Houdini tried to suppress a giggle; lips pressed tight together as gin enhanced squeaks snuck out. The underground sped by noisily, rumbling and bumping people together, they were on their way back from a bar celebrating another closed case. Doyle peered down at the man standing next to him, raising a questioning eyebrow. Houdini's eyes darted towards the opposite side of the carriage to show Doyle where to look.
Doyle squinted through the crowd, ignoring the escaped sniggering beside him as an odd scene caught his attention. Two men the other side of the packed carriage were leaning against the wall, one reading the paper, the other focused away. Nothing odd or even mildly amusing about that, until he noted; their body language was off, eliciting a closer inspecting. They were side by side but heads facing away from each other, the one reading the paper in a very uncomfortable stance, half his body appeared twisted towards the other man while the top half trying to face the rest of the train holding out his newspaper.
Doyle dipped his head to peer through the barrage of supporting arms and managed to see directly through Houdini's eye line. The man on the left had one hand behind him and was trying to use the briefcase as a shield but under inspection was clearly and purposefully executing ginger and occasional brushes against the other man's crotch. From Doyle's previous view the distant faces looked expressionless nothing giving them away, but from here he could objectively see the bodies neediness. He watched the small touches for a moment observing they used to the jolts of the track to gain more contact, and if either one pulled away momentarily the other would always inch forward seeking and desperate to regain.
Doyle sprang back up blushing astonished, which just made it harder for Houdini to contain his laughter, the drink obviously moistening his control.
Doyle's eyebrows pinched together analysing the American who was grinning back at the scene unabashedly watching fascinated. Unfortunately for Doyle the arm that was blocking his view was removed, and he found his eyes kept flicking back, checking up on the event.
Doyle nudged the peeping magician.
"What?"
"Don't be so crude, stop watching." Hushed Doyle.
"They obviously want an audience, so…" Houdini turned his attention back to the act.
"Unbelievable."
"…How do you think it starts?" The smaller man mused.
"What?" Still perplexed that the conversational topic wasn't moving forward.
"Two strangers on a subway-"
"Underground." Doyle interrupted with the English correction.
"-Suddenly not so estranged." He wiggled his eyebrows at the man next to him.
Doyle tutted in response not prepared to engage any further in these speculative thoughts of vulgarity.
Houdini continued, ignoring the writer's abstinence. "I think it starts off with a vague question asked through contact. Like…" His little finger spread to a delicate ghosting touch on Doyle's leg beside him as he started narrating his actions. "A small innocent touch. Waiting for a reaction." Two fingers now drawing lazily little circles on his leg. "See if he moves away." Houdini stopped his actions. "Or comes closer."
Admittedly Doyle had been drawn back into the conversation by the performance. But as soon as the contact was lost he snapped back to his senses. However, before he could flirt an insult, more people sardined onto the train and Doyle was pushed from the side of his friend to behind him, effectively ending whatever game the escapist was playing.
The new crowd had also blocked Houdini's view of the men across the carriage and Doyle huffed in that little satisfaction but the shorter man in front of him tiptoed and ducked in place trying to regain visuals.
"HAH." Proclaimed Houdini's success in finding an opening under an arm to spy. He let out some dramatic but whispered 'Oooh's' and 'ahh's' at whatever was unfolding.
Doyle rolled his eyes again at the obvious ploy to get him to look too, but this time, he would not surrender.
"Oh no they're getting off, …well they were doing that already but now they're getting off the train!" Said Houdini in a hushed announcement.
"Good, finally. Public transport is no place for such discrepancies."
"Oh you prude." Houdini stood up straight, twisting his head to try and look at him but finding the angle too difficult.
"Why am I not surprised to hear you've engaged in such an act?"
"I'm not saying I have, but, I can see the appeal."
Doyle scoffed. "Oh yeah, no, a dirty carriage, flickering lights, deeply inhaling the filth of the city."
"Exactly!" Houdini nodded, purposefully ignoring the sarcasm. He playfully arched his spine leaning backwards so his head rested on Doyle's chest, chin tipped up to the Doctor bearing a cheeky upside down smile. "Imagine the thrill."
Doyle let a chuckle escape, brushing him off and pushing him back to standing upright. "Thrill? I think illegal is more the word you're searching for."
"Basically the same, besides, fear is a good thing."
Doyle rolled his eyes as Houdini continued.
"Scared of being caught any second, knowing you're at you weakest in front of so many unaware strangers. Doesn't that light you up a little bit." He wiggled his shoulders waiting for a response.
Doyle scoffed, indignant and refusing to answer. So Houdini continued again. "Completely unexpected, a normal train ride, a destination interrupted by a stranger's 'almost' touch."
Doyle thought he felt something brush against his crotch; he looked down at the empty but narrow space between them. Houdini must be getting in his head.
And Doyle couldn't see the sly grin that had split Houdini's face. Houdini spoke again as if nothing had happened. "Where's that open mind huh, Doyle?"
The carriage lurched, and Doyle rocked into the man in front. He apologised to Houdini before answering his question. "This has nothing to do with an open mind, it was plain and simple public indecency."
