* Before anything else, I'd like to thank the three wonderful
people who volunteered to beta this fic: Ari, Bright Angel
and Gryvon. ^_^ Because of you three, this fic was MAJORLY improved,
and I also picked up some tips to remember from the comments you
gave me. Thank you soooooo much, I really appreciate the help!
---------------------------------------------------
Ego and Desire
by Chibi Chiriko
---------------------------------------------------
Weiß Kreuz does not belong to me. All standard
fanfic disclaimers apply.
---------------------------------------------------
WARNING: This story contains helpings of shounen ai.
That's male/male attraction/love for you rookies, so
if that's not your cup of tea, you'd be better off
heading elsewhere for a snack. Veteran fans and
curious initiates, do come in and have a sampling.
^_~
For the spoiler-conscious, worry not! There will be no
spoilers at all in this fic, although if you're super-new to
the series and don't know anything about the characters,
you'll probably be a bit confused...
---------------------------------------------------
"Schuldich. SCHULDICH!"
The name was repeated several times by an angry voice,
bouncing violently off the walls of the ears and mind
of the man being addressed. The red-haired telepath
smiled knowingly to himself, the grin on his face safely
concealed in the darkness of the kitchen. He was no
stranger to the exasperated tone of voice that had
been used on him so many times in the past, and he already
knew the reason behind the exasperation *this* time.
He knew from Crawford's impatient tone that the other man
wanted to see him in the living room immediately, but he
would not give him the satisfaction of doing so. No, he
wanted Crawford to come to *him.*
For the briefest slice of a moment, two wily, cat-green
eyes gleamed to life in the dark.
Schuldich toyed patiently with the loose scarlet strands
of his hair while he waited, humming a low German tune
under his breath. Oh, the other man would come, he
knew--the other man *always* came to him in the past,
his patience taut to the point of snapping, knowing Schuldich
could hear him, but chose simply not to cooperate.
This time, Schuldich didn't have to wait too
long, for the sounds of deliberate footsteps
and muttered curses were headed his way, and he could
practically *feel* the other man seething through
the walls. A moist, pink tongue slowly dampened his
lower lip as anticipation sang in his veins, and
his heartbeat quickened eagerly.
It was like this every time.
The kitchen door was flung open, and it was a good thing
Schuldich didn't look up, for the newcomer had a flashlight,
and shone it directly in the telepath's face.
"Good evening, Bradley," Schuldich drawled, tilting his
head away from the glare of the light, speaking in
the other man's native tongue.
Crawford gazed at him coldly. "I'm not even going to
ask you how you did it," he said frostily.
Schuldich widened his eyes into a pair of innocent
jade orbs. He let the tips of his eyebrows droop
forward into a questioning expression, the sides
of his mouth curving slightly downward. He would
have had any other easily fooled. "What are you implying,
Bradley?" he queried softly, knowing that the charming
tone of his voice would get to the older man.
It did.
Crawford's jaw tightened; had he been like other
men, he would have blown off his top, spitting rage
and chaos everywhere. His self-restraint truly was
an object of wonder, and Schuldich took personal
delight in seeing how far he could push him.
"I know you were behind the 'unexplained' power
outtage here," Crawford said, through clenched
teeth. And then, he added:
"I am tired of your games, Schuldich."
Schuldich blinked, not expecting that, and Crawford
flashed him an arrogant sneer.
"Surprised you, didn't I?" he said smugly.
Schuldich serenely smiled back. "The only thing that
surprises me about you, Bradley, is why you
keep doing this to yourself. You seem to revel
in this self-imposed torment of yours."
He stood up. Slowly, purposefully, he stepped forward
to stand beside Crawford. The older man did not move,
yet his disdainful brown eyes followed Schuldich's every
move.
"The only one making you suffer is yourself.
I want you. I've made that clear on countless
occasions. You want me, and you *know* it.
And yet you hold back. You put up a front
to turn me away, when you only know it will
draw me closer, like a moth to the enticing
light of the flame. And you persist in your
'defense', knowing that the more stubborn you
appear to be in your resistance, the more
determined I become to have you.
"I think you are the one playing games here,
Bradley. You set up a challenge knowing it'll
only serve to make me attempt to overcome it.
And that is what you enjoy, isn't it, Bradley?
Watching me suffer in my attempts to seduce you,
while you yourself suffer in pretending to refuse,
even though you want it as well. It is your ego
at work here, desiring to be desired, needing to
see how hard one will push, one will go, just
to have you."
Schuldich had to admire Crawford's control over
his facial expressions. He *knew* the man just
*had* to be sweating under that stiff collar!
Yet the man still managed to maintain his composure,
even as he eyed Schuldich warily.
"Then," Crawford said softly, "if you
*do* believe that this is what I want,
why don't you just take me by force and
ignore me if I protest?"
Schuldich laughed shortly, watching the
muscles on Crawford's nape visibly tense
at the sound.
