...
What started with a simple "Merry Christmas, I'm sorry I fucked you over." turned into something that began to eat Harry alive once the excitement of their case was over. The whole conversation had made Harry tense. He had almost hoped that he'd become an actor. He'd have been set for life! Just one good movie and he could chill out, budget himself well, and live peacefully. No more stealing for chump change in New York. He could live a modest life here as an actor. Wasn't that what everyone wanted anyways? To be famous? Harry took the job Perry offered him, and saved his money wisely, took his acting lessons at night. He waited, learning well and perfecting the art of acting until finally he felt himself ready. Just over five years passed before finally, the perfect role presented itself.
A spy movie.
Harry first heard word for the auditions while spending time with Harmony at all the hit parties. Of later, she would get him into all the parties she worked and helped him rub shoulders with some of the biggest producers in the industry. Now, making those connections was finally going to pay off. It was a late Friday night, mid October and Harry was tucked away sipping martinis with a group of big wigs, simply smiling and nodding while he listened to them discuss who was hot and who was not these days. To his left was a very fresh and happening producer, Harry's newest friend Barry. To his right, a veteran of the producing game, who everyone who knew him simply called "Tex". It seemed their favorite to pick on at that moment was Harrison Ford, whose declining action career was quite the disappointment. Listening to them complain about the decline of good movies, actors, and directors was something he'd grown used to and he no longer felt sorry for anyone who was getting trashed that night. Poor Harrison. They really were letting him have it...
"Can you believe that he is auditioning to play Derek Smith in that new movie To Love a Lie? Like he could manage to play an eccentric and suave spy!" Tex said. The others laughed and Harry did too, though he was hardly paying attention. His eyes were on a gorgeous young lady across the room who he had just spotted. She was tall, slim, but not too much so. Her curvaceous form was hugged by a white wrap dress, her feet adorned with a smart red pump. Harry's eyes traveled up her form and a smile slide over his lips as he admired her chin length black locks in all their elegantly disheveled glory. She smiled at the unlucky man who was chatting her up, and failing miserably, her eyes moving to her cosmo then back to the hopeless man's face.
"You should audition Harry. You've certainly got the unique enough look. Grow some facial hair, get a nice slicked back style and you could pass."
Harry suddenly looked to the person who'd addressed him.
"Me? Audition? But it's so high profile. I haven't had any experience yet. They wouldn't even consider me, Barry." Harry replied modestly. The men around him laughed and shook their heads, but Harry was once again looking over at that woman. She rolled her eyes at the man who was failing to woo her.
"Harry if you stare any harder you'll burn a hole in her skull." Barry said, patting his shoulder. Harry glanced over at the older man and raised a brow. Barry's blue eyes twinkled a little and he chuckled softly At Harry's perplexed expression.
"Who is she?" he asked curiously, looking back at the gorgeous creature only a few yards away as she shooed the poor man flirting with her away.
"That is Veronica Lane. She's playing the leading lady Morissa Rostropovich in To Love a Lie and she's a real fresh face on the scene. This will be her first film. That's why you're perfect to audition Harry. Two new faces in this summers predicted block buster. It's a great opportunity. If you want I can get you in for an audition..."
Harry smiled and looked at his friend, patting him on the shoulder.
"Thanks Barry. I think I'll take you up on that..." he replied, clasping the man's hand. "Just forward the information to my work email and I'll pencil it in." Harry said as he looked Veronica over once more.
"Will do Harry..."
::
Morning came far too soon for Harry's liking. He groaned a little as he sat up in his bed, yawning a little and stretching. He was glad to see that some how he'd made it back to his apartment last night. He smile weakly as he thought about the night before and his new prospects. An audition... it was finally happening. Now Harry could feel all his nerves tingling at the very thought. It was an amazing opportunity. He wanted so badly to be able to act. Through his lessons he'd gained a very new and real appreciation for it and it's art form. Harmony was even a little surprised to see him and how hard he was trying. As soon as Harry was dressed he went straight to his laptop and opened it. He clicked away until he got into his email, and sure enough, waiting for him was all the information he needed. Harry had only a week to prepare for his audition and he needed to go get his script, but he was more excited about this than he'd been excited about anything else in ages. He grinned and quickly left to go get his script, and once he had it he tucked it into his briefcase and headed to work, knowing Perry wouldn't tolerate lateness. However, even Perry's put downs and consistent grumpy behavior couldn't bring Harry down from his high today. He was well on his way to his first audition...
Harry entered the office and saw Perry talking with Linda, their receptionist, a case file in hand. His hair was down around his shoulders and Perry seemed a little disheveled. Harry wasn't noticing at first, his mood far too good at that moment to realize that Perry really was a mess. His sleeves were rolled up and his suit jacket had clearly been deposited somewhere else in the office. Perry looked over as he heard Harry enter, his hair falling over his shoulder. Perry quickly tucked the strands behind his ear and furrowed his brows. Harry was whistling as he walked in, a definite spring in his step, and of course, Perry glanced at his watch to check the time; Harry was thirty minutes late. Perry wasn't surprised to see Harry was late that morning, that was normal. However, when Harry was late he always stumbled in mumbling some sort of stupid excuse about why he wasn't on time, like a kid who hadn't done his homework the night before. 'Sorry Perry. A dog ate my steering wheel so I had to jog here.' This time, Harry simply waved to Perry as he passed him, heading for the staircase to his office.
"Sorry I'm late boss." he called out, a bright and glowing smile on his face. Having that script in his briefcase and that audition on the horizon had put Harry in such a good mood it was almost stupid... Almost... Perry raised a brow when he saw Harry beaming, truly just grinning. Perry narrowed his eyes as he handed a file over the file in his hands to his receptionist and then cut Harry off on his journey to his office, right at the foot of the staircase. Harry smiled warmly at Perry, expecting the man to grill him now.