"Eh, what's life without a little indecency?"
A feathered touch again made Doyle jump once more, he stared down and watched Houdini's hand give a little wave before sliding back and disappearing in front of its owner.
Shocked Doyle at the realisation of the purposed act he spoke up, harsh enough to portray his annoyance but wilfully quiet enough as not to engage any surrounding passenger. "What the hell are you playing at, Harry?"
"I don't know that you're talking about Doc," Houdini answered, though Doyle unable to see his face could hear the smirk. "It's a packed carriage, it could have been anyone."
"If it was anyone." Breathed Doyle through gritted teeth. "Then how would you know what I was talking about?"
He heard a titter as once again the back of one finger brushed ever so slightly across his crotch, an 'almost' touch that made him shiver and before Doyle could slap him off the carriage lurched again. Doyle was forced to lean into the man but this time, Houdini had his hand ready, positioned and open so when Doyle fell his crotch landed straight into the waiting grasp. He used the opportunity to step up the pressure; he palmed it deliberately through the layers of clothing trying all he could in the second before Doyle could stand back up again.
The Doctor gasped at this sudden contact and it took him a moment longer from the shock to straighten himself back up. Houdini's hands had retracted, again as if nothing had happened.
"Houdini this is not funny." Houdini could hear Doyle's breathing had changed, shallower, quicker…excited.
Houdini snickered. "I disagree."
Doyle watched the space between them ready to attack the daring hand but a long pause and it didn't make an appearance. Houdini remained still so Doyle used the moment to twist his head around making sure no one had seen the shameful groping. Houdini's ears pricked at the movement and quickly deployed his hand using his fingernails to scrape teasingly through the fabric.
Doyle sucked in a breath, his head snapping back down to see the devious hand and it's sly manoeuvres, he tried to force down his own hand to act as a barrier but instead found it placed on Houdini's shoulder his nails digging in firmly.
The mischievous hand was being dragged up the hardening flesh and back down again, even through the layers of clothing Houdini could feel it pulsing but what was more he audibly heard the man shiver.
But too suddenly Houdini withdrew. Doyle's hand relaxed on the other's shoulder before slipping down to his side. His eyes darted to the people around him; luckily most had their backs to them and seemed completely unaware of his sharp intakes of breath and the sweat lining his temples. Doyle had no idea what was happening, his usual clear mind was swamped and pulsing begging for more of that adrenaline. He didn't understand, how a touch so soft, so slight one might not even notice was affecting him to this extent.
Doyle cursed himself for now needing that contact, he knew exactly what Houdini was doing, refusing to offer his hand, waiting for Doyle to come to him and perhaps, he reasoned, the drink had clouded his pride because he found himself leaning into the man ever so slightly. Slowly and minutely rubbing his crotch against the tight arse in front of him.
Houdini's eyes half lidded in pleasure or relief, either way, he pushed back against him deepening the friction; Doyle had to bite his lip from exposing them with a groan.
Houdini could feel the puffs of increasingly desperate breaths on his neck, the radiating heat of the man behind him. Being so close and yet barely be able to touch. It was a concoction of thrilling and frustrating and he was adoring every second of it.
His hand reached behind him again but Doyle captured it in his. They held together for a calming moment before their thumbs started dancing circles winding round each other delicately. Such a small intimacy in such a public space was twitching their excitement like nothing had before, it was rendering them dumb. Finally, Doyle led the other hand to his clothed erection pressing against the palm. Houdini in lazy but pressured movements rubbed against the firm member as Doyle's hand still covering his own, encouragingly stroked patterns into the other's skin.
Doyle didn't know when his eyes had closed, all he could focus on the sturdy hand holding him. His own began skirting up the muscled arm, forcing him to twist. Houdini followed and strained his way to turn to face the man, to the mutterings of the annoyed passengers around him, not that either of them heard it. They were now pressed together, mouths both slightly open, staring into dilated pupils and Doyle could now feel a mirrored effect was digging into his leg, which made him gulp.
But neither of them moved. Staring into each other, meeting each others gaze, it changed the situation. Face to face allowed the hesitation and doubt crept in. When an increased amount of turbulence bounced them together. Houdini's hands scrunched into fistfuls of Doyle's jacket at the taller man held on to the pole supporting them both. They were rocked unsteadily into each other, groins scraping against the other's legs. Both of them biting their cheeks to contain threatening outbursts.
The turbulence eventually ebbed but they didn't, they kept grinding up against each other as subtly as they could when Houdini unexpectedly felt a bump against his nose, he unclasped his eyes, widening as they caught sight of a mouth closing in catching his open one in a tender kiss. Houdini's eyes fluttered close, shock fading and realisation kicking in just as the other mouth was torn away. Houdini begrudgingly opened his eyes, annoyed.
Doyle was gaping, his jaw moving up and down silently, his eyes wide with terror in a realisation of his action.
"Harry…" He spluttered. "I am so sorry."
Houdini grabbed the tie and pulled him back down to his level, his firm lips silencing the bumbling. Fuck the audience, this was their show.