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Todd grabbed his sweater and left his room, slamming the door behind him, and had gotten almost all the way down the hall before he met Charlie, running up the steps in the opposite direction, who grabbed his arm and pulled him back down the hallway, into his room, pushed him up against the door and kissed him until he dropped the sweater on the floor.
"Do you know what we're doing this afternoon?" Charlie said, grinning at him.
"We're going to watch a soccer game like everyone else," Todd said.
"Nope."
"What?"
"We will ostensibly be at the local library, doing research on Chaucer," Charlie said, looking inordinately pleased at the prospect.
"What?"
"Unsupervised. And no one expects us to appear before seven o'clock." Charlie bent to kiss him again, undoing the top two buttons of his shirt. Todd pushed his hands away.
"But. But Charlie."
"But--but what?"
"But. I kind of wanted to see the game."
"More than you wanted to see me?"
"No," Todd said quickly.
"I mean. It's okay. We can. some other time." Charlie turned around and rummaged through the pile of clothes on his desk chair, finding his tie, still tied.
"No," Todd said again."
"It's no big deal," Charlie said, not looking at him, "I'll just."
"Do you mind shutting up for a minute?"
"What?"
"I mean. just. be quiet," Todd said, and pulled Charlie's tie from his hand, pushing him back slightly towards the bed, not certain what he was going to do, until Charlie took an uncertain step back and put his hands out in front of him, and Todd looked at the window and Charlie's shoulder and finally at the already knotted tie he was holding in his left hand, and then, neatly, deftly, he brought the tie up, looped it around Charlie's wrists and cinched the knot tight. It happened very quickly.
Charlie went red and took another step back, the backs of his knees hitting the bed.
"You never," Todd said, and then shook his head and peered at Charlie, almost crossly. He was still holding the end of the tie in his hand. He twisted his head and brushed a kiss across Charlie's mouth, and then put his free hand on the back of Charlie's head, and kissed him hard. When Charlie moved his hands, Todd jerked hard on the tie, and Charlie lost his balance and fell back on the bed, the creak of the bedsprings surprisingly loud. They stared at each other for a few moments before Todd started to say
"I'm sorry—"
"Don't stop," Charlie said, and when Todd didn't move, wiggled back on the bed a little and slowly brought his bound wrists up over his head. Todd unbuttoned his shirt and almost clumsily pulled it off, dropped it on Cameron's bed, wiped his hands nervously down his undershirt.
"Come on," Charlie said and started to move his hands.
"Wait." Todd climbed onto the bed, straddled Charlie, and stroked a tentative hand across his stomach.
"Come on," Charlie said again, hoarsely.
"Shut up," Todd said, and leaned down, catching his wrists and using the end of the tie to bind his hands to the metal railings on the headboard. Charlie jerked at his hands
"Holy shit," he said weakly.
"I can let you go," Todd said, and touched his cheek.
"This is what they teach you in boy scouts—no, don't let me go," Charlie said, as Todd reached for the knot, shamefaced. "Don't. just. do something."
And Todd bent down and kissed him, wet and slick and hard, and kissed him until Charlie was breathless, until they were both panting and Todd rested his forehead against Charlie's and said,
"You taught me to do that."
"umn," Charlie said and Todd kissed him again, this time a little more slowly, slid his hands down Charlie's chest, said
"I think about you. I think about. doing things to you and you never let me and you never shut up—"
"I'm sorry,"
"Yeah," Todd said, almost absently, and started to unbutton Charlie's shirt. He flipped the shirt open and
"Kiss me," Charlie said, so he did, sliding his tongue into Charlie's mouth and his hands up under the hem of the undershirt, stroking his hands along Charlie's ribs, nothing Charlie hadn't done to him before, staying behind after meetings and pushing him up against the wall of the cave, cold at his back, Charlie's cold hands fumbling in under his coat to pinch at his nipples.
Charlie made a soft sound of protest when Todd lifted his head and then really moaned when Todd shoved his undershirt up under his armpits and kissed his left nipple, sucking at it hard for a moment while Charlie twisted underneath him.
"Hey," he said hesitantly, when Todd started to nuzzle at his other nipple. "My arms'r falling asleep."
"Sorry," Todd said, and shook his hair out of his eyes before untying Charlie's hands.
"You don't sound all that sorry," Charlie said, rubbing at his arms.
"Well. I'm not that sorry," Todd admitted.
"Hey," Charlie started to say indignantly and Todd kissed him again, wiggling down to lie full length on top of him, his belt buckle digging into Charlie's still bare stomach, and Charlie tugged Todd's shirt out of his pants and slid his hands up Todd's back.
"You liked it," Todd mumbled. Charlie laughed, and rolled them over.
"Okay, I liked it."
"How much longer do we have?"
"A while."
"I think I'm gonna get a button made that says *I got to second base with Charlie Dalton.*" Todd said, when Charlie lifted his head.
"Second base?"
"With a girl, that would be second base."
"Okay."
It was dark before either one said anything else.
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"What the hell happened to your wrists, Dalton?"
"What the hell happened to your face, Cameron?"
(end)