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Art Must Take

'Art must take reality by surprise.' Francoise Sagan

Bane stood and watched Barsad disappear from his sight, his brain struggling to understand what had just happened. Yes, he got that Robin's cousin had invited Barsad to his place. He had ears, and had clearly heard the underlying meaning in Simon's offer to let Barsad come to his place to hear his 'music'. Barsad had definitely understood too given how quickly the other man had accepted the offer and all it implied after confirming that Bane didn't require him for the rest of the evening. Barsad had told him that he'd find him own way home and wished him a good night before walking over to join the gorgeous younger man eyeing Barsad with predatory intent, the two disappearing into Simon's loft like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He had been 'courting' Robin for weeks. Had made his desire to get the man into his bed clear from day one. And from day one Robin had flirted and toyed with him, giving him little tastes but never the full meal. Barsad had known Robin's cousin for less than two hours and he was getting invited into his place. Into his bed.

What. The. Hell?

This could not be allowed to stand.

Turning on his heels Bane marched back down the hall, made the short turn, and then striding up to Robin's door lifted a hand to knock. Hard.

And he waited there very, very patiently for Robin to make his way from the living room to the front door to open it, Robin poking his head out with a questioning look.

"You knocked?"

"Move."

No one should be able to lift his eyebrows in such a sarcastic way. But Robin did hop backwards, allowing Bane to open the door and step inside, Bane deliberately closing the door behind him before advancing. And then he grabbed Robin by the hips and lifted him up, bringing him tight against his chest as Bane very deliberately turned towards the staircase leading to the second floor.

"Taking advantage of my drugged state? That's pretty low, even for a crime boss."

"I'm not taking advantage."

"Oh yeah?"

"No." There'd be no satisfaction in that. And Robin and his brother would plot his untimely death and find a way to make it happen were he ever to act so dishonorably. Which he'd deserve were he to fuck the man he held when he wasn't capable of giving proper consent. "I'm staying the night."

More eyebrow raising. "I'm confused. And prepared to hurt you badly once we're not on stairs."

"To sleep."

"To sleep?" Robin repeated, obviously not getting it.

Given the slightly unfocused look in the other man's eyes Bane was willing to blame the drugs for the fact that Robin wasn't getting it.

"I'm sleeping here with you tonight. Just sleeping."

"Whhhhhhy?"

"Because you're mine."

"I don't recall saying that I was yours. In fact, I seem to recall you making it very clear I wasn't yours. To the point where I wanted to throat punch you. Which I'm in the perfect position to do, actually. Just throwing that out there."

"I would not advise trying that."

"Like I haven't heard that before. And ignored it."

That did not surprise Bane in the slightest. And it was time to change the subject.

"Your cousin Simon needs to show more common sense and self-preservation when it comes to picking up men."

"Simon? What are you...oh. He hit on Barsad. That's what this is about? Seriously?"

"Partly. There's also the fact that you've gotten under my skin. And until that changes I'm stuck with you."

"Wow. And you wonder why you haven't gotten laid yet."

"Soon." He was going to be firm on that. But for now Bane was going to get Robin into bed and they were going to sleep there. Together. He wanted to know what it was like to sleep with Robin in his arms. Preferably skin to skin.

Robin's expression indicated he was still not onboard with this plan. "Bane. Give me one good reason I should let you sleep with me. Especially when I'm drugged."

Having reached the top of the stairs, Bane adjusted his hold minutely and then stated the unvarnished truth.

"Because we both want it. Even though we know we shouldn't."

A very telling, seething moment of silence as Robin glared at him, hating that he was right and they both knew it. Were both screwed and needed to accept that fact and move forward.

Preferably towards the bedroom.

"Just to sleep. And if you drop me I will punch you in your junk. Also, I should warn you. I cuddle. A lot."

As threats went Bane didn't find either terribly worrisome. If he could sleep in war zones he could handle Robin 'cuddling' with him. He'd just move the other man back to his side of the bed if need be. Easy enough. So rather than comment Bane asked which door led into the bathroom.

"That one."

Walking over to where Robin had pointed Bane shifted his hold again so that he could open the door and push it open, Robin leaning across to hit the light switch and illuminate the room.

Looking around with interest Bane approved of the size of the bed, though it irked somewhat when it occurred to him why someone as slender as Robin would have a king-sized bed. His little bird had a marked preference for large, muscular men. Though his own body was far superior to the only previous lover of Robin's he'd met. That idiot lieutenant. Robin was well rid of him.

Determinedly pushing that thought aside-at least for now-Bane turned his attention to appreciating the lack of clutter and mess. Though that could be due to the woman Robin had mentioned had come in to tidy the place up earlier in the day. But still...he appreciated the paintings on the wall, the color palette. It fit with the rest of the loft. At least what he'd seen of it thus far.