"Just where were you this morning, and why exactly are you smiling like a johnny sonofa bitch about being thirty minutes late?" Perry demanded firmly; his eyes scanned over Harry's all to pleased form. Harry laughed a little at the demand, deciding not to let it get to him, (after all, things were going so well!) and patted Perry's shoulder.
"Traffic was bad this morning Perry. My bad man. I'll do better tomorrow. Promise." Harry said, winking at his boss. Perry wrinkled his nose a little at that wink and cleared his throat, his head twitching to the side a little as he folded his arms over his chest. He was already in a bad mood. The previous night had been horrible for Perry and he really wasn't in the best of moods. He was finding himself actually angry at Harry for coming in so cheerfully. Sometimes Harry's sort of puppy dog disposition really irked Perry more than it should have, today being a perfect example of that.
"Harry..." the blonde ground out, dragging each syllable out as if it pained him to even say the other man's name. Perry's lips tightened into a fine line as he tried not to smile at Harry's goofy grin. As upset as Perry was, Harry's smiles penetrated him as always. They were pretty contagious, but he was mad at the other man... or at the very least, trying to be. To be honest he counted on Harry coming in late every day and it was sort of their routine. Harry would come in late, Perry would drill him, and Harry would give some crazy excuse or story as to why he was so late. Right then, Perry really wanted that routine. He needed some level of normalcy. Last night had really screwed him up and this morning it was showing plain as day on his face. Harry looked at him with warm eyes and it made Perry's guard come down for a moment. His tense shoulders went a little slack as Harry nodded at him.
"I had to make a detour if you really have to know. I had to pick something up. No biggie. Not important. Just lemme get to work, right? Move move." Harry said in that sort of jumbled way that made Perry have to pay twice as much attention in order to understand him, his face twitching a little from mild irritation. Perry turned as Harry walked around him, up the stairs and towards his desk. Perry flinched as he caught himself looking at Harry's ass. Not that it was the first time, but it was a habit he really needed to break himself of. He followed after Harry, pursuing the other man.
'Detour? No no. No detours. Harry, when it's time to be at work you need to come in to work. What could have possibly been so important that you had to make a detour?" Perry challenged, attempting to drag something out of Harry, though he wasn't really sure what exactly he was trying to drag out of him. He was in a way, craving confrontation. Harry sat down in his desk and turned in his swivel chair towards Perry, chuckling softly.
"You gonna drill me all morning Perry? Or can we get to work...?" he asked in an almost playful tone, drawing a long sigh from Perry who ran his fingers through his long blonde hair. That's when Harry really took in Perry's state. Especially his hair being down... It was a sign that something more was bothering Perry. The only time Harry saw him wear his hair down was when Perry was severely stressed. Harry frowned when he noticed it now, and sat up straighter.
"You're wearing your hair down." Harry stated, tilting his head a little and pointing at Perry, shaking his finger a little. Harry was suddenly very concerned about his friend. Perry sneered and looked at him sternly, his arms once again folding across his chest.
"Congratulations captain obvious. You can see!" Perry snapped at him, huffing a little as he turned to walk away. Harry stood up and reached out, grabbing Perry's arm and stopping him in his tracks rather successfully to his surprise.
"No, y'see, you only do that when something's upsetting you and stuff so I figured I better mention it, to see if there's something wrong yanno. Since I'm like, your friend and all." Harry said as he pulled a cigarette from his pack in his pocket and began to light it, needing to ease his nerves that were starting to rise. When Perry did poorly, Harry did poorly. That was the way things had been since the beginning of their friendship. Perry rolled his eyes, his shoulders rising defensively as he turned around to face him, his eyes displaying hurt that Harry saw more clearly now tha he was actually looking for it. All happiness and thoughts of his audition fled Harry's mind, and he was totally consumed with worry for Perry.
"Yeah. Harry. What's bothering me right now is you not working right now, after coming in late. That would be an issue, don't you think?" Perry retaliated, watching Harry light up his cigarette. Harry shook his head, examining Perry closely, and then he took a drag from his smoke.
"That's a good one Perry, really it is, but you and I both know that isn't what's really bothering you, cause, yanno, I do that all the fuckin' time. If that was what was bothering you, you'd be at your desk yelling about how shitty of a worker I am like always..." Harry stated as he puffed on his cigarette. "No this... This is something else. I think I know you better than that by now Perry, God what's it been? Five fuckin' years? Give me a little credit, I'm not a total ass. I mean fuck."
Perry's expression softened momentarily when he saw genuine concern in Harry's eyes and sighed. They'd been friends for quite a while now and it wasn't the first time that Harry had expressed concern for him. Harry often times confronted Perry and looked right through him when he was hurting. He should have known that this time would not be different. Perry swallowed uneasily and decided to get this over with and be honest with Harry, since he'd find out eventually anyway. Perry shook his head a little; he didn't like to bring his personal life to light around the other man. When he did it began to feel like they were too close for Perry's personal comfort. There was a certain level of space that he liked to maintain between Harry and himself and every so often they crossed a line that made Perry want to recoil. He could already feel that this was definitely going to be one of those times. He swallowed uneasily and cleared his throat, looking down at his feet and then back to Harry as he took a deep breath and confessed.
"If you must know, Randall and I had a fight last night and... Well he's decided to move out..." Perry stated uneasily, his hands twitching a little as they came in front of him and folded his fingers togethe. "There. Now. Will you please get to work?"
