This ficbit features characters from the short story Jailbreak, part of the short story collection Seeing is Believing.
Reid wandered through the hallways of the Collegiate's dormitory building, steadfastly ignoring everyone who gave him a strange look. He always got strange looks, be it because of his very prominent scar or the reputation that followed him everywhere. He wasn't a loose cannon, really, he just didn't like to bother with the bureaucratic nonsense the High Circle tried to make all their mages do.
He'd gotten better recently, though not on purpose. Being restricted to the Collegiate's campus had limited the shenanigans he could get into, and he was definitely distracted by Ty, much to the High Circle's relief. They were probably just glad they wouldn't have to face assigning him a partner or worse, sending him out on his own again.
Ty was a good distraction, too, except for when he wasn't. Like today—Ty was being a bad distraction. He'd woken up late for his tutoring session with the only fire mage on campus and left before Reid had done more than stir; then, he'd skipped out on their lunch plans, which, granted, were just to get a bite to eat at the cafeteria. Definitely not haute cuisine, but Ty didn't seem to care. He didn't seem upset about most anything here, which was nice. Reid had rescued former nobles before and they were nothing but whiny, entitled brats about everything from their accommodations to the food to the lack of servants waiting hand and foot on them.
Personally, Reid thought it would be better if most of them had stewed in jail for a year like Ty had. Ducking down the hallway that led to the room they shared, Reid forced his thoughts back on track. Ty had missed their lunch date. Ty wasn't with any of his professors—all two of them, since it was difficult to teach a fire mage without some knowledge of fire magic—and he wasn't in the little sitting room he normally studied in. Ergo, he had to be in their room.
Though why was a good question. The dormitory rooms were tiny and ill-lit; theirs was no better, for all the fact it was built to accommodate a couple. The bed was bigger and took up more space was all the difference between it and the regular dormitory rooms. Perhaps Ty was ill? Reid hoped not—Ty wasn't a terrible patient, but if Ty was sick, Reid would get sick, and Reid hated being sick.
Opening the door to the dorm room, Reid paused in the doorway. Ty was there all right, leaning against the wall by the window and staring outside blankly. He didn't look up when the door opened, though it squeaked terribly. Reid rolled his eyes, shutting the door loudly.
"You stood me up," Reid announced, watching Ty closely. Something was off here, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Ty was dressed normally, in the "uniform" the Collegiate provided—a simple dark blue pants and a pale, almost white shirt. The dull colors made the bright, rich red of his hair stand out even more, even if it got Ty more harassment over the color.
Though most of that had stopped after Reid's "warning" to the first punks who had tried to start something over it.
"Sorry," Ty said, his voice flat and tired. Reid snorted, crossing the room to where Ty stood. Ty still didn't turn and look at him, and Reid knew for a fact there was nothing interesting out that window—there was another dorm building twenty feet away. The view was abysmal—bricks and shuttered windows and nothing else.
"Are you brooding?" Reid asked, ducking around the foot of their bed to get in Ty's line of sight. Ty blinked, finally focusing on him, and Reid grinned. "You are. What's up, sunshine?"
"You're not funny," Ty said automatically, as he did whenever Reid called him that. It was a stupid play off Ty's stepfather's name; after they'd transported here, someone from the High Circle had been stupid enough to use "Cloud" as Ty's last name. Ty's pleasant reaction to that had earned him the stupid nickname.
"Yes, I am," Reid said, reaching out and tugging a bit of Ty's hair. Ty rolled his eyes, but didn't even crack a smile, so it was serious, whatever he was brooding about. "Why are you sulking in here?"
"I was under the impression that this was my room as well as yours," Ty said, scowling at Reid. "But if you prefer I sulk somewhere else, then fine—"
Reid rolled his eyes—Ty really was in a fine snit—and grabbed the front of Ty's shirt, pulling him close for a brief, bruising kiss. Ty resisted for a minute, but caved, kissing back with a desperation that was unlike him. So something was definitely up, Reid just had to figure out what.
It wouldn't be something stupid. Ty wasn't this het up when the High Circle moron had called him Cloud, and none of the teasing and flirting over his hair had gotten him worked up either. Ty was doing well in his studies, so it couldn't be that.
