Sinners & Saints: Redemption

Part 12

Lukas leaned against the door, watching as Brad slowly stripped off his ruined suit. He'd never seen the older man in anything other than the semi-military 'uniform' of the Institute they'd grown up in, but he had to admit that the suit matched his friend's no-nonsense exterior. Or at least, it would have, had it not been in shreds.

The Japanese kids who'd rescued them had promised to find suitable clothing for them both - the blond one, Youji or Balinese or whatever his name was, had told Lukas to raid his closet for clothes since they were the same size, but they were going to have to go out to buy Brad something. The American was head and shoulders taller than any of the four 'Weiss' members.

He was still trying to absorb everything he'd learned that night. He simply could not comprehend the idea of himself as this boy's Dom... regardless of whether he was 'helping' the boy or not, that sort of situation was inextricably linked in his mind with what Emmanual had done to him. How could he have sunk so low? What the hell had happened to him during that time he couldn't remember, to make him such a sick fucking bastard?

Brad had carefully draped his ruined jacket and shirt over the back of a chair - Lukas had to suppress a chuckle. Some things would never change, apparently. Brad had always been anal about organizing everything in his life. Maybe it was a side effect of being a precognitive, the desire to control as much as you could in order to affect the future you wanted.

"Brad?" he said, and his voice came out much more fragile sounding than he'd intended it to. He cursed himself, as Brad turned inquiring amber eyes towards him. The last thing Brad needed right now was for Lukas to show any kind of weakness - he needed to know he had a strong teammate at his back, someone he could depend on.

"Come to bed, Lukas," was all the American said, sounding weary beyond words. There was a small smile on his face as he held out a hand to Lukas, however. Willingly the telepath moved forward to take his friend's hand, and he found himself pulled into a tight embrace.

He returned it without hesitation, burying his face in Brad's neck and holding the older man as if he was afraid to let go. "I never thought I'd be able to hold you like this," Brad murmured, his breath ghosting over Lukas' ear and making him shiver slightly. "All these years I've had to watch you from a distance..."

"Never again," Lukas swore, tightening his grip slightly. "I won't let anything separate us again, Brad. We've both waited too long for this. I..." he stumbled on the words, and was disgusted to realize that he was shy and embarrassed. "I love you, Brad," he said, finding the words much more difficult to say now that they were face to face and not just holding hands through prison bars.

"And I, you, my friend," Brad replied, lowering his head to kiss Lukas gently.

Lukas was having none of that - he wasn't breakable, and he'd been waiting far too long for the taste of Brad's lips on his again. Brad knew his darkest secret and had accepted him anyway - there was nothing to hold him back, or restrain him. He went on the offensive, turning the gentle kiss into a fiercely passionate one.

One or both of them moaned, the sound vibrating between them as they pulled back slightly. "You are wearing far too much," Brad said, his eyes narrowed. Lukas laughed softly, and stepped back out of the circle of the older man's arms. Brad let him go, but not without a predatory look that promised he'd be chased if he didn't return soon.

It was exactly as he'd dreamed, on those rare occasions when he'd allowed himself to imagine what his life might have been if Emmannuel hadn't taken him - no, he decided a moment later, it was better. His own innocent teenaged imagination and Emmanuel's rough pawing had in no way prepared him for the raw heat of passion and love in Brad's eyes, lighting them from within like golden flames.

He'd meant to take his time, to tease his friend with a strip show, but the moment his hands undid the first button on his shirt he knew they were both too far gone for that. Teasing was for later, after they'd slaked the lust of years of frustrated waiting.

Fuck it, he decided with an impish grin. The shirt's a write-off anyway... He got a firm grip on both side of the shirt and yanked once, sending buttons flying. The heat in Brad's eyes rose another notch, and he knew he'd made the right decision.

They met in a desperate kiss once more, the difference in their height forcing both of them into slightly awkward positions. Hands fumbled with belts and pant buttons - whose didn't really matter anymore. Somehow they managed to get free of the last of their clothing, and then they were tumbling onto the bed, limbs tangled and sweat already breaking out on their bodies.

"I've waited so long for this," Brad murmured as he drew away to worship Lukas' neck with his mouth. Lukas raised his hands to twine the finger through the short, crisp black locks of his friend's hair, moaning.