Harry frowned deeply. Randall had been the longest running lover Perry had had since Harry had met the guy. The past three years in fact, the thing that seemed to consume Perry's soul, outside of work, was Randall Keith Cunningham. Randall was a model who had hired them three years ago to spy on his fiance. since he suspected him of cheating. When it was all over, Randall discovered not only was his fiance cheating, but that Perry had a really great ass. What had possibly started as a rebound, became a very serious relationship. The two had moved in together some time two years ago around Christmas. Harry had watched it all go sort of out of control from there. The ups and downs between Perry and Randall had been something Harry had become accustomed to seeing, but he thought that they truly loved each news shocked him, and made him incredibly uncomfortable and angry. It just didn't sit right with Harry.
"He's leaving you...?" Harry asked cautiously as he swallowed uneasily. Perry nodded tensely, carding his fingers through his hair once more, looking away from Harry's piercing and all-seeing gaze.
"Yes! Harry. What do you think he would be moving out for?" Perry snapped coolly, the pain of their fight last night still very fresh in Perry's mine. He hated to admit it, but he'd screwed up and said things he should not have, and now he was alone again. After being happily, albeit rockily with someone for so long, Perry felt empty. He'd wanted to just ignore it for a while and hope and pray that it would all just go away. Harry shook his head, swallowing again as he took a long drag off his cigarette.
"No no no. Cause see, I though you guys like, were in love and shit? You always get through it! Every fight you've had you always work it out. Why? Why now?" Harry rambled out, a sudden panic falling over him. "He can't just, move out, just like that! After everything you two have been through..."
Perry grabbed Harry by the shoulders and shook him a little, not liking how upset this was making Harry. Harry's attitude about it was making Perry relive those feelings of hurt that he'd buried from last night and he didn't want anything to do with them right now. He had to calm Harry down, make him understand that it was fine, and then he could go back to being somewhat okay.
"Yes. Harry! He can. Would you shut the fuck up. This is unimportant. He and I are through, and I'm fine with that. He's leaving and that's that. Let's just get to work, Okay?" Perry insisted, his hands trembling a little. He didn't deal well with emotions like this. He was hurting but he'd been able to bottle it up. Having Harry freaking out in front of him was bringing back all the feelings of hopelessness and loneliness.
"No! Damn it people who love each other don't just walk out! You are not okay! You're a mess Perry! Look at you! No no no this is not what fucking happens when someone you love just fucking leaves. You can't say you're okay when I know you're not...!" Harry insisted, wiggling free of Perry's grasp and he pulled Perry rather unwillingly into a hug. "I'll kill him. I can't believe that asshole... I told him he better not hurt you..."
Perry stiffened and didn't hug back, Harry's words sinking in quite quickly. Harry had warned Randall away from hurting him...? He hadn't even known... And now some of the things Randall had said last night began to make so much more sense... He felt a new wave of rage and other emotions wash over him.
"Wait what! You fuckhead! Why would you say a thing like that!" Perry demanded, shoving Harry away and knocking him right onto his ass. Harry's cigarette fell from his lips as he responded rather harshly, looking up at Perry with heated eyes.
"Because you're my best friend and I fucking love you okay man!" Harry's hands were balled into fists against the tile floor, his gaze not breaking away from Perry's as he looked up at him from the floor. "I knew that asshole model was no good..."
Perry was shaking as there was a sudden heavy silence between them. Harry slowly got to his feet, not taking his eyes off of Perry as he dusted himself off. Perry glanced down at the floor, seeing the cigarette there. Harry watched as Perry stooped down and picked up his cigarette, and then handed it back to Harry. After a few moments of standing in the tension of the moment Harry finally spoke again, putting the cigarette between his lips once more.
"Let's take the day off. Go get some coffee. And trash talk the shit out of him... That's... That's like, what you guys do when you break up right...?" Harry mumbled as he looked at his feet and then Perry, taking a drag off of his fag. Perry stared at him, dumbfounded by Harry's behavior, and then, he cracked a smile, and began to laugh. Harry took a step back as he watched Perry laugh, not really sure what he'd said or done that was so funny but it wasn't long before Harry was breaking the laughter.
"What? What's so funny!" Harry demanded. Perry shook his head, sighing a little as he stopped his laughter. Harry's ability to behave and say things completely inappropriate never ceased to amaze him. Right now, that normalcy of Harry being (in Perry's opinion) a total idiot, was comforting today. After last night's chaos he wasn't sure he'd ever feel normal again, but right then, something felt familiar and he was glad for it. He knew he probably seemed a little crazy, a little manic, but he was hurting, and felt entitled to his craziness.
"You are you fucking putz. You're funny. You are the most demented human being I have ever met, and that's saying something considering for ten years now I've been friends with Dabney Shaw and have met Adam West twice. Seriously Harry. You're an idiot on a level that belongs in an exhibit at a museum." Perry said, smiling the entire time, though Harry was giving him a very blank stare in return.
"I really don't get it Perry. I think you've gone off the deep end buddy. My dementedness has always pissed you off before so I really don't understand why the hell you're laughing so much..." Harry replied. Perry reach out and patted Harry's shoulder, simply smiling at him, though he still looked somehow, incredibly sad in Harry's eyes.
"Look, Harry. I appreciate your misplaced worry about me, but it's not necessary. Just get to work. Okay? We'll go to Journey for lunch and I'll talk about just what happened then, fair enough? Since you seem so very invested in being my fag hag today." Perry said calmly, his cool and collected behavior coming back as quickly as it had left, as was normal for him. Harry sighed and sat back down at his desk, snubbing out his cigarette in the ash tray.
