Evenfall (98 page)

"S-Sin--" was all he managed to breathe desperately.

His eyes slid open and he stared at Sin as his orgasm hit him so hard that he lost all ability to think coherently. His back arched, fingers and toes curling and he could only drop his mouth open wide and moan in a strangled half-cry, letting the intensity scour through him and wipe out every thought but Sin. His orgasm was messy and overwhelming, and his eyes feasted on every bit of skin, every perfectly sculptured feature he could see of his partner.

Sin's eyebrows drew together as he panted harshly, loud sounds dripping from his lips as Boyd's hand began to jerk his cock faster, rougher. They stayed that way for a few moments before Sin clenched his teeth together and came violently. An incredibly long, loud moan fell from Sin's lips. His eyes squeezed shut as his fingers tightened briefly against Boyd's skin. When it was finally over, he fell backwards against the sofa, panting loudly.

They stayed that way for a long time, both of their bodies slick with sweat in the room that was heavy with heat and the heady smell of sex. Finally Boyd shifted uncomfortably and made a vain effort at pulling his shorts back up so that they wouldn't dig awkwardly into his thighs anymore. He kept his eyes closed as he moved lazily, limbs languid and sated from what had just happened. When he accidentally collapsed against Sin's naked body he didn't get up even though it was far too hot for them to be so close together. He didn't make any effort to move and Sin didn't push him away so he let exhaustion overtake him. ===

When Sin opened his eyes, the shadows were considerably longer and the room was hotter. The only sounds in the room were Boyd's soft breathing and the pitiful humming of the air conditioner in the window. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a golden light on the floor which mesmerized Sin for a moment. The sun shone through so rarely that it always captured his attention.

For awhile his eyes simply followed the dust particles that danced in the beams of light. Despite the heat in the room, Sin had no desire to move. He felt lazy, sluggish and extremely content. But after awhile the uncomfortable feeling of dried semen and sticky sweat became too annoying and he made a face, shifting slightly as his gaze dropped down to Boyd.

He'd never really taken much time to watch Boyd sleep but now that they were at such a close proximity, he decided that his partner looked almost innocent in his sleep. His lips were slightly parted and face extremely peaceful, relaxed. Sin's eyes narrowed slightly and as he felt Boyd's heart beating against his chest, he wondered if this was actually happening or if it was one of the vivid dreams he'd been having in the past few months. His eyebrows drew together and he frowned at the idea but after a moment the paranoia passed and he rolled his eyes at his own stupidity.

He shifted again and frowned at Boyd when he didn't so much as stir. "Hey. Move."

The movement half woke Boyd and he blinked sleepily before shooting Sin a rather confused glare, red hair hanging around his face in disarray. "What?"

"I said get your bony ass off of me. I need a shower." Sin sat up fully and shoved Boyd unceremoniously backwards on the couch. He stood up to stretch, completely uncaring that he was entirely naked. He stepped out of the jeans which were still tangled around his ankles and scratched at the dried semen on his stomach. It flaked off and floated into the air.

Boyd made a sleepy, indignant face at him but didn't bother to get up again. He just settled against the couch and mumbled almost sullenly, "Who's the bony one."

Sin snorted and headed towards the bathroom. "Go back to sleep."

Boyd muttered something that was incoherent as it mixed with a yawn and Sin smirked, closing the bathroom door behind him. He turned on the shower and stared at himself in the mirror for a moment as he waited for the water to get slightly warmer. He studied his features, the face that looked so identical to his father's, and frowned slightly to himself. He didn't know what anyone saw in him but then again considering the fact that women had flocked to his father, he supposed it wasn't so shocking that some people might find him to be attractive as well.

The water was a little cooler than lukewarm and it felt good against his sweaty skin. He closed his eyes and absently wished that Boyd wasn't so body shy so that they could stand under the water together.

He ran his fingers through his hair and he tilted his face up, imagining what Boyd would look like completely naked. He couldn't figure out why Boyd didn't want to take off his shirt; he imagined that his chest was just as attractive as the rest of him. While his body wasn't as cut or muscular as Sin's, months of training and going on missions had given him a sleek, athletically toned body that was incredibly pleasing to look upon. Sin tried to imagine what could be so bad that Boyd felt the need to hide it so obsessively. The thought reminded him of that hint of black ink that he'd briefly seen beneath the back of Boyd's tank top.