"No more waiting," he promised, his voice low and husky with passion. He opened the channel between them - skin to skin as they were, his empathic gift kicked in at full strength, swamping him with the raging desire Brad felt for him at that moment.

It made him groan and arch his back, grinding his hips up into Brad's as he fought off the urge to ejaculate then and there. Gritting his teeth he rode out the initial wave, then gathered up the sensation and projected it right back at his lover.

Brad gasped and convulsed, his teeth sinking into Lukas' shoulder. Lukas didn't mind - the painful sensation gave him an anchoring point, something to cling to that would distract him from losing all control. It was too early to end the game yet, and they were both exhausted enough that they were probably only going to get one go at it tonight.

Sensing that Brad was fighting a losing battle with his orgasm as well, he dug his fingers into the older man's shoulders, providing him with a distraction as well. Slowly Brad managed to relax his body, though random tremors still raced through him as one or the other of them would shift, starting the cycle of shared pleasure all over again.

"Now I know why... rumour had it that... empaths were the best lays to be found in the world," Brad murmured when he had enough control for an attempt at speech. Lukas chuckled, the sound breathy and strained.

"They also say that once you've been with an empath, you're ruined for ordinary sex," he reminded the precognitive gleefully. "You're stuck with me now."

Brad leaned down and kissed him fiercely, and there was something in his emotions that surprised Lukas. "You've always been the only one," Brad told him softly, making his eyes widen. "After all," the American's voice took on a slightly smug tone, "I've never settled for anything less than the best in my life."

Lukas was in shock, which seemed to be a common state for him that night. This time it was a pleasant shock, though. Even before he'd lost hope because of what Emmanuel had done to him, he'd always assumed that Brad would have other lovers before returning to claim Lukas from the Institute. After finding out that he'd spent the last however many years being only barely civil to his childhood best friend, he'd been certain Brad must have sought out other companionship. But linked together as they were, he couldn't mistake the American's meaning. Brad had waited for him, all this time? Even though his own visions had told him there was no hope for them?

*I love you,* he whispered, deepening the kiss and letting his empathy show Brad just how much he meant the words he said. *I'm yours, forever. I don't care what happens, I won't leave you alone again. I'm sorry the kid has to suffer, but I don't love him. I love YOU.*

He caught a swirl of guilt and remorse from Brad - his friend felt responsible for the kid, and was upset that he'd been put into this situation. For a moment he was afraid Brad might actually decide to find a way to switch him back to being this 'Schuldig' person... but then he felt the renewed determination and desperate need from his lover, and he sighed in relief.

You are mine, Brad projected at him, accompanied by a fierce possessiveness that made Lukas shiver in awe. If anyone else had projected something like that at him, he'd have been afraid - but from Brad, he felt only humbled that he could invoke that kind of reaction from his friend and lover. You are mine, and I am yours, as well. As it should have been, before everything went to hell. We've been given a second chance, and be damned if I'll fuck it up.

They moved against each other, bodies sliding together, movements eased by the lubrication of sweat, the friction making them both moan. They were both desperate for release, yet neither wanted it to end yet. They'd waited so long they could hardly stand to wait another moment, but at the same time they wanted to savour this first experience as long as they physically could.

Something twinged in the back of his mind. It was minor enough at first that he almost overlooked it, but then he got a sharp stab of hurt and upset from somewhere deep in his own mind, near where his link with Brad was seated.

*What's wrong?* he asked his lover, but Brad only looked at him in surprise. Reading the emotions coming off the older man more carefully, Lukas confirmed that there was no sign of distress, other than the rather urgent needs his body was pressing on him. But that wasn't what he'd felt.

Brad shifted, rubbing their cocks together and making him groan, and he got another jab of the same pain as before. This time it was strong enough to make him gasp and pull away, frowning and rubbing his temple in an automatic gesture, though he knew it would do no good.

"Lukas, what is it?" Brad asked, his voice gone tense with concern and stiffled need as he rolled of the telepath and sat beside him in the bed. "Is it an attack?"

"I dunno, it's DEEP, whatever it is, and it hurts..." Lukas shook his head in annoyance. "But not like an attack, more like... I dunno, a lover's quarrel or something. Damn it, I'm shielded, I shouldn't be picking up anything but you!"