"Fine..." he said dejectedly, watching Perry walk away with a frown. Something was seriously wrong here and Harry didn't like it. Perry just wasn't acting like himself at all. He turned around in his chair and flicked on his computer, immersing himself in his work for now, until lunch time would come and then they'd talk. Harry, however, wasn't sure he could handle hearing what Perry was going to say. He was already pretty overwhelmed by this entire situation. He clacked away at his keys as he typed up reports and did his best to stay focused. He couldn't help, however, that he kept glancing at the clock, counting down the minutes until their lunch time.
When one o'clock rolled around he could hear Perry coming down the steps towards his desk and he saved their documents, turning to face him as he entered the room. Perry pulled his jacket back on as he came up to Harry, straightening it out and picking invisible lint off of the sleeves.
"Ready for lunch...?" Perry asked, not looking at his partner. Harry stood slowly and rubbed the back of his neck and nodded.
"Sure. I'm ready when you are."
::
Randall's dark brown hair was still damp from his shower as he sat on the couch and awaited Perry's arrival home from his surveillance job. There was a lot weighing on the man's mind and a lot he felt he needed to say to Perry about the man's behavior, not just of late, but since they'd first met. Something had been bothering him quite severely. At first Randall had tried ignoring what was bothering him, but after a while it got to the point where he could no longer sit idly by and let his concerns go unvoiced.
He chewed his lower lip a little and twirled a lock of his hair, his t-shirt sticking to his chest where he was still wet, and his shorts slung low on his hips showed ever so slightly, his boxers. When Perry walked into the house, looking exhausted, the sight of his lover was enticing as always, one look at him and Perry was drawn to his side. He leaned over and kissed Randall's cheek, smiling weakly. All the stress of a long night's work melting away for a moment. However when Randall didn't even look at him, Perry tensed. He didn't want another fight. They'd already had two this week and this time Perry was almost certain he'd done nothing to warrant one. Randall sighed and looked at Perry.
"We need to talk Per." he said softly, getting up from the couch and putting some distance between Perry and himself. Randall's fingers twitched a little as he curled his arms around himself and sort of turned away from Perry, his lips pulled downward in a soft frown. Perry leaned back against the couch, folding his arms across his chest and crossing his legs one over the other. He tilted his head and gave Randall a very calm and collected look, though behind those beautiful blue-green eyes, a storm was brewing and Randall could sense it. Randall cleared his throat.
"Perry I think we need to break up..." Randall said softly. "From the first time I kissed you, I felt like you were never really mine. Like there was something missing. I feel like part of your heart will just never belong to me, and I need all of you to be with you... But someone else has part of you and I clearly cannot compete with him."
Ray's words not only confused, but upset Perry on a level he wasn't sure he was ready to deal with. As far as he knew, he'd devoted every extra ounce of himself to Randall he could manage. He'd tried hard to be everything the man could have ever asked for and while he didn't say it often, he loved him! What the hell other guy could Randall possibly think there was in Perry's life! Perry took a sharp inhale through his nose and then let it out slowly, meeting Randall's eyes.
"I don't know what you're talking about Randall. You're the only man in my life and definitely the only one I've given any part of my heart to." Perry said as calmly as he could manage, but his voice was trembling with rage. His lips were pulled into that familiar, tight line that showed just how hard he was holding back. Randall wiped at his eyes and laughed bitterly.
"Really Perry? Are you going to keep lying to me like this...? I know how you feel about him!" Randall insisted, wringing his hands a little and turning to face Perry completely. "So please... Just... Save me the heart ache and tell me now if I'll ever have a chance to win you away from him..."
Perry stood up and shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck and pinching the bridge of his nose. There was a sick, cold nausea settling into his stomach.
"I really wish I knew who the hell you were talking about Randall, because honestly, I just don't! I only have eyes for you and you should know that by now!" Perry said, his tone raising and growing harsh. Randall sighed a little and shook his head walking over to Perry, cupping the detective's face in his hands.
"Sweetheart... Much as I love you I cannot believe that you don't know who I'm talking about... He consumes you! Every single day it's something new. You always talk about him... And then there's this light in your eyes... And I know you love him... You love Harry Lockhart..." Randall 's words were choked with tears. He took a deep but shaky breath and shook his head a little. Randall closed his eyes tightly and took a couple steps back from Perry. "I can't compete with him... Can I? So I should leave... Because I'm not prepared to share your heart with him, let alone risk you leaving me down the road for him when you realize that he's the one you really want. Or worse you have an affair with him and I get cheated on all over again... I can't do this with you Perry..."
If Perry could have physically caused himself to spontaneously combust, he likely would have. Harry! Randall thought he loved HARRY!
"Of all the dipshit things to believe! Me? Love Harry! That man can't even properly tie his shoes most days! Let alone strike chords of love in my heart! Randall I cannot believe you! You're just being insecure because your last lover cheated on you! Well news flash! I'm not that asshole!" Perry shouted, a vein in his temple pulsing as he stood as perfectly still as he could. Randall flinched away from Perry.
"If you honestly don't think you love him then you're more screwed up than I am... Perry there isn't a thing you talk about more in this world than Harry. You worry about him. Fret over his every blunder. Each time he's gone to the hospital in the past three years that I've been with you, you couldn't even sleep you were so worried about him. You chastise him and protect him more than you've ever done for me... You love him in ways you're clearly not ready to deal with and I can't be a part of it. I've known from day one, from the first time I met you that you cared for him... And the further in I get with you, the more I see that you will never have that same sort of caring for me..."