Sin opened his eyes and washed up quickly, determined to bring it up before he forgot again. He finished his shower and wandered out of the bathroom in nothing more than a small towel which was wrapped around his waist.

Boyd looked up, seeming to have woken entirely sometime during Sin's shower. He pushed himself up on one elbow, surveying him with a pleased smile. "That's a nice sight to wake up to."

Sin smirked and ran a hand through his wet hair, slicking it back. "Too bad you didn't feel that way when I used to parade around naked in front of you on assignments."

Boyd dropped his head down onto his arms, grinning with a chuckle. "No," he drawled. "That would have been bad. I would never have been able to concentrate on anything. Running through the base I'd think only about you."

Sin gazed down at Boyd for a moment and tilted his head. "So does that mean we shouldn't be partners anymore? Or does that mean we can't do this anymore?"

"It just means I need to see you like this all the time so I can become accustomed to it," he replied innocently.

Sin actually laughed at that and leaned against the wall.

Boyd smiled in return and watched Sin for a moment. There was something that almost seemed content in the way he studied him. "I'm going to shower," he said after a moment.

Sin grunted, still looking faintly amused. "And then you can finally make me some breakfast."

Boyd got to his feet finally and raised an eyebrow at Sin. "How about you make me some instead?"

Sin made a face but before he could respond, Boyd grabbed some clothes and disappeared into the bathroom. Sin ultimately decided that he may as well make breakfast since he was hungry and didn't want to wait. He could hear the hiss of the water in the shower, muffled by the closed door. Sin made scrambled eggs and had them put onto two plates by the time Boyd was done.

When Boyd reappeared, he was in skinny jeans and a checkered shirt, the leather bands secured around his wrists as usual. His hair was still damp from the shower and fell into his eyes, which were unnaturally blue from the contacts he'd put in. He stopped, looking surprised by the food.

"Wow." Boyd started toward Sin, his bare feet padding silently across the room. "Maybe you should be the domestic one instead."

Sin gave him a reproachful look and picked up his own plate, heading over to the couch and bypassing the kitchen table as usual. "I don't think so."

"Oh?" Boyd drawled with a light smirk, bringing his plate with him as he trailed after Sin. "And why not?"

"I have to work at that ridiculous establishment so you have to do menial labor and be domestic. That is the way this situation works." Sin sat on the sofa and shoveled eggs into his mouth. He immediately made a face and declared that they were bland.

Boyd shook his head, seeming amused by Sin's reaction. He pulled the coffee table closer and set his plate down. After he took a bite of eggs he gave Sin a strange look. "No, they taste great. I think you're just trying to get out of cooking again by pretending to be terrible at it."

"I am terrible at it," Sin replied and began to eat his food at an alarming rate. They were silent as they finished eating but then Sin remembered what he'd wanted to ask Boyd. He reached out, running his finger over the base of Boyd's neck. "What's that tattoo?"

Boyd jumped at the touch, looking over at Sin with a startled, blank stare. He seemed confused by the question until recognition suddenly hit him with an alarmed widening of his eyes. His skin paled and he suddenly twisted his head to look over his shoulder. "That's showing?" he asked, sounding unnerved by the idea. "I didn't even think--" He stopped talking abruptly.

"You didn't answer my question," Sin said bluntly, eyes narrowing slightly at Boyd's reaction.

Boyd stared at him, his arms crossing his stomach. There was a guardedness to his expression that Sin wasn't accustomed to seeing. "It's nothing." He paused. "Just words. Nothing special."

Sin stared at him for a moment before shaking his head, mouth turning down with irritation. "Fine."

Boyd frowned and glanced at Sin before looking away again. His fingers curled and his eyebrows lowered almost broodingly. He wouldn't meet Sin's eye and tension built between them before Boyd finally said, "
Mea Maxima Culpa
." He paused. "And
Corpus Vile
. ...That's what they say."

Sin gave him a strange look. "And that is Latin for what?"

Boyd grew still, his expression turning into the neutral mask that Sin remembered from long ago. He didn't reply at first; he just watched Sin almost warily.

The silence grew until Sin felt irritated by Boyd's reluctance to ever tell him anything of value. "Just forget it," he snapped.