Reid broke for air, narrowing his eyes at Ty. "Why are you sulking, at all? Real answer, this time."
"I'm not sulking," Ty snapped, and that wasn't a real answer so Reid thumped him on the chest. Ty scowled, pushing away from Reid and storming over to the bed—a whole three steps. He sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, his scowl slipping into a pensive frown.
"Then what are you doing?" Reid asked, crossing his arms and not making any move to join him. If Ty wanted to play that way, Reid would play that way. For the moment, anyway.
"I—" Ty started, then sighed, running his hands through his hair and biting his lip. "Today is the third, right?"
"Right," Reid confirmed, dragging the word out to three syllables. "And?"
"It was… it was this day last year that my mother died," Ty said quietly.
"Mourning," Reid decided. "You could've just said."
"How? I didn't realize until earlier, and…" Ty shook his head. "I thought it had already passed, that I'd spent more than a year in prison."
"So you decided sulking about it was better than saying anything?" Reid said, finally moving to sit down next to Ty. Even if it would mean he'd probably get smacked for saying something stupid.
"I wasn't sulking," Ty said, but he sounded less annoyed about it. "I was just… my mother was all I had, you know? My father died when I was twelve, and she didn’t remarry until after I was grown up."
"You were close," Reid surmised, though he'd already figured that out. You didn't kill for someone you didn't care about, after all. "What do you want to do?"
"What?" Ty asked, looking baffled, and Reid suppressed a snicker. Now wasn't the time to be laughing at Ty.
"What do you want to do?" Reid asked again, smirking a little at Ty because he couldn't help it. "There are temples somewhere on campus, and I'm sure if I explained to a Circle member, they'd let me go into town with you to do something there."
"We were never big on religion," Ty said, shrugging. "Going to a temple now doesn't seem right."
"So what were you big on?" Reid asked, curiously. "We could do something like that, in her memory."
"Gardens," Ty said, after hesitating for a second. "She loved—there were these big parks in the city, full of well-tended gardens. We used to go for walks there once a week or so."
"There's a garden here," Reid said thoughtfully. "We could go later, when no one's around and just walk around. You can tell me all about what made your mother put up with you for so long."
Ty snorted, but he was smiling, which was an improvement. "Why later?"
"Because, one, it's going to be crowded this time of day, and two, you stood me up at lunch and I think you need to make it up to me," Reid said, grinning and hoping he wasn't pushing. Ty was usually good at telling him when to back off, though, and he never seemed to mind too much when Reid was a jerk, which was good because Reid wasn't sure he knew how to stop being one.
"Oh, that's supportive," Ty said, but he was still smiling, so he obviously wasn't upset at the suggestion.
"I try," Reid said, then added thoughtfully, "Besides, it'll keep you distracted for a while and make you feel better."
"I don't know, I think you might be overestimating your skills," Ty said thoughtfully, looking completely serious.
Reid snorted, amused and pleased because Ty was obviously feeling better if he was up to making cracks about their sex life.
"Yeah? All right, we can do something else, if you're that—" Reid started, feigning indifference, but Ty didn't even let him finish the sentence, pushing him flat on his back and kissing him again.
"You talk too much," Ty decided, and Reid rolled his eyes, sinking his hands into Ty's hair and pulling him back down for another deep kiss. Ty kissed back fiercely, much wilder than usual, but Reid wasn't averse to it; Ty obviously needed distraction, and Reid liked this form of distraction. Keeping a firm grip on Ty's hair, Reid reached down and groped Ty through the front of his pants, grinning when the move made Ty jerk back in surprise.
"Cheater," Ty muttered, and Reid took advantage of his distraction to roll them over so he was on top. Ty laughed breathlessly, amused as always that Reid did his damndest to always be on top. Ty reached up and pulled Reid back down by his collar, kissing him again as Reid worked on the buttons to his shirt. It took much too long to get Ty's shirt actually off, since Ty wasn't against cheating himself and Reid was constantly distracted by delicious kisses and teasing touches.