Perry felt his throat seizing up, he couldn't bring himself to say anything, faced with all of this at once. Randall was leaving him... Because he thought that he was in love with Harry... It was surreal and never in his life has Perry been more hurt and confused all at once. He shook his head and turned his back on Randall.
"You're a fucking idiot. Get out." he said coldly, not wanting to face this anymore. He was not in love with Harry, and he damn well wasn't going to let Randall accuse him of it anymore. If he wanted to leave then fine. Perry was used to being alone and he'd be just fine without him...
Randall walked over to the bedroom and grabbed a backpack up from the floor, not saying another word as he headed out, slamming the door behind him and peeling out of the driveway. Perry felt so horrifyingly empty as he listened to the car leave his driveway. He realized quite quickly that Randall, his lover of three years, had just walked out of his life... The only comforting thing he found now, was that he had a bottle of shiraz in the cabinet that needed opening... And open it he would...
::
Harry raised a brow as he poked at his lo mein with his chopsticks, laughing a little as he looked at Perry.
"So. He left you because he thought you were in love with me...? Wow." Harry said softly, pulling some noodles up to his mouth, eating rather daintily. It seemed the more Perry took him out, the better Harry got at behaving well in a restaurant. Perry laughed a little, trying to stay light hearted for the moment.
"Yeah. I know. He's stupider than you are if he honestly thinks I could be in love with you..." he said as he sipped his tea. Harry shook his head a little and swallowed his food down, looking at Perry with his usual bright gaze.
"I'm sure there was some semblance of a compliment in there somewhere, right?" he responded as he sat back against the booth, his stomach incredibly full from all they'd consumed. Perry shrugged and set his teacup back down.
"Somewhere in there, is a comparison I never thought I'd ever make." he said softly, signaling to their waiter to bring them their check. Harry watched Perry get up out of the booth and head towards the register and he clumsily got up to follow behind him. Harry hated seeing Perry so out of sorts. It sort of hurt to see him so dejected. Behind the fake smiles and laughs, Harry knew the other man was still hurting. He thought briefly about his script and how he needed to study it and an idea suddenly struck him.
"So you're free tonight." Harry said, more than asked. Perry went rigid briefly and turned a stern glower his friend's way.
"Yes. Harry. I'm free." Perry said bitterly as he turned back to the register and handed over his credit card to pay for their meal.
"Well... You wanna hang out...? Y'see I have some cool news I wanted to tell ya and maybe it'd be better if you weren't like... Alone in that big house of yours by yourself all brooding and shit. Right? So come over. We'll have cosmos or something, whatever that girly shit you like to drink is, and I'll tell you the good news and we'll do some uh, Guy stuff." Harry proposed, nodding towards Perry and making awkward hand gestures from himself and then back to Perry, which drew an irritated sigh from Perry. Harry was obnoxious. Usually he wouldn't subject himself to extra time with the guy... However, he made a valid point... He didn't need to, let alone even want to be, alone in that house right now. It didn't even feel like home anymore. He swallowed uneasily and sighed. He couldn't believe he was agreeing to this but...
"All right Harry. I'll be over at your place around nine... After I shower and take care of a few errands. Fair enough...?" he inquired quietly. Harry smiled brightly and hugged Perry as the tiny Asian woman at the cash register tried to hand Perry his card back, he expression entirely too puzzled for his own good. Perry grabbed his card and jerked out of Harry's grasp, shoving him back a ways.
"Don't have an aneurysm Harry. It's not a pretty sight." he chided lightly, heading for the door with Harry at his heels.
::
Harry, with a beer in one hand, and his script in the other, was reading, awaiting Perry's arrival for their guys night. He figured now was as good a time as any to tell Perry what he'd been up to. And he intended to have Perry help him run lines. Harry had discovered, that just like he had a knack for memorizing blueprints to stores, as well as security system setups and how to disable him, he could easily memorize lines. He had a rather crafty photographic memory. It allowed him memorize rather easily. However, getting it just right took time. He licked his lips and took another swig of his beer as he continued to read through it, already half way through the script now. He'd gone straight home from work and started reading, and hadn't stopped yet. He looked up from his reading when he heard the doorbell ring and beamed. He got up and headed to the door, leaving his script on the couch as he jumped over his coffee table and headed to the door. This was the first time Perry had ever been to Harry's apartment, and on the other side of the door, Perry was preparing himself for the worst.
He'd expected to be disgusted the moment the door opened, however when Harry did open it, Perry was pleasantly surprised to find that a seedy sewer rat didn't come scampering out past their feet. He looked over Harry's shoulder into the apartment, and then his eyes met Harry's.
"So. I'm here." Perry stated. Harry was just beaming at him and after a moment, Harry grabbed Perry and jerked him inside.
"Welcome! Welcome! Make yourself at home! Lemme get you a drink. Gin and tonic right? With lime, don't stir?" Harry called out as he headed inside the apartment towards his kitchen. Perry stood in the doorway a moment, shrugging off his coat and slipping out of his shoes on the small section of hardwood floor by the front door. After a few feet of hallway the apartment opened up into a living room area that was broken up from the kitchen by a bar that connected to a wall to the right of Perry, where Perry saw another hallway that lead back to what he assumed was the bedroom, laundry room, and bathroom. It wasn't big, or fancy, but it was surprisingly warm. Perry took it in for a moment, just appreciating it.