"Believe me, I've done that in my dreams,"
Schuldich said smoothly. "But I don't have any
intention of doing that now, tempting as it
may be. You see, Bradley, I really think
that this whole elaborate scheme of
seduction is silly and frustrating. I want
you, you want me, and we both know it. We're
responsible adults, we've got nothing to
lose by letting ourselves indulge. Yet
here you are, dodging when your heart
would rather be pounced, saying no when
you really mean yes. If you say it's
because you think it's wrong, I'm not
buying it. I know you don't have a
conscience, Bradley, because neither do I."
It was Crawford's turn to laugh. The sound was
spooky, sending a prickle of goosebumps
across the surface of the flesh hidden
underneath Schuldich's long sleeves.
"I think you actually believe what you are
saying, Schuldich," Crawford said
incredulously. "Honestly now, have you
plucked this all from my mind?"
"No," Schuldich muttered.
"But--" he went on, interrupting Crawford before
the older man could speak. "I don't need to read
your mind to understand the way it works, Bradley."
Crawford didn't reply. He and Schuldich both knew
that if anything else were to come out of his
mouth after that, it would have to be a lie.
Schuldich smirked at Crawford, knowing full well
that he had won in this round.
"I'll leave you now, Bradley, to get the power
back on," he said gaily, sauntering away from
the older man. "I'll leave you to the agony
that is so precious to you, and I'm leaving you knowing
that when you touch yourself later before going
to bed, you'll be thinking of what I've just told
you, repeating my words over and over again in
your head."
He paused, and then, without looking at Crawford,
added softly:
"You *do* know that you won't be able to keep
this up forever."
Schuldich reached into his pocket and removed
the penlight he kept handy. Moving toward
the far side of the kitchen, he switched on
the light and shone it upon the circuitry he had
manipulated to cause the brownout. As he reached
for the small box of tools he left on the
floor, he heard the squeak of leather shoes upon
the marble floor, and knew without having to
look that Crawford was on his way out of the
kitchen.
Out of the kitchen... but not out of the
game of ego and desire. Not quite yet.
A few moments later, the electricity in the
house was back on. And as Schuldich rinsed his
dust-coated hands at the sink, he heard a low
voice moaning out his name in the room above
the kitchen.
He grinned, and chuckled softly. He pitied
Bradley Crawford, he really did.
"Well, maybe it's time to put the poor man
out of his misery," he murmured slyly.
END
06/01/01
12:03 a.m.
Tweaked - 12:27 p.m.
eichinkukai@hotmail.com
REVISED: 06/15/01
people who volunteered to beta this fic: Ari, Bright Angel
and Gryvon. ^_^ Because of you three, this fic was MAJORLY improved,
and I also picked up some tips to remember from the comments you
gave me. Thank you soooooo much, I really appreciate the help!
---------------------------------------------------
Ego and Desire
by Chibi Chiriko
---------------------------------------------------
Weiß Kreuz does not belong to me. All standard
fanfic disclaimers apply.
---------------------------------------------------
WARNING: This story contains helpings of shounen ai.
That's male/male attraction/love for you rookies, so
if that's not your cup of tea, you'd be better off
heading elsewhere for a snack. Veteran fans and
curious initiates, do come in and have a sampling.
^_~
For the spoiler-conscious, worry not! There will be no
spoilers at all in this fic, although if you're super-new to
the series and don't know anything about the characters,
you'll probably be a bit confused...
---------------------------------------------------
"Schuldich. SCHULDICH!"
The name was repeated several times by an angry voice,
bouncing violently off the walls of the ears and mind
of the man being addressed. The red-haired telepath
smiled knowingly to himself, the grin on his face safely
concealed in the darkness of the kitchen. He was no
stranger to the exasperated tone of voice that had
been used on him so many times in the past, and he already
knew the reason behind the exasperation *this* time.
He knew from Crawford's impatient tone that the other man
wanted to see him in the living room immediately, but he
would not give him the satisfaction of doing so. No, he
wanted Crawford to come to *him.*
For the briefest slice of a moment, two wily, cat-green
eyes gleamed to life in the dark.
Schuldich toyed patiently with the loose scarlet strands
of his hair while he waited, humming a low German tune
under his breath. Oh, the other man would come, he
knew--the other man *always* came to him in the past,
his patience taut to the point of snapping, knowing Schuldich
could hear him, but chose simply not to cooperate.
This time, Schuldich didn't have to wait too
long, for the sounds of deliberate footsteps
and muttered curses were headed his way, and he could
practically *feel* the other man seething through
the walls. A moist, pink tongue slowly dampened his
lower lip as anticipation sang in his veins, and
his heartbeat quickened eagerly.
It was like this every time.
The kitchen door was flung open, and it was a good thing
Schuldich didn't look up, for the newcomer had a flashlight,
and shone it directly in the telepath's face.
"Good evening, Bradley," Schuldich drawled, tilting his
head away from the glare of the light, speaking in
the other man's native tongue.
