Aries

Disclaimer: They’re his, okay? End of disclaimer.

"Hello? .........Hellooo......."

Click.

Fifth time in four weeks.

Mulder checked his watch and jotted the call down in the notebook by the phone. He twisted his lower lip and chewed the inside corner as he studied the entries.

All nighttime calls. Well after he’d gotten home. Four times, the caller waited until the second hello, before they hung up. Once, they waited until the third. That time, Mulder had even thought he’d heard the beginning of a word, but it cut off swiftly. Then the click, signaling disconnection.

He slowly tapped the pen against the desk, then threw it down. He turned away and moved off toward the sofa.

He stood in the phone booth, forehead pressed against the glass. Closed his eyes and listened to the flat clink of the raindrops against his shelter.

Well, it sure the fuck isn’t to shoot the shit. You know what he wants. Question is, do you want what he wants? Never mind, stupid question. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be calling him now, would you? So make a decision. Are you going to talk to him, or what?

He banged his forehead three times against the glass and opened his eyes.

Mulder’s head snapped up. The ringing phone startled him. He checked his watch as he moved toward the phone.

Twelve-twenty. Almost two hours later...couldn’t be.

He snatched up the phone and pressed it to his ear.

"Hello?"

Silence.

This is different. Never calls twice in one night.

"Hello?"

More of the same.

He decided on a different course of action.

"You must have a pocket full of quarters, huh?"

Nothing.

His tone turned to warm butter.

"Talk to me....tell me what you want."

This time, something that almost sounded like a breath. Then nothing.

"You know where I am."

He pulled the phone away from his ear and set it down softly, into the cradle.

Mulder’s eyes drifted open at the sound of the soft knock. He blinked and looked at his watch. Two-twelve. He picked his gun up and carried it with him to the door.

"Yeah? Who is it?"

No response.

He released the safety. "Who’s there?"

You know who it is.

He reached for the knob. Turned and swung the door open.

Tired green eyes stared down the barrel of the gun.

Mulder secured his weapon and let his arm hang down alongside his thigh.

"You look like a drowned rat."

Krycek said nothing.

"Get in here."

Mulder stepped to the side and allowed the wet man to enter. He cautiously moved into the apartment, eyes flicking around the almost dark room.

"I think this is the first time you’ve ever been here legally, isn’t it?"

Still, no response.

"So, what happened since the last time I saw you, Krycek? Did one of your associates cut out your tongue?"

A barely audible, "No..."

"Oh! He speaks." Mulder moved past him and into the bathroom. "What was with all the hang-ups?" He reappeared with a big bath towel and stood waiting for an answer.

Krycek stared at the coffee table and started to say something, then fell silent.

Mulder slung the towel over his shoulder and moved behind the younger man. He grasped the front of Krycek’s jacket and pulled, encouraging him to shrug out of it. He threw the jacket onto a nearby chair, then covered the spiky, wet hair with the towel. His hands traveled slowly down the soft cotton, to the other man’s shoulders, down his arms and away. Krycek stifled a shudder.

"Dry yourself off."

Mulder walked to his desk and leaned against it, watching through squinted eyes, as Krycek rubbed the towel through his hair. His eyes darted down to the rain soaked jeans.

"You should take those off."

"What?"

"Your jeans. They’re soaked straight through." He once again walked out of the room, only to return a few seconds later with a pair of fresh jeans. He tossed them to the stunned man. "These should fit you fine. Bathroom’s that way." He let out a short laugh. "I didn’t have to tell you that, did I?"

Krycek clutched the faded jeans in one hand and moved off toward the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and started to peel off the wet pants.

When he finally emerged from the bathroom, he found Mulder waiting on the sofa, beer in his hand and another sitting on the coffee table. Mulder nodded to it.

Krycek gently picked up the bottle and perched on the edge of the farthest chair from the sofa. Mulder studied him curiously. Hunched shoulders. Downturned eyes...and when they were looking at him, they seemed almost...well, frightened, for lack of a better word. This was an Alex Krycek he didn’t know existed. Not being one to beat around the bush, he voiced his thoughts.