Boyd's eyebrows twitched and he looked away with a slight pained cast to the turning down of his lips. His eyes narrowed pensively and there was tension in his shoulders. After a moment he grimaced.

"'Through my greatest fault,' and 'worthless body,'" he said without looking over.

Sin stared at him blankly. "Why would you get something like that?"

"I was upset," Boyd replied, still not looking at him.

That earned him another blank stare but this time the expression morphed into one of annoyance. Sin shook his head. "Whatever, Boyd. Forget I asked."

Boyd's expression twisted and he looked down. One hand rested on the wristband of his other wrist and his expression tightened. "It's not that I don't... It's just--" He stopped himself, apparently incapable of finishing a sentence. A frown marred his face. "It's just... difficult."

"Just forget it," Sin said flatly. "I've lost interest in knowing."

Boyd looked over at Sin, seeming at once hesitant and wary. "I mean it's hard to explain, okay?"

Sin made a face and stood up, grabbing a shirt and throwing it on. "Yeah, everything is with you."

He didn't want to be angry with Boyd, didn't want to go through this again, but he couldn't help it. Despite everything he'd been through, despite the fact that he was going against all the things that were ingrained in him, he constantly opened up to Boyd but Boyd had yet to do the same.

"I'm going to go work out. Go running."

Boyd watched him and then ran a hand back through his hair. He looked away with a nod, his lips pulling down pensively. "Alright."

Sin stood for a moment and looked at Boyd before shaking his head and turning away.

Chapter 32

Monterrey was slowly becoming less of a mystery to Boyd as he spent most of his days wandering the streets with the sketch pad, getting a feel for the public transportation to better understand what systems would make learning the city most efficient. He learned that the taxi cabs were by far the best way to tour the city, but there were certain areas that the bus-lines or train were better for. He also learned that it was incredibly easy to find every type of transportation available in many areas of the city but there were a few places where it was nearly impossible.

The availability of public transportation seemed to correlate to the wealthiness of the neighborhoods he found himself in. It helped him get an overview of Monterrey and which areas he should study the most as the months passed. More than once he found himself mentally marking a block or building to return to at a later date for further study as a possible future hiding place.

At one point in one of the trendier parts of the city, he thought he felt someone tailing him. He gave no visible indication of noticing but he could feel it in the way his senses were on alert. Rather than looking around obviously, he just meandered, casually checking reflections or stopping at shops and watching in his peripheral vision for anyone out of the ordinary.

If someone was truly watching him they were doing a very good job of staying hidden because Boyd never once saw anyone acting suspicious. And, unfortunately, Monterrey was such a diverse city that he couldn't even look for someone who seemed out of place.

After awhile he decided he had either been mistaken or the moment had passed so he gave up searching for the origin of the feeling and instead focused on his task. While he always made a point to act like Kadin, he was especially careful that day; every speech pattern, seemingly unconscious gesture, and expression was to the best of his ability a perfect mimicry of the man he was impersonating.

He hadn't returned to Julieta's; it seemed too early to him and the last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to himself. Instead, he excused his apparent interest in the city at large as a longer-ranged shopping trip. Even with the sturdier door, there were still some issues with the security of their studio. He didn't see the need to fortify the entrances any further but he did think the inside could use some help and it gave him a good cover for extensively traveling the city.

The main issue was Sin's weapons; they were really the only thing of import they had in the studio and they were not properly protected. He decided to go with a wardrobe with a fake back that would give them access without being an obvious hiding place.

Due to his varying schedule, Boyd didn't see Sin as often as he had before. With Sin working night shifts and Boyd traveling around primarily during the day, there were a few times when Sin returned home to find Boyd already asleep or just on his way. Most of the time, Boyd was still awake when Sin returned or Sin woke up early enough to see Boyd during the day; whether it was before he left or when he returned for breaks.

Now that their mutual attraction had finally been acted upon, it wasn't uncommon for them to touch each other. There hadn't been much progression sexually, but that didn't take away any of the heat from their fevered kisses or quick, frantic handjobs before one of the two left the studio to go about their day. Other than the introduction of mutual masturbation and oral sex, nothing else had changed about their relationship except for the fact that Sin had become far more stoic than he'd previously been.

