Title: The beginnings of all things are small.
Fandom: Sanctuary
Characters: Henry Foss, Will Zimmerman
Rating: M, although there's nothing overly explicit. (unless you're a Puritan or a homophobe, in which case it's very, very M) A few instances of strong or suggestive language and reference to nummy lascivious acts.
Summary: Part 1 of the New Beginnings series. Follows my previous series set in the same verse: One door closes. Series set before, during and after episode 9. This chapter set before the end of episode 8.
Warnings: This story is quite clearly Henry/Will slash, and happily so. If you're afraid of, or otherwise offended by, SLASH then; might I advise you to RUN, not walk, away as fast as your little underage, or otherwise insecure/bigoted legs can carry you? Thanks. That will be all. What? You're still here? Oh. Well, then. Have at it, if you will.
Notes: It is quite interesting to be working from source material that's more into the angst than my own writing is. But seriously, this part is more of a tie-in ficlet into the new series. (I never did write the smut scene, sorry. That would have gone to my lj instead of here anyways.) The route my story was taken had to be scratched after watching episode 9, so as to avoid going all the way AU with the series. I may incorporate elements of it into this one but, really, after the scene in the submarine where they're giggling and making eyes at each other, the slash just writes itself. Anyways, as I mentioned above, this is set during episode 8 still. We'll get to 9 soon enough. Enjoy! ;D
Some of the dialogue in the series will be taken directly from the episode's script. If you've watched it, you'll know exactly where it ends and my own begins. Subtext added by the author's fiery imagination for all things slash. Complete phrases or sentences in italics represent character thoughts. Single words italicized for emphasis. Title quoted from Cicero:
The beginnings of all things are small. [From the Latin: Omnium rerum principia parva sunt.]
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Henry was amazing in bed, with a capital A. After Will's minimal and unfortunate experiences with men in his youth, he had thoroughly convinced himself that he was over any further experimentation with his own gender. However, the resilient and persistent Henry Foss had taken it upon himself to show Will the error of his ways. And showed him he had. In Will's own words, he truly had never had sex with a man before until Henry. Calling his previous experience with men sex would be like tossing some raw meat in a pot of boiling water and call it cooking. There had been no art, no nuance, no spice, and no flavor. Will had felt like those two guys had gone to the bathroom with him. It had been utilitarian and dull, at best.
Will had to close his eyes whenever Henry caressed him, focusing on feeling. Henry seemed to have a whole library of touch at his disposal. It seemed like he never touched Will the same way twice. Sex with Henry had been like drawing a road map of one another's body with dark, rich colors. Henry had blown him away. There were none of the proverbial fireworks, however; no earthquakes, no brain shattering events to speak of. It wasn't at all like the corny romance novels his old girlfriend Amy used to read to him. It was way better than that: a real, deep and visceral connection that scared and thrilled Will to the core.
It had been mostly gentle and earthy; flesh on flesh, slow and steady and delicious. Henry wasn't the type of lover who tried to impress with fancy footwork and such. Henry had merely been so indelibly present and in the moment, so unbelievably focused on Will at all times that his touch seemed to reach beneath the skin, burning itself into Will's memory. In fact, Will had never felt anything like it. Henry made him feel every touch so intensely that he could not help but shiver with delight throughout. The second time was better still than the first, and by the third time Henry was playing Will's body like a fiddle. Will did his best to keep up, but clearly he was in the presence of a master.
As they lay in a tangle of sweaty, debauched limbs, Will spoke up. He calculated it was easily near dawn.
"Holy wow, Henry. No offense, but you could do this for a living."
"What's that? Awkwardly pine after my coworkers?"
"No," Will replied, not quite amused. "You know what I mean. I feel woefully inadequate as a lover after that."
Henry sighed dramatically. "If you can still talk in such long sentences then I didn't do my job right."
"And what would that job be? Causing complete and irreversible cerebral meltdown? Because I think you did just fine."
"See what I mean? Still with the talking."
Will gave Henry a squinty sidelong glare, which made Henry grin devilishly. Then it clicked.
"Wait. You were pining?"
"Shut up, Will."
"For me?" It was Will's turn to grin.