Approaching the bed Bane was careful when he set Robin down, remembering the threat to his manhood if he 'dropped' him.

"Thanks." Looking amused, not to mention a little high, Robin reached into the pocket of his shorts, withdrawing his cellphone.

A couple numbers punched and then Robin brought it to his ear, grinning at Bane the entire time.

"Hey. It's Twin One. Looks like Bane is staying the night, and Barsad might be staying over at Simon's, apparently. If I'm dead tomorrow you know who to blame."

Ha. Ha. Very funny.

"Yup. Terrible. It does seem to be genetic." A pause to listen. "Okay. Good night to you too. Bye."

Robin ended the call, then held out his phone.

"Can you put that on the bedside table, please?"

Taking the phone Bane did as asked...then went about getting some revenge of his own.

As in he started to strip.

It was gratifying, watching Robin's eyes get bigger and bigger as Bane started from the top and worked his way down to being topless. He'd dressed in a suit, and while Bane had never given a strip tease-nor did he intend to-he slowed down the process and took his time undoing buttons and shrugging his suit jacket and then shirt off.

"Fuck you're gorgeous."

"You're drugged."

"True. But still...that muscle definition. So much better than the regular gym body. You're a beast!"

Bane did not know what to say to that.

"I mean that in the best way, by the way. You have a whole Gladiator vibe that totally works for me on so many levels. You'd have just DESTROYED the competition. I'd have totally had to buy or steal you away and make you my love slave." Robin's face went dreamy. "Damn. I am totally having sexy dreams about that tonight. And don't look at me like that. You'd have totally wanted to be my sex slave. Best job benefits EVER."

"Robin."

"What? You wouldn't actually be my sex slave. I'd free you first because slavery is wrong. People aren't meant to own people and all that. But once I freed you you would totally want to-"

Right. Bane had to interrupt before this got any worse or more bizarre. "Did you take more than the one pill after we left?"

"Ahhhh...maybe..."

"Robin."

"It should not be sexy when you call me by my first name. I don't like my first name. Do you know how many Robin Hood jokes I had to put up with as a teenager? Plus a lot of people think it's a girl name. Which it totally isn't, just so you know. It's a form of Robert."

"The diminutive form, yes."

"I'm not diminutive." Robin stated with a scowl. "And my name means fame and bright. Yours means...what does Bane mean? How have I not looked this up before. Gimme my phone."

Staring at the man who was flexing his fingers like a baby demanding the return of a toy or attention...this was the man who had so ensnared him? Really? Ridiculous.

"My name means different things in different cultures. Anything from 'glorious defender' to 'cause of distress or annoyance'."

"Seriously? And I thought my mom fucked me over. That's as bad as the celebs that name their kids after fruit or Pilot. Did you know there's a kid out there named Pilot? I'd sue my parents for that name. It's just...and who names their kid Apple? Seriously."

"You need to sleep." Bane stated before Robin could go on another tangent. "You require a pillow under your knee, yes?"

"Probably should. Though I'm not feeling it at all right now."

"You should have only taken the one."

"I wanted to sleep pain free. So sue me. You can safely take two, FYI. It just makes you loopy like this. Loopy. That's a funny word."

"Use the second pillow for you knee. I can sleep without one."

"Of course you can." Robin rolled his eyes dramatically for emphasis, but at least he turned to get the pillow in question. "Should have pulled back the covers before you put me on them. Didn't think this through, did ya?"

"I can leave, you know."

"You're going to leave me." Now big, wounded eyes were being aimed in his direction like Bane was being cruel to even suggest leaving him.

Sigh.

It took some maneuvering and extreme patience, but after a few minutes Bane succeeded in getting Robin and the pillow under the covers so that Robin could prop up his knee properly. For as long as he stayed lying on his back, which was the only position that worked given the locations of his various injuries. Robin didn't want to be on his back, which he made clear, but you couldn't have everything. As Bane had to remind him. Four times.

He started to take off the rest of his clothes just to shut him up. And wouldn't you know...it worked.

)

On some level Blake was aware he was drugged. The medication wasn't fucking with his brain that much. And in that small, still working part of his brain Blake did his best to memorize what Bane looked like when stripped down to only boxer briefs, waiting with bated breath to see if those would come off too. Also he really, really hoped that the drugs weren't messing with his vision, making him think that certain things were bigger than they actually were.

It was probably for the best that Bane left the underwear on, Blake told himself as he watched Bane pick up his clothes rather than take the last article of clothing off. Also Bane really did have a nice ass. Not as nice as his own, of course, but still...he wanted to bite it.

"When I'm not drugged I'm going to bite you."