He was far from cold and was as sarcastic as ever but now it seemed almost like he'd reverted to the attitude he'd had when they first became partners. It was a subtle difference that probably wouldn't even be recognized by anyone else but over the days Boyd had noticed that their conversations had focused on the assignment, work, or superficial banter that seemed almost forced or stilted. No personal information was exchanged, no questions were asked. In fact, Sin seemed to be refraining from even sharing his thoughts or opinions on trivial incidents at work. Instead, he'd taken to relating them in an almost impersonal way.

Despite the fact that Boyd was more than pleased by the fact that they had gotten closer sexually, he was disappointed by the distance between them. There was no doubt in Boyd's mind that it was directly related to his awkward reaction when Sin had asked about his tattoos.

Many of the hours Boyd spent walking around the city eventually became a time for him to think more clearly about recent revelations. He'd felt guilty for not answering Sin's questions that day when Sin had answered so many of his own. Yet talking about any of that was a difficult thing for Boyd to consider; he was an introvert by nature and that had only been emphasized as he grew, as events in his life had changed him irrevocably.

If it had just been a question of tattoos, he could have answered. But it wasn't. It was all tied together, the dark mass of emotions that loomed in his memory. For anyone else the very idea of even trying to talk about it would have been terrifying. But this was Sin.

It took him a day to determine that he couldn't avoid this, and another to convince himself that he had to get over his aversion to talking about this. Of all people, Sin deserved the full answer that Boyd had never been able to even think about for anyone else.

Still, even after he'd determined that, every time he tried to bring the subject up he somehow always changed his mind at the last second or just couldn't seem to get the words out correctly. It was starting to irritate him but that only added to his determination. He couldn't -- shouldn't -- let fear of the past determine the course of his future. It was a lesson he needed to learn in general but he would start by applying now.

By the time Sin returned from work, Boyd was standing in the kitchen reheating some food he'd bought a few hours earlier when returning from the city. It had worked out nicely; he'd needed to check out a few places after dark and at that point he decided he may as well eat late with Sin. He turned at the noise of the door opening and smiled slightly.

"Hey," he greeted. "Are you hungry?"

Sin locked the door and flipped the dead bolt before turning in Boyd's direction with a grunt that passed as an answer. He looked tired and a little annoyed although he didn't complain about either. He walked over to the kitchen. "What did you make now?" He stared down at the pot of reheating noodles.

"I didn't make it, but it's chicken alfredo."

"Oh." Sin grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and turned towards the main room to start stripping off his work clothes.

Boyd watched him sidelong before speaking again. "Were there any exciting brawls at work today?"

"I broke some college kid's nose," Sin said mildly. "Slow night. But somehow that annoying group of women who follow me has grown larger."

"Really." Boyd deemed that the chicken alfredo would be warm enough in a few minutes. He set a small hand-held timer he bought for the kitchen and turned around, leaning against the counter with his hands resting on the edge. "What's it up to now, twenty?"

Sin shrugged and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it on the couch. "Seventeen. Johnny's suggestion was that I fuck one and be done with it."

"Hmm." Watching Sin's bare torso, Boyd shook his head slightly. "I don't think that would work. It would only make them want you more."

"I wasn't planning to try it, anyway," Sin replied with a shrug.

Boyd watched him, his gaze automatically moving across Sin's body. The old scars were a familiar pattern against Sin's skin; he'd certainly seen him without his shirt often enough to know where each of them was and what they looked like.

They told stories, some of which he hadn't heard, and several of which he wanted to know. The one that looked as though it had been most painful, and certainly most life-threatening, was a thick scar that angled partially across his throat before it jerked down toward his collarbone.

Before Monterrey, the collar had always been there, partially obscuring the scar. Seeing it out in the open made him think about how things had changed in Monterrey; how Sin had seemed, for awhile, to be opening up even more. It made him think about how much he'd liked learning more about Sin and how annoying it would have been if every time Boyd had asked anything personal, Sin would have just avoided the question entirely or not fully answered.

This was the best chance he would have to get to know Sin more and, honestly, it worked vice versa.

The buzzer went off behind Boyd and he turned toward it automatically to shut it off. He filled a plate for him and Sin each and then moved over to the couch, pushing one of the plates in front of his partner. They were quiet for a bit but it wasn't particularly uncomfortable.