"What is it with you?"

Krycek raised his eyes. They quickly darted from Mulder’s face and flitted again, around the room.

"Why can’t you look at me for more than two seconds? Is it because of what happened? Can you not face it? You challenged me if you recall." Krycek answered none of his questions, so he continued on. "You’ve called half a dozen times in the last few weeks. Since I think you’re beyond sophomoric games, I can only assume that there’s something else at work here."

Silence.

"You wanted to talk to me. You tried. You couldn’t. You were afraid to." A tiny smile curved his lips. "Is it me you’re afraid of? Or is it the fact that this is a situation you can’t control?"

"I can control it," Krycek said softly. "I can leave."

It was Mulder’s turn to be silent. He sat back and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

Mulder watched the war going on behind the glittering dark eyes. After a few minutes had gone by, he set his beer down and stroked his palm across the cushion beside him.

"Come here."

Krycek placed his unopened bottle down and rose cautiously. He moved toward the sofa.

He sat down at the far end of the couch and silently congratulated himself for not dropping down right in the man’s lap and sucking those lips into his mouth.

"No. Here."

Shit.

He slid across the sofa until he was where Mulder wanted him to be. The older man turned to face him. They were only a few agonizing inches apart.

"Did you think about it?" Mulder slid a finger under Krycek’s chin and lifted. He held the younger man motionless, using nothing more than his eyes. "I do." He moved in closer. "Night and day."

Krycek could feel Mulder’s warm breath tickling his lips. Could feel the vibration of his words. His eyes lowered to that lush mouth, so close to his.

Don’t. If you kiss him, it’ll be all over.

What if he kisses you?

Same result.

"Answer me, Alex."

"Y-yeah."

"It was good, wasn’t it?"

Krycek nodded hesitantly, still focused on that mouth. He fought to keep his body from trembling.

Mulder moved impossibly closer. "Want some more?"

A small gasp escaped the younger man’s constricted throat.

Mulder grazed Krycek’s lips, lightly with his own. "Shall I take that as a yes?"

Krycek’s eyes squeezed shut and his breaths came through gritted teeth.

"One simple word, Alex. Yes or no... that’s all. Easy." He drew his face alongside Krycek’s and gently rubbed their cheeks together. He whispered softly into his ear. "I want you. I don’t think that’s any secret." He pulled back and stared into a sea of glittering green. "Do you want me?"

Krycek’s mouth opened and tried to form the words but no sound would come out.

Mulder touched the feverish lips with his own. "If you can’t tell me, Alex..." he brushed his mouth back and forth, "show me."

Before he knew what he what doing, Krycek’s hands were tangling in Mulder’s hair and his mouth was covering the lips he’d been dying to taste again, for the last five weeks.

Mulder’s heart pounded in his throat. He’d always enjoyed kissing well enough, but with Alex...there was just something in the way he did it. It was like he’d put everything he had into it. He would have described it as tremendous enthusiasm but it went beyond that. The word desperation came to mind.

Alex’s fingers locked in the golden-brown hair and his tongue plunged into the welcoming heat, stroking...tasting. Sucking as much of this man’s essence into his mouth as he could, storing it. Saving it for the lonely times. He tightened his hold on Mulder, as the older man tried to pull away. Frantic sounds emitted from his throat.

Mulder managed to wrench himself from the younger man’s grip. He caught Alex’s face between his hands. He observed the wild look in his eyes. The desperation. "Easy...I’m not going anywhere..." His thumbs stroked Krycek’s cheeks. "Let me show you." He drew close. Closer until his lips brushed Krycek’s, then gently covered them. The younger man’s soft whimpers were muffled against his mouth. His hands stroked Krycek’s back, soothing...attempting to tame the wildness. He broke the kiss but his hands continued to move. Krycek used every bit of his will not to pull him back.

"You see?" Mulder smiled. "I won’t disappear if you let me go, and..." he took Alex’s hand and placed it over the bulge in his sweat pants. "A little tenderness goes a long way."

Krycek released a hard breath. Mulder took his hand away, leaving the younger man’s trembling hand where he’d placed it.