Crawford gazed at him coldly. "I'm not even going to
ask you how you did it," he said frostily.
Schuldich widened his eyes into a pair of innocent
jade orbs. He let the tips of his eyebrows droop
forward into a questioning expression, the sides
of his mouth curving slightly downward. He would
have had any other easily fooled. "What are you implying,
Bradley?" he queried softly, knowing that the charming
tone of his voice would get to the older man.
It did.
Crawford's jaw tightened; had he been like other
men, he would have blown off his top, spitting rage
and chaos everywhere. His self-restraint truly was
an object of wonder, and Schuldich took personal
delight in seeing how far he could push him.
"I know you were behind the 'unexplained' power
outtage here," Crawford said, through clenched
teeth. And then, he added:
"I am tired of your games, Schuldich."
Schuldich blinked, not expecting that, and Crawford
flashed him an arrogant sneer.
"Surprised you, didn't I?" he said smugly.
Schuldich serenely smiled back. "The only thing that
surprises me about you, Bradley, is why you
keep doing this to yourself. You seem to revel
in this self-imposed torment of yours."
He stood up. Slowly, purposefully, he stepped forward
to stand beside Crawford. The older man did not move,
yet his disdainful brown eyes followed Schuldich's every
move.
"The only one making you suffer is yourself.
I want you. I've made that clear on countless
occasions. You want me, and you *know* it.
And yet you hold back. You put up a front
to turn me away, when you only know it will
draw me closer, like a moth to the enticing
light of the flame. And you persist in your
'defense', knowing that the more stubborn you
appear to be in your resistance, the more
determined I become to have you.
"I think you are the one playing games here,
Bradley. You set up a challenge knowing it'll
only serve to make me attempt to overcome it.
And that is what you enjoy, isn't it, Bradley?
Watching me suffer in my attempts to seduce you,
while you yourself suffer in pretending to refuse,
even though you want it as well. It is your ego
at work here, desiring to be desired, needing to
see how hard one will push, one will go, just
to have you."
Schuldich had to admire Crawford's control over
his facial expressions. He *knew* the man just
*had* to be sweating under that stiff collar!
Yet the man still managed to maintain his composure,
even as he eyed Schuldich warily.
"Then," Crawford said softly, "if you
*do* believe that this is what I want,
why don't you just take me by force and
ignore me if I protest?"
Schuldich laughed shortly, watching the
muscles on Crawford's nape visibly tense
at the sound.
"Believe me, I've done that in my dreams,"
Schuldich said smoothly. "But I don't have any
intention of doing that now, tempting as it
may be. You see, Bradley, I really think
that this whole elaborate scheme of
seduction is silly and frustrating. I want
you, you want me, and we both know it. We're
responsible adults, we've got nothing to
lose by letting ourselves indulge. Yet
here you are, dodging when your heart
would rather be pounced, saying no when
you really mean yes. If you say it's
because you think it's wrong, I'm not
buying it. I know you don't have a
conscience, Bradley, because neither do I."
It was Crawford's turn to laugh. The sound was
spooky, sending a prickle of goosebumps
across the surface of the flesh hidden
underneath Schuldich's long sleeves.
"I think you actually believe what you are
saying, Schuldich," Crawford said
incredulously. "Honestly now, have you
plucked this all from my mind?"
"No," Schuldich muttered.
"But--" he went on, interrupting Crawford before
the older man could speak. "I don't need to read
your mind to understand the way it works, Bradley."
Crawford didn't reply. He and Schuldich both knew
that if anything else were to come out of his
mouth after that, it would have to be a lie.
Schuldich smirked at Crawford, knowing full well
that he had won in this round.
"I'll leave you now, Bradley, to get the power
back on," he said gaily, sauntering away from
the older man. "I'll leave you to the agony
that is so precious to you, and I'm leaving you knowing
that when you touch yourself later before going
to bed, you'll be thinking of what I've just told
you, repeating my words over and over again in
your head."
He paused, and then, without looking at Crawford,
added softly:
"You *do* know that you won't be able to keep
this up forever."
Schuldich reached into his pocket and removed
the penlight he kept handy. Moving toward
the far side of the kitchen, he switched on
the light and shone it upon the circuitry he had
manipulated to cause the brownout. As he reached
for the small box of tools he left on the
floor, he heard the squeak of leather shoes upon
the marble floor, and knew without having to
look that Crawford was on his way out of the
kitchen.
Out of the kitchen... but not out of the
game of ego and desire. Not quite yet.
A few moments later, the electricity in the
house was back on. And as Schuldich rinsed his
dust-coated hands at the sink, he heard a low
voice moaning out his name in the room above
the kitchen.
He grinned, and chuckled softly. He pitied
Bradley Crawford, he really did.
"Well, maybe it's time to put the poor man
out of his misery," he murmured slyly.
END
06/01/01
12:03 a.m.
Tweaked - 12:27 p.m.
eichinkukai@hotmail.com
REVISED: 06/15/01