Brad started to say something, but Lukas held up a hand to silence him as something tugged slightly at his consciousness. It was... something pushing at his shields... no, from just UNDER his shields, nudging at his mind in an odd sort of telepathic 'knock'. He tried locking onto the sensation, and caught a strand of thought that had been deliberately projected his way by a nearby non-telepath.

*What the fuck...* he started to grumble, but the other person cut him off.

While I have, on occasion, appreciated the effect your link can have on my boyfriend, I'd appreciate it if you restrained yourself at the moment, a biting tenor snapped at him. After a moment, he managed to associate the 'flavour' of the mental voice with the blond Weiss, the one whose bed he was currently lying in. He 'felt' nearby, just on the other side of the wall, maybe. Not only is Omi in no condition to deal with the arousal you're projecting at him, you're also breaking his heart. And I don't even want to think about what Nagi would do if he woke up and felt the same thing, and I have no doubt he would. So get a fucking grip on your libido, and just go to sleep already!

With that the mental contact snapped closed, as if a shield had come down between them, though Lukas was certain Balinese didn't have any psychic abilities. Someone must have taught him how to hide his mind from casual scanning by a telepath. Come to think of it, although both the redhead and the blue-eyed kid who'd unlocked their cells had been easy to read, he hadn't been able to pick up anything from the boy who'd jerked him around earlier, either.

"What the fuck was that all about?" he complained softly, slumping back into Brad's arms. "None of them are psychic, are they?"

"Not to my knowledge," Brad replied after a startled pause. "Only Nagi, and his powers strictly affect the physical world. He's got no mind-based powers at all."

"Then why was one of them bitching at me about projecting at them?" Lukas said, eyes narrowing as he glared at the wall. "Unless they're empaths, they shouldn't be able to feel a damn thing. Hell, even if they're empaths, they shouldn't! I'm shielding, the only one who should be reading me is you, through the link!"

Understanding dawned on Brad's face, and he sighed, sliding back to lie on the pillows, pulling Lukas down to rest against his chest. "I know for a fact you have a link with Nagi," he said softly. "We used it to contact him earlier, remember? It wouldn't surprise me at all if you have a similar, albeit less powerful, link with Bombay. And given that there's only a very thin wall between us and them right now, it's entirely possible you were indeed projecting at him."

Lukas snarled, and punched his fist into the mattress. His body was throbbing, and he could sense Brad's need like a stinging spray of needles, grating against his raw empathy. "So what the fuck are we supposed to do?"

"YOU are going to go take a cold shower," Brad said, twisting in a lithe move that dumped Lukas out of the bed onto the floor. He hadn't been expecting it, or he might have been able to counter it - as it was, the move was a shock. He sat there, blinking up at his lover. "I'm going to stay here and NOT join you, or that shower won't stay cold very long."

Lukas narrowed his eyes. "I've got a better idea... you go take a cold shower and I'LL stay here and jerk off," he snapped, irritated. "Or at the very least, I'll go take a WARM shower and jerk off, it'll have the same result."

"No, it won't, Lukas," Brad corrected him gently, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Any sexual activity on your part will probably be picked up by them. There's no sense in tormenting them with what they can't have." He shook his head. "You and I can wait until we're in better conditions for our first time - we've waited this long, after all. And I'm NOT planning to jerk off, actually... I'm going to trance down and try to sort through some of these visions. The sexual tension will help me stay anchored in the present while I do it, and if I don't, my dreams tonight will be nothing but one tangled vision after another."

Lukas had to admit that made sense, but he didn't have to like it. Grumbling under his breath, he stood and made his way to the bathroom. He'd have showed off his assets to make Brad regret what he was missing, but if he knew the precognitive, the older man had already started the process of entering a deep trance and his efforts would go to waste. Brad was nothing if not efficient with his time.

He made the water as cold as he could stand it, and bit his lip to keep from yelping in an undignified manner when he stepped in. Old wives' tales aside, cold water didn't help much with arousal this strong, especially since every time he thought he MIGHT be able to go back out, the knowledge that he'd be returning to see Brad still naked and very, very attractive would make him hard again.