"Yeah. That's exactly right!" he called out. Perry stepped onto the plush cream carpet of Harry's home and looked around, finding that it was surprisingly clean and the light was warm and low. He noted that it was because Harry had dimmer switches and kept them at a relaxing half mast position. He was startled and warmed by the aroma of the place. It smelled rich and spiced, like sandalwood and home cooking. It sent strange little tendrils of warming comfort through his body as he stepped into the quaint living room. It was spacious, adorned with a television on a plain black entertainment center, and then a low coffee table, made of solid wood that was shaped like an artists pallet. It was beautifully made and Perry admired it for a moment before he sat down on the couch. The couch was just as inviting as the rest of Harry's apartment. It was comfortable and the upholstery was soft. It was sort of tan with a couple regular pillows stuffed in one corner with a throw tossed over the arm. Harry emerged from the kitchen which was bright and apparently well used from what Perry could see over the bar. Harry was carrying a tall clear glass with a lime wedge on it. He set it on the coffee table and flopped down on the couch.
"Oh. Sorry about the pillows. Sometimes I'm so tired after work I just fall asleep on the couch instead of going to bed so I always have the pillows and an extra blanket there I would have moved them but I totally forgot about cleaning up before you came over so the place is a uh... Mess..." Harry stammered out as he watched Perry pick up his glass, squeeze in the lime, and then take a sip of the drink. Perry was silent, still taking it all in. He'd expected a big, nasty, disorganized mess from Harry and this was so... Peaceful and, while it wasn't totally neat it was clean, and lived in. It was something his home had never really been and it reminded him of his house growing up... Right down to the mismatched furniture and comforting smell. Harry frowned a little.
"Please say something, you're scarin' me here Per." Harry blurted out, wincing when Perry turned towards him, almost expecting a big rant about how much of a mess Harry's house was, just like Harry himself was, but it never came.
"I really like your place Harry. It's... Nice." Perry replied quietly. Harry sratched his ear and sat up very straight on the edge of his seat for a moment, not sure whether Perry was lying or not, however, the smile that had wormed it's way onto Perry's face told Harry just what he needed to know. Perry really was happier. Harry smiled brightly and laughed a little, picking his script up off the table.
"I'm glad you don't find it totally revolting. I'm kinda surprised actually." Harry said softly, watching as Perry leaned back and relaxed into the couch, crossing one leg over the other as he sipped his drink.
"Trust me Harry, not as surprised as me." he stated with a little laugh, glancing over to see what Harry was clinging to. "What's that...?"
Though Perry realized what it was right away he was curious to see just what Harry was up to with this script. Harry couldn't act. He'd found out from Harry later that his audition in New York had been bullshit in the first place. Harry cleared his throat.
"Well. Over the past few years... I've been taking acting lessons at night, and at all the parties Harmony took me too I was making friends with all the big producers in town... And they pulled some strings and got me an audition for the role of Derek Smith in that new film coming out To Love a Lie. And I'd really like it if you'd help me run some lines for a cold read before my audition. Cause. I can memorize this stuff no problem, but I need to like... Yanno, get that right feeling in there and it gets kinda hard when I'm by myself and I've only got my own opinion to go off of and if Harmony weren't so busy I'd have asked her but she's got that asshole Clive always around and I just don't wanna deal with that."
"Harry."
"Yeah Per?"
"Stop talking."
"Right."
Harry gave a nod and smiled warmly, receiving a little laugh from Perry in return. Perry didn't want to overract to this news that Harry had dropped in his lap, but he wasn't sure he liked this. Harry had hidden this from him for five years and Perry hadn't even noticed. He felt like he didn't really know Harry at all anymore. What with the fact that he'd only jmust now seen the apartment Harry had been living in for the past five years, and now this? It was almost too much...
"What page...?" Perry asked, watching Harry flip through the script. Harry set it between them.
"This one. Top of the scene. You're Morissa. Okay?"
"Gotchya."
Harry took a breath and then, instead of reading his line he stood.
"How about we get up and do this. Like. Stand so I can think through the mannerisms more." Harry suggested. "Or something like that."
Perry set aside his drink and picked up the script, standing with Harry. The two of them walked around to the front of the coffee table and Harry nodded, taking a deep breath once more and then, a sudden calm came over the other man. Perry watched as Harry's demeanor transformed to a more strong, suave, and sophisticated one. Harry tilted his head to the side.
"Morissa... It's far too dangerous for you to come with me... You have to stay here, otherwise, protecting you would have been for nothing." Harry said softly, his voice smooth and strong. Perry swallowed uneasily and looked down, reading the line.
"I can't let you go it alone, Smith, it's not fair. He's my father. I should help take him down..." Perry replied, a slight urgency to his tone. Harry pulled the next line up in his mind.
"You're being foolish! You can't possibly know how dangerous my line of work is. No woman should ever be involved in this kind of espionage. I can't allow it." Harry replied, firmly, turning away from Perry. Perry looked down at the script.
[VERONICA: (She moves closer to Derek and takes his hand)...]
"Derek please! Let me help..."
Harry was startled when he felt Perry's hand close around his own. He thought to what his next line was, swallowing uneasily. He turned slowly to face Perry.
[DEREK: (He gently kisses her hand, meeting her eyes in an intense gaze)...]
Harry's lips pressed gently to Perry's knuckles and he met the other man's eyes, his body tingling with some sort of electrifying pull he'd never really felt before. Suddenly he felt like the only two people in the world who mattered were he and Perry... And they were the only one's who existed...
"You make it hard for me to say no Morissa..." Harry said softly. Perry's forehead pressed against' Harry's own as they leaned in closer, Perry glanced down at the script, his own mind completely focused on Harry, a sort of intensity passing between than that had never been there before... Perry wanted to touch Harry, everywhere and all at once, make him feel good and alive, and Harry could practically smell arousal on the other man. Harry licked his lips, and leaned in closer, tilting his head.