"I liked you better twenty minutes ago, when your mouth was occupied," Henry said after a long-suffering sigh.
"Oh, ha, ha. What are you, twelve? I seem to recall yours was fairly occupied as well."
"My point entirely," Henry replied with a grin. He then reached over and kissed Will on the mouth.
Years of pent up, misunderstood desire had welled up in Will during the night. He hummed against Henry's lips contentedly, the man who had been the key to unlock that part of him he had misfiled. Will pulled away from the luxurious kiss with some regret. He felt like he had to. Henry's touch took away his willpower. That raised all sort of red flags in Will's head. His slightly obsessive compulsive need for structure fed his rising fear. Will had some control issues that he blamed for his being single. It seemed like they were about to rear their ugly heads.
"What is it?" Henry asked sweetly, noticing Will's reluctance before his avid nose detected a distant note of fear in his new found lover.
"Nothing," Will said, but he lay back, limp on the bed.
"You can lie to me, babe, but you can't lie to this," Henry replied, pointing at his nose.
Will made a puzzled face in response, to which Henry shrugged.
"One of the recent... developments. I can smell stuff now, like your scent changes." Henry blushed slightly. "I can smell when you're aroused. That's how I knew it was okay to... you know."
"Wait, you can smell that?" Will blurted out, feeling more exposed than his nakedness warranted.
Suddenly, Henry was insecure again. That Henry had not been seen since he locked the door to his room the night before. Will felt guilty for putting that expression on Henry's face again, but he couldn't help what he felt.
"I'm not doing it on purpose," Henry mumbled defensively. "It's just... there. And now you're starting to smell afraid. I hate it that it's because of me."
"It's reflex," Will replied quickly. "I'm sorry. I can't help it either. It's just... a little creepy, okay? It's not... fear per se. More like... uh... apprehension."
"Right. You know what, doc? You've seen what I become," Henry began, his voice charged up with self-loathing.
Will did the only thing that he could think of to derail this conversation. He pulled Henry close and kissed him again. It initially made Henry angry, but after some minor wrestling around the bed, he gave up and relaxed into Will's embrace.
"Okay," a calm Henry said. "What was that, now?"
"I figured it worked when you did it to me?" Will said with a weak grin. He took a deep breath and launched into an explanation. "Look, there's no precedent here, no rule book. There are changes happening in you. We both know it but, still, I'm here. Aren't I? I need you to trust me, though. Even if I initially freak out, which I didn't. I had a normal involuntary human response to something unknown. A dash of fear. The spark of the fight or flight instinct. Nothing more. Please don't read anything else into it. Okay?"
Henry looked sheepishly on as Will spoke, waiting until he was done. Then he deadpanned, "Do I sound that annoying when I'm explaining my machines and things?"
Will laughed. "Asshole."
Henry grinned happily and settled his head down on Will's chest.
"We should get some sleep," Will said.
"Hm, you're no fun," Henry replied automatically, but he was already pulling the sheets over them. He was wrapped around Will when he thought he might be assuming too much. "You are staying here, right? Because, well, I'd like it if you stayed the night."
Will leaned into Henry's warm body. There was a part of him that urged him to take the opening and make a run for it. On the other hand, he wasn't entirely sure his legs would hold him up. The commitment-phobe in him was having conniptions, and he didn't want to send Henry the wrong message by staying. Or was it the wrong message?
This thing with Henry, at least the physical aspect, felt right. More than right, Will had to be honest with himself; he had never felt more in tune with another human body in his life. He was already deep in lust with the man next to him, even though they hadn't even gone past hands and mouths. It felt dangerous and exhilarating, in a good way. Besides, it wouldn't be long before dawn, anyway. "You've talked me into it."
"Will," Henry whispered softly.
"Hm?" Will prompted. There was a long pause.
"Nah. Just... sweet dreams."
Henry thought he might have some sweet dreams himself, after weeks of nightmares. He would forego the surgery, at least for now. With Will beside him, he felt like he could face anything, even the scary changes his body was going through. If only he didn't scare the man off. He instinctively moved closer to Will, and the taller man sleepily cuddled him, relishing the body heat. Henry finally melted into a deep sleep, with not a worry in the world.
TBC