Ty was much sneakier than he was, too, since he always somehow managed to get Reid undressed more quickly and without Reid realizing it—Reid's shirt hit the floor while he was still fighting with the buttons on Ty's, and then Ty's hands against his chest were even more distracting than the kisses had been. It was a good thing Reid cheated, otherwise he'd always lose.
Leaving off on Ty's shirt—it was unbuttoned all the way down the front, giving him full access and that was good enough—Reid ducked away from Ty's next kiss and shifted down to focus exclusively on Ty's belt. Ty shifted, tangling his legs through Reid as he managed to kick off his boots, and Reid nearly fell face-first onto Ty, saving himself only through a quick brace of hands against the wrinkled covers.
"This won't work if you kill me first," Reid said, ducking his head and biting the soft skin of Ty's stomach, right above his pants.
"I could figure something out," Ty said, his voice even despite the hitch in his breathing as Reid hooked fingers below the waist of his pants and tugged.
"Ew, I didn't think you were into dead—" Reid started, shutting up when Ty shifted and rubbed his leg against Reid's crotch. Focusing again—Ty wasn't allowed to win, after all—Reid quickly, and with only a little fumbling, managed to unbuckle Ty's belt and unfasten his pants. Shoving a hand down the front, Reid grabbed Ty's cock, getting a startled, half-muffled noise in response.
"Reid," Ty said, his voice much less even now. Reid grinned, giving a few quick strokes that made Ty groan again, and then pulled his hand free.
"You want me to kill you," Ty said, not giving Reid time to reply before he sat up slightly to kiss Reid briefly. Reid snickered a little into the kiss, yelping when Ty roughly groped him mid-kiss. Pushing Ty back down on the bed, he hooked his fingers in Ty's pants and yanked, pulling them down to mid thigh and baring Ty's cock to the room.
"Hmm," Reid said thoughtfully, pausing to drink in the sight before him—Ty was flat on his back on the bed, shirt completely unbuttoned, pants almost to his knees, and cock all but standing at attention for Reid. Nice.
"Reid," Ty said again, a warning note to his voice this time. Reid grinned, then wrapped his hand around Ty's cock again. Ty shifted his hips up in response, and Reid complied with the unspoken request, jerking Ty off with slow, steady strokes that elicited some lovely noises. He waited until Ty was swearing with every other stroke before letting go, earning a murderous look as he stepped away from the bed.
Ty didn't protest though, just kicked off his pants and shrugged off his shirt as Reid rooted around in the rickety drawer of their bedside table for oil. It didn't take him long to find; the drawer was tiny and it wasn't like they never used it.
"Do something with this," Reid said, tossing the glass vial towards Ty. He grinned cheerfully at the look Ty gave him, pleased that his distraction was working so well.
"I could throw it at you, if you want," Ty said, watching him avidly as he stripped out of the rest of his clothes, letting them pile on the floor with complete disregard.
"That wouldn't be very nice," Reid said, tsking at Ty, who just rolled his eyes, apparently unimpressed.
"You wouldn't know nice if it hit you on the side of the head," Ty said, but he'd popped the top out of the vial so Reid was willing to let that go. He was nice all the time, though for some reason people didn't see it that way.
"Well, I know nice wouldn't be hitting me on the side of the head," Reid said thoughtfully, moving back over to where Ty was sprawled against the covers. Ty shook his head, but let Reid take the vial from him without any fuss.
"That's something," Ty muttered distractedly as Reid ran a hand up his thigh. He sat up suddenly, taking Reid by surprise, but Reid didn't protest the fierce kiss Ty gave him, just made sure to hold onto the vial as Ty stole his breath completely. Ty pulled him back down with him, and Reid couldn't help the groan that escaped when their cocks brushed against each other in the process.
"I'll show you something," Reid muttered against Ty's lips, shushing any reply Ty could've made with another wicked kiss. "Now hold still—"
"Still, like…" Ty said, shifting his hips against Reid's evilly. Reid shook his head, but just took another kiss before slapping Ty's hip lightly.