"I hoped you'd say yes... So I wouldn't have to seduce you to get my way Mister Smith..." he said quietly, meeting Harry's intense eyes for a moment. Harry reached up and caressed Perry's cheek, that same arousing electricity tingling down his fingertips and into his body.
"I guess things don't always go according to plan, do they...?" Harry asked. Perry looked at Harry, leaning into the touch as he forgot for a moment that they were supposed to be acting, or at the very least, improving Harry's acting.
"No... They really don't..." he said softly in response, sliding a hand onto Harry's lower back and pulling him closer, flush against his body for a moment.
"Perry..." Harry whispered, their lips brushing as he spoke. A thousand words laid on his tongue that he wanted badly to say. They were threatening to gush forward if he didn't continue carefully. Perry tingled from the contact with Harry, his body tense but in such a good way. Harry took a deep breath through his nose.
"Yeah...?" Perry asked, his voice low and husky from arousal.
Harry hesitated a moment, and then replied:
"That's not the line..."
The two of them seemed to come out of their haze for a moment and break apart. Perry set the script on the table and shivered a little. He couldn't believe his own behavior! Around Harry no less! Perry looked at Harry nervously.
"You're... Much better than I thought you'd be... Acting wise." Perry said softly. Harry smiled weakly.
"Well then you haven't seen me drunk acting!" he joked, hoping to lift the growing tension. Perry laughed quietly and shook his head, looking down at the script and then back up to meet Harry's eyes. There was something indescribable happening and Perry felt his body beginning to tense. He licked his lips nervously and reached out, taking Harry by the shoulders.
"Harry I..." he took a deep breath, and watched Harry's curious expression. Harry's eyes were alight with that usual curiosity and slight confusion that made him so incredibly endearing. He had flushed cheeks and his lips were barely parted. The flush probably because he'd been drinking, and it didn't matter why Harry;s lips were parted so invitingly, Perry wasn't thinking and he just dove between them. His tongue slid into Harry's mouth so easily and so softly Harry hardly had time to react before a familiar panic over took him as Perry's hands came to cup his face and hold him in a passionate kiss. This time, however, he was panicking because he was kissing back... Willingly. Harry moaned softly and reached up, grabbing Perry's shoulder for support as Perry's tongue went to work against him. Perry's mouth only leaving Harry's to attack the other man's neck. Perry took in Harry's scent, some sort of cheap cologne and that unmistakable musk of a man that was always present. Harry's breath hitched, his neck being quite the weak spot. He whimpered a little and tilted his head away.
His hips were grinding of their own accord into Perry's as he was reduced to a whimpering mess by Perry's tongue on his skin. Harry tensed a little as his mind flashed to earlier today. Perry had just broken up with his long time boyfriend... A sudden disappointment sank in as Harry realized he was turning quite easily into the rebound. He pushed on Perry's chest.
"Perry... Perry stop... Oohhh fuck no really... Pl-Please stop..." Harry pleaded cursing himself inwardly for sounding so horny. His tone was so low and husky Perry couldn't help but growl a little. He'd never known how hot Harry could sound. He broke away and met his eyes.
"Sorry... Forgot... You're not a fag." he said softly, wiping his mouth as Harry looked at him with hurt and concern. "Let my mind run away with me there for a minute..."
Harry sighed and closed his eyes.
"Perry, you were just sucking on my neck two seconds ago and you honestly think I'm going to accept 'I forgot you weren't gay' as an excuse to molest me with your fucking tongue? Dude. We need to talk about this..." Harry stated, opening his eyes to gaze at Perry. Perry shook his head, pulling Harry close again.
"Or we could not talk... And I could just... Show you how much I appreciate you as a friend..." Perry offered. Harry pushed Perry back again.
"What brought this on Perry? This isn't like you..." Harry said softly. Perry shook his head.
"I don't know, and I don't care Harry... I just... Something inside me snapped I didn't mean to come onto you like I did it just happened and I can't take it back and I can't help that right now, I'd really like to fuck you. And to be fair, you kissed me back, and were grinding against me like a bitch in heat so you can't say you didn't sort of want it too..." Perry explained quietly. "I guess part of me wanted to feel validated and attractive after having my heart stomped on and if I'm gonna be perfectly honest Harry, I trust you. Not 'I trust you with a puppy or a really big task' kind of trust. But more like I trust you to be honest, be my friend, and not hurt me kind of trust..."
Harry felt his shoulders rise defensively and his cheeks flush.
"Perry..."
Perry shook his head, feeling his throat tighten.
"Don't say it Harry... Don't... I know the inevitable shoot down speech and I don't want it... So... Just... Let's forget about this okay? I'm sorry... I'm a little messed up right now..." Perry confessed, sitting back down on Harry's couch. Harry nodded, not really wanting to continue this conversation... Had Perry let him continue, he would have heard a very different speech than what he'd expected.
If he'd only known what Harry had been on the verge of saying...
Harry scooted close to Perry and rested a hand on his knee.
"I'm here for you Per. If you need a shoulder to cry on, or a dick to ride on." he said with a little laugh, elbowing him playfully. Perry rolled his eyes and tried his best not to smile.
"I really hope you weren't being serious just now." Perry grunted. Harry grinned and patted his friend's knee, glad that the tension had broken for the moment.
"I really hope so too."
::
It wasn't until after Harry's audition that he went into the office again. There hadn't been any new cases that Perry had needed help with so most of his paperwork he'd begun doing at home from his laptop. He used the excuse that he was sick with the flu for a few days, and then the excuse that his car was making a funny noise and so he couldn't drive there for the next couple, and after his audition, Perry called and made it very clear he needed to come in. Harry sighed as he walked up to the building, dreading facing Perry now. Ever since the night Harry had invited him over, his feelings for Perry had become more defined. More clear to him than ever before. And it was all Harry could do to keep them inside.