"Go ahead," he encouraged softly.

Alex watched the hazel disappear behind Mulder’s eyelids as he began to carefully stroke the stony erection through the gray cotton. He leaned forward and traced the line of Mulder’s jaw with the tip of his tongue.

The long release of breath from the older man encouraged him. He continued to caress the hardness as his mouth once again sought its mate. Mulder smiled against his lips, feeling the attempted restraint. He let Krycek fight it out. Felt him slowly relax and rewarded the younger man with a strategically placed hand on his thigh.

Mulder pulled out of the kiss and gently kneaded the muscle beneath his hand. "Isn’t that better?"

Krycek nodded.

"Not that hard and fast isn’t good sometimes, but...if I had to guess, I’d say that you didn’t know how to do it any other way."

Krycek cleared his throat. "I’ve uh...I’ve never...been afforded the luxury of time, you know?"

Mulder nodded and moved in for a brief kiss. "And I’m sorry, but I guess I just perpetuated that, that night in the phone booth."

Krycek lowered his eyes and took a giant leap. "Yeah, but...it never mattered before. I never wanted anything more." He risked a glance at Mulder’s face. A blend of curiosity and desire etched the older man’s features.

"Till now?"

"Till now."

Mulder pitched forward, leaning into Krycek, pushing him flat onto his back. Straddled his hips. Covered his face with soft kisses. Whispered against his cheek.

"I’m glad you came." More teasing kisses. "After that night...you consumed my every thought. Your taste. That smell of leather and cold skin..." His hand moved to the buttons of Krycek’s shirt. "The incredible sensation of being inside you..."

Krycek shuddered violently.

When he’d managed to get the last button undone, Mulder pushed the edges of the shirt aside and stroked two knuckles down Krycek’s heaving chest. He brought his hand back up and laid his palm over the thundering heartbeat. He displayed an amused smirk.

"You gonna make it?"

"Not sure."

"You’d better," Mulder joked softly. "I have no desire to fuck a corpse."

For the first time since he’d arrived, Krycek gave him a tiny smile.

"Then, I’ll do my best to stay alive."

"Good." Mulder pulled the younger man’s shirt off, then his own. Krycek watched, mesmerized, as the lean muscles rippled beneath smooth skin. He reached up and traced the line of Mulder’s collarbone with his fingertips. Mulder froze, still straddling Krycek on his hands and knees, letting him explore at his own pace, enjoying the surprisingly gentle touches.

Incredibly thick lashes swept the younger man’s cheek as his eyes closed. His hands rubbed blindly across muscle and bone, stroking and massaging. Mulder’s respiration deepened as the caresses grew slightly more insistent. He watched the changes in the face of the man beneath him and smiled. He was trying so hard. Mulder decided to reward his good behavior. He lowered himself onto Krycek’s chest, letting the younger man bear his full weight. Krycek wrapped his arms around Mulder’s back and let out a long sigh. Mulder kissed the curve between his neck and shoulder and gently ground his hips into Krycek’s. In that split second, all the progress he’d made, came undone.

"Mulder..." Krycek gasped and thrust upward. "Jesus...."

"Easy, Alex. You were doing so well..." he continued to rock slowly against the writhing man.

"But...Mulder...oh God, Mulder...please!"

Mulder’s hand slipped between them and started to undo the borrowed jeans. "Okay Alex, okay. I won’t ask too much from you tonight. You’ve been good long enough."

Krycek lay panting as Mulder removed his jeans, then pulled off his own sweats. He threw his head back and gasped loudly at the first feel of their naked, very much aroused bodies, intertwining.

"Don’t make me wait..." that feral gleam had returned to Krycek’s eyes. "I need you..."

"Alex..." Mulder grasped his jaw in one hand. "Listen... hang on, okay? I’ll be back in one second." He started to rise and was yanked back down.

"No. Don’t."

"I’ll be right back. I just want to get some lubricant."

"You didn’t use any the last time...we don’t need it."

"It’s just easier, Alex. Let me."

"No!" Krycek virtually growled against his neck. The growl turned to a whine. "Please..."