He was tempted to say 'fuck it' and just jerk off and get it over with, but some shrivelled remnant of his conscience stopped him. If those two kids really were linked to him, there was no way he could shield tightly enough to prevent his emotions from leaking over onto them at this distance. Nagi had been more than half dead, and while Lukas had no intention of taking his place as the boy's 'Master', neither did he want to add to the kid's misery deliberately. Bombay had been better off, but still looked exhausted and injured, and if the pain that had underlain his anger earlier was any indication, he really did love Lukas - well, Schuldig - a lot. Forcing him to feel Lukas' desire for another man was nothing short of cruel.

Sighing, he finally resorted to some calming exercises he'd learned at the Institute, trying not to remember the circumstances Emmanuel had used to test his ability to stay calm under duress. That worked, and he was finally able to get out of the freezing shower.

He found Brad sitting cross-legged on the bed, uncaring of his nakedness. Lukas took a moment to lean against the door again, just admiring the sharp planes and clean lines of his friend and lover's body. Brad was truly stunning, with the physique of a martial artist who used his skills for survival, not merely to show off in a dojo. With his eyes closed, the only contrast to his pale skin was the starkness of his dark hair, lying carelessly against his forehead and cheeks. Lukas gave in to the urge to step forward and brush it away from the soft skin, knowing that it wouldn't disturb the precognitive if he was still in deep trance.

To his surprise, Brad gave a little sigh and opened his eyes, looking up at Lukas with a soft, welcoming smile. "Everything is still too confusing, though I think at least I'll be able to sleep now without being overwhelmed," the precognitive confessed, moving over to make room for Lukas in the bed.

Lukas slid in under the covers, lying down and tugging Brad to lie down with him. When they were settled, with Lukas comfortably in Brad's arms, he asked, "Were you at least able to see what to do next?"

"No," Brad replied, sounding frustrated. "The immediate future is split half a dozen different ways, and there's something important that I either can't find, or can't affect enough to matter. One thing is clear - Emmanuel will be back in the country tomorrow, and it won't take him long to find us. I fear your theory is correct, and he has a tag on you."

"He'll be able to track me no matter where I go, then," Lukas concluded grimly. "It'll just be a matter of time. Do we have any chance?"

"If we leave here and face him alone, just the two of us, we've got about a twenty-five percent chance of defeating him," Brad told him. "If he wins, either of us could die, both of us could die, and either or both of us could be captured and brought back to the Institute." Lukas shivered - that wasn't a possibility he wanted to contemplate.

"If we keep Weiss with us, there's a much stronger probability that we'll win, approaching a hundred percent," Brad continued. "For non-psychics, they've got a good track record at fighting powerful psychics. They didn't have much luck against Schwartz, of course," the American's voice was full of arrogant superiority. "But they did quite well against the Estet Elders, eliminating two of them and sending the third running for shelter."

"So why are you confused about what to do next?" Lukas asked, blinking. "Obviously, we stick with them, and we win."

There was a long silence, and his eyes narrowed. "Spit it out," he ordered. "You see something happening on that branch that you don't like, don't you?"

"If we stay with them, we'll defeat Emmanuel," Brad repeated. "But the method of defeating him varies. There's a small chance we can simply kill him with physical weapons, in which case, there's no problem. There's an equally small chance that Nagi will have recovered enough by the time he finds us to just crush him, also causing no repercussions, except possibly by setting back his recovery by a few days or weeks."

"And the most likely probability is?" Lukas prompted, feeling fear clench his heart, turning his guts to icy water.

"That you'll end up facing off against him," Brad admitted reluctantly. "And that's the part where I cannot see how to affect the outcome in our favour. Whatever it is that happens between the two of you then, there's nothing I can do to sway the results."

"But you said there was nearly a hundred percent possibility of defeating him," Lukas reminded him, surprised. "So where's the catch?"

"The 'catch' is that if you face off against him, there's approximately a seventy-five percent chance that you'll destroy each other," Brad whispered, his arms tightening around Lukas abruptly. "He'll be dead, but so will you. With a strong possibility that you'll lose control entirely, and take the rest of us with you. And I can't for the life of me see how to change it!"

Return to Sinners & Saints Page

Return to the Main Index

Email Miko no da