Just a week ago he'd agreed to an audition because of a hot woman, and now he was starting to think he might be... Bisexual...?
It was just too much for him to handle. He took a deep breath. He knew that the words he wanted to say were going to just rest on the tip of his tongue. If there was one thing Harry sucked at, it was keeping his mouth shut. He wasn't the best liar in the world. He got in the elevator and went up to their floor and found Perry talking to their receptionist when he came in. He dodged past Perry quite quickly and headed up to his desk, but as soon as Perry saw him he turned and gave chase, following after him right up to his desk.
"Harry. Why the hell have you been avoiding the office? We have had clients come in, work that needed done, and you've been at home! You don't answer your phone, you don't communicate other than when you fax me paperwork... What the hell is going on!" Perry demanded. Harry shook his head as he set his cellphone on the desk and opened up his laptop bag, pulling out some paperwork.
"Things have just come up. But I'm here now... So what does it matter Perry...?" Harry asked nervously, avoiding Perry's gaze. Perry swallowed hard, his body rigid and his lips pulled downward into a scowl. There was a few moments of silence between them where Perry simply watched Harry unpack things from his briefcase and start up his computer so he could work, when the silence was broken by Harry's loud and obnoxious Def Leopard ring tone.
"It's the studio!" Harry said as he looked at the caller ID. "This is the call back. I... I find out if I get the part...!"
Harry flipped open the phone and answered as calmly as he could.
"Hello, this is Harry Lockhart speaking, how may I help you?" he asked. He sat there for a moment as he listened, his face was blank, and then his eyes grew wide, his face breaking into a grin. "Yes I can be there in an hour! I'm leaving now...! Thank you so much!"
Harry got up and looked at Perry, who seemed entirely dumbfounded as Harry jumped over his desk and rushed for the elevator. Perry was right behind him.
"Uhm. Harry! Where do you think you're going? You have a job to do!" Perry called out, not liking this one bit. He'd not seen Harry in over a week and now Harry was just running out like this! Harry pushed the button for the elevator and waited, bouncing on his feet excitedly. As Perry came to a halt beside him Harry looked at him and beamed.
"I got the part! They want me down at the studio to sign my contract for One point five mil! One and a half million dollars Perry!" Harry announced. Perry felt his heart rise into his throat.
"You... You got the part... That... That's great but... What about us...? Our... Our partnership...? You're just gonna throw it all away?" Perry asked, coming across more hurt than he intended. Harry got into the elevator and Perry followed behind him.
"Perry you should be happy for me! This is a huge opportunity for me!" Harry replied. Perry tensed and sighed.
"I... I'm happy for you... I'm sorry. It's just first I lost Randall and now you're gonna... Gonna be gone all the time..." Perry said, his voice barely above a whisper. Harry felt guilt wrench at his stomach, those feelings coming back up again like vomit that wanted to spew from his mouth. He felt ill. He went weak in the knees for a moment, and then collapsed, when the elevator suddenly lurched to a halt and was plunged into darkness. Harry panicked.
"What the fuck!" Perry tell me this thing did not just stop!" Harry said quickly. "Not now! Why did it have to be stupid today of all fucking days!"
Perry sighed and sat down beside Harry on the floor.
"Harry. Calm down. The power just went out. I'm sure it'll come back on soon... We've had a lot of brownouts lately and this was bound to happen some time... Just wait a little while. The power will come back on..." he said reassuringly. Harry heard Perry shift and coot closer to him, and Harry sat up, reaching out blindly, he grabbed onto Perry.
"Perry... Listen I... I have something I need to tell you... I'm not going to abandon you now that I've got this acting job... I'm gonna be really busy this next year and I can't be around to help... But I am going to call and write all the time, email every day... I promise... Because when I come back from filming this movie... The only person I want walking that red carpet with me is you." Harry said softly. "I wanted to tell you the other night but you stopped me... Perry I'm in love with you... And... I'm not sure how it happened or when it happened but... But I'm in love with you and that's that."
Harry couldn't see Perry's face to gauge his reaction, and Perry didn't move or make a sound for a very long time. Harry wasn't sure if this was good or bad but either way he couldn't take it.
"Perry please say something..."
Harry gave a startled shout when suddenly Perry was on top of him, holding him and kissing his cheek.
"I love you... Randall was right, who am I fooling... You're an idiot and everything about you is completely wrong for me and my life but that's why I love you. You're not like everyone else in this town Harry and you make me work so hard to take care of you sometimes and it breaks my heart to hear you're going away and I can't be without you..."
Harry groaned as he felt Perry's hands tugging his pants down, and his fingers closing around Harry's cock.
"P-Perry!"
Perry kissed his lips softly and stroked him, pressing his own freed erection against Harry's as they bucked their hips together. Harry moaned and thrust towards Perry, kissing him with need and hunger in a fervent and loving way. The release of emotion and tension between them felt so freeing that when the lights came back on and the elevator shuddered back to life they hardly had time to react and pull their pants back up before the doors slid open again. Outside the elevator was a rather horrified looking woman with a briefcase who frowned at the sight of Harry and Perry entangled on the elevator floor. So much so that she didn't move, and the doors slid shut again. Harry laughed a little and kissed Perry softly, his body aching without orgasm he so badly needed.
"So what do we do when I get back Perry...?" Harry inquired as Perry stood up, helping Harry to his feet. Perry's smile was true and flawless.
"Whatever the fuck we want Harry. We'll do whatever the fuck we want..."
::
The End...?