Boyd stared at his food thoughtfully as he ate, realizing that at that point he could just fall silent. He could take the easy way out. He could feel like at least he accomplished some small part of his goal and be done with it until another time. But that would be stupid; he hadn't really said anything important yet and Sin still deserved to know at least an equal amount about Boyd that Boyd now knew about Sin.

He looked over at Sin, studying him. "I'm not very good at this," he said honestly. After the few moments of silence, the words seemed a little abrupt. "I don't know what to say to you. Even so... I want to tell you whatever you want to know about."

Sin studied his food intently as he twirled his fork around, expression not giving anything away. "What makes you think I want to know anything?"

"I think it's impossible to spend this much time in someone's presence and not be curious. And you wouldn't have asked me any questions earlier if you hadn't wondered." Boyd paused, considering him; this would probably make him sound like a stalker but at the moment he didn't care about protecting his own feelings. "But it's the same for me; I was curious about you long before I felt I could actually ask you questions. So... I did some research on you. I saw some videos and, for awhile, I watched you."

Sin stopped chewing and stared at Boyd for a long, tense moment. His face was completely still and guarded, body stiffening as his eyes narrowed. "Watched me," he repeated in a flat voice.

"Yes. Those cameras in your apartment had a live feed that I was able to connect to." He hesitated, hoping this wasn't going to ruin whatever amount of trust he'd been able to build with Sin. "I felt bad watching you without your knowledge but I couldn't help it. Still, the fact that you had no privacy bothered me. It's why I destroyed them."

Sin slowly began chewing again and swallowed his food, dropping his gaze to his plate thoughtfully. "Why did you watch?" he asked finally. There were no traces of resentment and anger in his voice if anything, he seemed mildly surprised and curious.

Boyd looked down at the alfredo, his eyebrows drawing together as he remembered that time. "I was captivated by you." He idly pushed some noodles along the edge of the plate with his fork and then looked up to meet Sin's eyes. "I ran across it by accident. But I saw a side of you I didn't see elsewhere at first, and all these questions grew in my mind. After a while, I began to feel," he paused as his eyebrows lowered further in thought. "Connected. I think I saw a bit of myself in you but more than anything, it just... made me feel like I wasn't alone."

There was along moment of silence as Sin watched him. After a stretch he pushed his empty plate aside. "You saw some of yourself in me?" he asked somewhat skeptically, eyebrows drawing together. "How?"

Boyd let out a low breath. "I don't know, exactly. Just..." He gestured vaguely, his eyebrows drawing down. "You were so alone. No one knew you or even cared to try. Sometimes you stayed still for hours, not really doing anything, and I couldn't tell if you were thinking deeply or if you'd simply stopped caring to move. And what I saw when we were together wasn't always what I saw on the feed. It made me start to think about what was a mask you put on to keep others from hurting you and what was indicative of who you are."

Sin frowned slightly, making a contemplative sound as he studied his partner. He seemed to take this all in before asking, "What other videos did you see?"

"Mostly the ones related to your incarceration," Boyd said with a shrug. "There was a surveillance video of the reason you were arrested, when you protected that girl. And of your interrogation by the two detectives. I also saw the session with Lydia Connors."

Sin had just started to reach for his water when he froze. He didn't look away from Boyd and for an instant his eyes narrowed, brows drawing down as his mouth tightened in a thin line. A muscle in his jaw ticked and he stared at him for a long moment before he finally grabbed his bottle. "You saw that." It was more of a statement of fact than a question.

"Yes."

"And you still..." Sin shook his head, trailing off as he drank a long gulp of water. "
Never mind
."

"What?" Boyd asked, watching him closely.

Sin shrugged and sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. "Those two incidents are what led to mostly everyone believing that I am a psychopathic murderer. And you've seen them and yet--" He stopped again. "When did you see them?"

Boyd thought about that aloud. "It was after the mission when I was captured... So that must have been around October?"

Sin stared at him incredulously and shook his head. "You saw them that early on and you still treated me like... how you treated me. You still believed that everyone else's opinion of me was wrong." He was silent for another moment before finally clearing his throat and raising an inquisitive eyebrow. "And what did you think, then?"