"Turn around," Reid ordered, shuffling back so Ty would have room to actually move. Ty laughed and moved slowly to turn around, probably in revenge for Reid's teasing. Reid waited impatiently, then put the oil to good use, stretching Ty thoroughly before finally coating his own sorely neglected cock in more oil.
He couldn't bring himself to tease like he usually did, just thrust in firmly, groaning softly at the sensation. Ty let out some muffled, strangled noise which meant good things on his end, but Reid paused anyway, unable to help it. "Okay?"
"Yes," Ty said vehemently, nodding in emphasis, and Reid knew it was obnoxious, but he couldn't, wouldn't let himself hurt Ty again, not when he knew damn well just how much it hurt to have energy ripped away. At least Ty never called him on it.
Gripping Ty's hips tightly, Reid moved slowly at first, then more quickly, building up to a fast, brutal rhythm. Ty met him halfway, faltering only when Reid reached around and grabbed his cock, stroking it in time to his thrusts. Ty groaned, then started muttering incomprehensibly into the covers on the bed. The words were lost, but the tone of need carried well enough, and Reid picked up his pace, his world narrowed down to his cock in Ty's ass and his hand on Ty's cock, and then everything reached a peak—and it was hard to tell which of them came first, Ty or himself, but Reid was going to call it his victory even if it wasn't.
"Ugh," Ty muttered as Reid pulled out, staying where he was for a moment before collapsing down to the bed to the left of the wet spot on the covers. The laundry women had to hate them, really.
"Ugh, really?" Reid said, and Ty sat up, wincing briefly.
"A five," Ty decided, and Reid scoffed, but didn't protest when Ty dragged him into a kiss.
"A five, really?" Reid asked when Ty let him up for air. Ty laughed, kissing him briefly again.
"Out of five, I don't think I can count to ten right now," Ty said, and that was better. Reid grinned, pushing Ty back down on the bed and then collapsing into place beside him.
"I suppose I'll put up with that," Reid said, shifting so he could curl up with Ty properly. Ty laughed, pinching him lightly. "I mean, five out of five is good, but I'm looking for six out of five or something."
"You'll just have to try harder," Ty said, pressing his sweaty head against Reid's shoulder.
"Well, I don't want to break you," Reid said, running a hand casually over Ty's side and enjoying the way Ty shivered at the touch. "It's so hard to train replacements, ow!"
"Shut up," Ty muttered, and in contrast to the sharp pinch he'd just given Reid he sounded half asleep.
"Fine, fine," Reid muttered, smiling despite himself. Ty was irreplaceable, really; he seemed to have an innate ability to tell when Reid was being flippant and when to take him seriously, whereas every other, brief, lover he'd ever taken had been offended by him within three minutes of sleeping together. "I guess I'll keep you."
"Good," Ty said sleepily. "Because I kind of like you."
"I kind of like you, too," Reid said, grinning. "Now go to sleep before you say something even more embarrassing."
"Saying I like you isn't embarrassing," Ty said quietly, sounding much less asleep. "It's the truth, and I don't much care who knows it."
"Awww, that's sweet," Reid said, knowing he sounded sarcastic but actually meaning it.
"Isn't it?" Ty muttered, sighing softly, his breath warming Reid's skin.
"I don't care who knows I like you, either," Reid said, poking Ty's shoulder. "Though I think they pretty much all know at this point. I wasn't exactly subtle when I told off that one punk for trying to steal your hair."
"I take it back, I don't like you," Ty said, shaking his head. He made no move to get up though, so he wasn't too upset. "What did you do to him? He wasn't bothering me. Though it does seem strange to me that there is no one with this hair color this far north."
"I just talked to him. At a loud volume. In the cafeteria," Reid said, shrugging and jostling Ty. "It was weeks ago, you know."
"I know," Ty said, sighing. "Don't do it again or something. I'm going to have to yell at you later for this."
"Yeah, yeah," Reid said, deciding he needed to "distract" Ty later, too. "Sleep now." Ty just nodded, shifting a little closer. Reid wouldn't sleep—sex always woke him right up—but he liked staying with Ty when he inevitably fell asleep afterwards. Ty sighed softly again, already three-fourths asleep, and Reid smiled stupidly, curling closer to his lover.