"All right...tell you what." He stroked Alex’s hip and nuzzled his throat. "You want me now, you can have me..." his eyes glittered with amber light. "...but we are going to use some kind of lubrication." He backed off and kneeled on the floor by Krycek’s head. He wove his fingers through the dark hair and pulled his head forward. Krycek looked up briefly, seeing himself reflected in his lover’s eyes. Then he opened his mouth and took the entire length of Mulder’s cock down his throat.

Mulder gritted his teeth as the younger man sucked voraciously at him, driving him quickly toward inevitable devastation.

"Alex..." he pulled back, still keeping his hold on the other man’s hair. "Let...come on...let...go." Finally, he managed to pull out of Krycek’s hungry mouth, fully intact and still incredibly hard. Quickly, he moved back up to the couch and kneeled between Krycek’s parted thighs. His hands curved under the already slightly bent knees and lifted. He moved into position and pushed slowly into Alex, stretching the tight muscle.

Alex clutched at Mulder’s shoulders, writhing frantically against him. "More," he rasped, "deeper."

Having been driven way past the point of control, Mulder complied with the desperate request. With one long thrust, he’d buried himself completely in his lover, hitting that spot that drove Krycek to utter madness.

"Shit! Oh, God!" Krycek thrashed against him, his fingers digging painfully into the padding of Mulder’s shoulders. His body lurched back and forth against the leather cushions, creating a nearly unbearable friction as the older man drove steadily into him.

Mulder grasped Alex’s cock and stroked it in time to his movements. "Come on, Alex...come on..."

Deep, guttural cries filled the apartment as both men exploded, one after the other. When it was over, Mulder collapsed and lay sprawled over the heaving body beneath him.

"I’m sorry," Krycek whispered, when his breath returned to him. "I know it’s not the way you’d intended...I tried...I couldn’t...I...I tried..."

"It’s all right," Mulder muttered into his shoulder, then lifted his head. "Did you want to? Or did you try only for me?"

"I want...I wanted to. I wanted it to be slow and s...soft. I didn’t want it to be with you like it was with anybody else I’d ever fucked in my life." He turned his face away. "Guess I blew it." Mulder’s soft laugh drew his attention back.

"The only thing you blew Alex, was my mind." His head lowered for a kiss and immediately felt Krycek’s hands at the back of his head, holding him in that position, while the younger man explored his mouth. He didn’t pull away. He stayed this time, letting Alex drink his fill.

Quite some time after that initial kiss, Alex realized that Mulder had given himself over to him, letting him take all that he needed. And in that instant of recognition, he’d received it. He broke the kiss and stared up into Mulder’s face. Hazel eyes smiled down at him.

"I love the way you kiss."

Alex’s eyes flicked away. "You do?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

Small shrug.

Mulder planted a line of tiny kisses down Krycek’s jaw. "It’s pretty late..."

"Yeah...uh, yeah...I guess it is. I’ll get going, now. I’ll get your jeans back to you..."

"Hang on, hang on. That’s not what I meant. My next statement, had you allowed me to finish, was going to be, ‘let’s get some sleep.’"

Krycek’s brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Let’s...as in you and me. Unless you don’t want to stay. I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do. I just thought that it is late, and it’s Saturday...I’ve got no place I have to be..."

"You’re...you’re asking me to stay?"

"Only if you want to."

"I...I’d... I’d like to."

Mulder smiled. A full, beautiful smile that left Alex speechless. Mulder hoisted himself to his feet then held his hand out. A second’s hesitation, then Alex reached out and allowed himself to be pulled up.

Still holding on to the younger man’s hand, Mulder headed toward his bedroom and pulled the blanket and sheet back. He got in first and looked up at the man who still stood.

"Did you change your mind?"

"...No."

Krycek hesitated a second more, then slipped into bed beside Mulder. The older man pulled the blanket up around him and then lay back against the pillows. His head tipped to the left and he studied the man who rested on his back, so close but not touching. He drew a knuckle down Alex’s cheek and watched as the younger man’s eyes drifted shut.

"Goodnight, Alex."

END