Why that made Bane sigh so loudly Blake didn't know.

"Go to sleep, Robin."

"The lights are on."

"I will turn them off in a minute. Now close your eyes and behave."

"I am behaving. And I can still see that the lights are on even with my eyes closed. Or I think I can. That could be the drugs." Blake fluttered his eyes open and then closed to check. Which just made him dizzy and the bedroom swim. "That was not a good idea. I'm just going to keep my eyes closed."

"Good idea."

"I normally look really good naked, but I can't show you right now because things are bruised and swollen in really unappealing ways. Plus once the drugs wear off I'd probably be really sorry. Maybe that's why I'm not asleep yet. Normally I sleep naked."

"As do I. But for tonight we can't."

"That's so wise."

Bane made a sound that might have been a laugh, it was hard to tell, and then a few seconds later the lights behind Blake's eyes went out for the most part, indicating that most likely Bane had turned off the bedroom lights. Blake opened his eyes to confirm. Yup. Out.

Then the mattress was dipping and the sheets and covers were being adjusted, tugged, and Bane was stretching out on the mattress beside him. Or at least it better be Bane. Had to be Bane, Blake told himself. No one could have sneaked in without Bane noticing. And commenting.

But just to make sure Blake wished Bane good night, pleased when it was Bane's voice coming from beside him, telling him to go to sleep.

"You sound grumpy. Are you mad because we're not having sex, I'm not naked, or...or...is this because Barsad is probably getting laid right now and you aren't? Because if it is...Simon breaks the guys he dates. I mean in the short term your bestie is lucky because apparently Simon is almost as amazing as I am in bed, but in the long term...there will be consequences. Barsad will probably cry. A lot. I probably won't make you cry. Actually, scratch that. That makes Simon sound so much more badass than me. I'll make you cry too when I dump you. You and Barsad can cry together. It will help bond you."

"We don't cry."

"Everyone cries."

"We don't."

"Do you mean 'we' as in you and I, or as in you and Barsad?" The drugs were making him a little fuzzy on the details.

"The latter."

What did a ladder have to do with-oh. Latter. Duh. He really should probably try to pass out. Especially since he did have that sexy as fuck gladiator dream to fall back on. He hadn't watched that much of that three season TV show 'Spartacus', too much gratuitous violence and nudity-which he should have seen coming since this was the Romans they were talking about-but yeah...he knew enough about gladiators to come up with some really, really hot dreams. Though then again...

"I wouldn't want you to be a gladiator. Then people would have physically and sexually abused you. And then I'd have to kill them all and I don't think I'd like murdering people in cold blood. It would probably warp me in horrible ways. I think you'll just be a badass Celt or something and I'll be the Roman soldier who takes you captive and saves you. That's way better, don't you think?"

"What? Why are we talking about this again?"

Why were they talking about this again? There was a reason. Probably. it was hard to remember right now. Something about hot guys running around in leather underwear?

"Go to sleep, Robin."

Going with his gut on this one Blake closed his eyes and did as he was told for once.

)

Bane woke up to find that Robn had not been joking about the fact that he would not stay on his side of the bed. Instead, despite his injuries, Robin was lying on his stomach on top of Bane's chest. And doing an excellent impression of a starfish. Well, almost. The injured arm had been brought in close so that the majority of it was also braced by Bane's chest. If the improperly supported bad knee was giving Robin any trouble the other man was too deeply asleep to feel it. And possibly drooling on Bane's chest, which Bane thankfully couldn't see since Robin had tucked his head under his chin.

He could also feel and see that he had one hand under Robin's shirt, skin to skin. The other hand appeared to be possessively cupping one of Robin's ass cheeks.

The man did have an excellent ass.

And was never, EVER, going to be allowed to take that medication again. He was going to throw out that pill bottle before he left. Or give it to a responsible member of the Blake family for safe keeping.

Absently gliding his fingers up and down Robin's back as he weighed the pros and cons of both scenarios, Bane wasn't sure when he stopped thinking about it and just enjoyed the touching. he just knew that he'd probably been doing it for a while before he felt Robin's body shift and then stiffen in a way that said awake to him.

He did not appreciate the feeling of Robin poking him a couple of times in the side.

"Yes?"

"Just making sure I'm not hallucinating you."

Noting that Robin didn't sound like he'd just woken up-suggesting that he'd been fooling him for a while, Bane asked how long Robin had been awake.

"A while. I liked the back stroking. The ass thing-well who could blame you."

Bane directed his next question towards the ceiling. "Are you still high on the medication?"

"Nope. Is that a banana in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

Praying for strength even though he didn't believe in any god, Bane stated outloud that the sex couldn't possibly be worth it.

Robin's laughter in response did nothing to disillusion him in the slightest.