what the other man wanted.
"It's fine,” Minoru said soothingly. “I'll give you want you want..."
Could you tell me what that is first? Padraic thought, and then he was being pushed onto his back. Minoru eased his legs open. He found himself staring straight up, and then Minoru was gently demanding his attention again with nips and bites on his neck and chest.
The feel of Minoru's body against his, the weight of Minoru's body on top of his, so lean and hot, made him lightheaded. Padraic pressed up, rubbing his erection against Minoru's, relishing how slick it was.
"You're beautiful,” he murmured, and then he whimpered as Minoru's slicked fingers pressed against his hole. Padraic had an image of Minoru's fingers, nails so neatly trimmed and prim and yet still doing something so sexy, and he forced himself to relax.
"That's right, just like that,” Minoru said, and soon he was fingering Padraic faster and harder. “Surely you can take more than this..."
Minoru's encouragement made Padraic want to do exactly that, made him want to be a good boy for Minoru, and soon he was writhing, showing Minoru how much he wanted it and how good he was..
Minoru's hand was surprisingly hard on Padraic's hip, and Padraic's legs flailed ungracefully in the air for a moment before locking tight around Minoru's waist. He c
ould feel the head of Minoru's cock pressing at his entrance before thrusting in, fast and hard.
"God, oh God, fuck...” Padraic moaned, and Minoru's grip tightened savagely on his hips.
"Should I stop?” Minoru demanded, and Padraic could only grin at the half-murderous, half-tormented look on Minoru's face.
"Not for the world,” Padraic promised, and he grabbed onto the headboard behind him.
This display of willingness and submission made Minoru's eyes go dark with lust, and he started pushing into Padraic with a kind of desperation that made Padraic's whole body respond. Minoru's movements were smooth and experienced, but his mouth was unexpectedly soft.
With the blood pounding in his ears and his body bent to offer Minoru everything, it took Padraic a moment to realize that he was hearing the word “please” over and over again.
Though Minoru's hair covered his eyes, Padraic could see that lovely proper mouth shaping those pleas. If possible he wanted to give Minoru even more.
He came hard, clinging to the headboard, feeling his own come on his belly. It had lasted a long time in his head, but when he looked up, Minoru was still moving over him, filling him, and he felt a smile spread across his mouth. Minoru looked up sharply, and Padraic could barely quiet the laughter that was bubbling up in his throat.
To take the sting out of it, Padraic wrapped his arms around Minoru's shoulders and pumped his hips up against the other man encouragingly, wanting to give Minoru the same release that Minoru had given him.
When Minoru came a moment later, Padraic purred encouragement into his ear.
* * * *
With his eyes closed and his breath rough from climax, Minoru looked younger, and for the moment, almost innocent. Minoru had eyelashes so long they brushed his cheeks, and lazily, Padraic reached out and touched a small freckle that graced his cheekbone.
What a strange thing to notice, he thought, but he was feeling too good to care.
Under Padraic's touch, Minoru murmured softly but didn't open his eyes. Padraic's hand traveled from the other man's cheek down his chest to his lean stomach. Padraic smiled at the fact that the skin on the back of his own hand was paler than Minoru's belly.