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Injured Party

"Well obviously, I'd be surprised if you could even spell it." Eyes cool and showing more confidence then he actually felt Florian glared at Noir, not about to let himself be intimidated by the younger man. After all, it was pretty much a given that Noir was going to win this test of skills but he sure as hell wasn't going to make it easy. He'd yet to really win a fight with the man but he always tried on the off chance that his day would finally come despite Noir's unbelievable luck and arrogance.

Grabbing Florian's shoulder, his fingers dug in painfully, Noir paused for a moment then wrenching Florian around threw him back against the door, following him to pin the older man's arms above his head, pinning Florian there with his own body as his lips curved into an almost cruel smile. "You were saying?" There was nothing he hated more then Florian acting superior just because he was older and had had better schooling then him. He hated it more because it was just one more reminder of just how different they were in so many ways. This Dante guy was probably just as well educated and at least as old as Florian. And what the hell kind of name was Dante anyway?

"You heard me. You aren't so dim that you can't remember something said to you less than a minute ago." Florian shot back, wincing slightly at both the grip on his arms and the uncomfortable position it put him in. That aside, he didn't like the look in Noir's eyes at all.

Eyes flashing furiously Noir tightened the grip he had on Florian's wrists, hard enough that there was no doubt that there would be bruises decorating that pale flesh. At the moment, he was beyond caring. "Wrong answer, Florian." He said through grinched teeth, his dark eyes flashing dangerously. "Try again."

I

"If you're expecting an apology I wouldn't hold my breath. You'll kill yourself and Laila would be beside herself." Florian shot back, grinching his own teeth slightly as he tried to ignore the pain Noir was causing. He doubted Noir even realized exactly how much pressure he was exerting. Then again, maybe he did, Florian thought as he looked into those furious green depths. "Noir." Florian said carefully, relaxing his body slightly as his eyes lost some of their steel. "You're hurting my wrists. Please let them go."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I'll fight you. I know I'm no match for you but I won't go down without one." Was Florian's careful answer, his eyes going back to the cool purple ice of before. "Being my lover doesn't give you the right to deliberately cause me pain." He had the uncomfortable feeling that Noir wasn't going to let all this go unless blood was shed or he started begging for forgiveness for something that didn't even call for an apology. He couldn't beg, he just couldn't lower himself to that, even to avoid what was bound to be an incredibly ugly scene. The way things were going, he had a feeling this was going to be a doozy.

"You're forgetting that you belong to me, Florian. I can do anything I want to you." Leaning forward he captured Florian's mouth in a hard, bruising assault that had nothing to do with love or even lust. It was about ownership and anger. God damn him, why did he always have to be like this, Noir thought angrily, easily ignoring the fact that he'd told Florian on more than one occasion that he liked his spunkiness. Right now though he was desperate for Florian to submit, to just admit who he belonged to so that this could be set aside and forgotten. Because at the moment, he desperately needed to hear Florian admit that he belonged to him. That he was his and his alone.

Stiffening up Florian clenched his mouth closed, ignoring the prodding of Noir's tongue. Turning his head to the side he closed his eyes as Noir turned his attention to his neck, biting a trail downward with little care as to how hard he nipped. Damn, so it wasn't going to be a fight this time. Noir was going to try and manipulate him this way. Far more effective then any whipping, Florian thought as he grinched his teeth against the pleasure/pain of his lover's actions.

I

"I thought you were going to fight me?" Noir reminded him silkily, after he'd reached Florian's shoulder. Encircling both Florian's wrists with one hand he lowered the other and getting a good grip on Florian's shirt ripped the front of it down the middle. With a smug look on his face he stared into Florian's eyes, daring the blonde to argue with him or struggle.

"If you think this is going to get you anywhere you're dead wrong." Florian forced out through his clenched teeth. "The fact that you can make me want you is a no brainer. The fact that you have to use sex to get your way says something about your confidence though."

Making a sound very close to a growl Noir looked like he wanted to hit something but calling upon the control he very rarely exercised he contented himself with slapping his hand beside Florian's head as he leaned forward to stare into Florian's defiant eyes. "Are you deliberately trying to provoke me? I'm really not in the mood to let you off with a warning right now, Florian. Don't..push...me."

"I really only have one word for you right now." This was pushing it but he could see in Noir's eyes that the younger man was dangerously close to crossing lines that could do unbelievable damage to their relationships. He shouldn't have pushed Noir the way he had, this was as much his fault as Noir's, Florian realized with startling clarity. He couldn't count on Noir to admit that to anyone though so it was up to him to fix things before they became unfixable. This would definitely break up this situations, the question remaining being whether or not the next would be better or a hell of a lot worse.

"Oh, and what would that be?" Noir demanded to know, his green eyes flickering with victory as he read Florian's eyes so easily. Expecting a weak no or something insulting he moved his free hand to rest possessively against Florian's warm chest, enjoying the way the muscles contracted under his hand. Mine, his eyes said plainly as his eyes paused there for a moment before returning to meet Florian's.

"Azura."

I

All the blood draining from Noir's face he let Florian go, stumbling backwards with the horror plain on his face. His eyes absently taking in the sight of Florian rubbing feeling back into his wrists Noir couldn't believe what he'd just done. He'd hurt Florian. He'd physically used his superior strength to try and overpower his lover, just the way... Because that's what Florian had meant, his tone had said it all.

"Rape isn't about sex, Noir, it's about power." Putting his hands in his pockets Florian's eyes held Noir's steadily, picking his words with the greatest of care. "Azura wanted power over me and he wanted me because I was yours. I wasn't a person to him but a toy to be used and abused at his whim. Don't ever touch me like that again, Noir. You can touch me in love and you can even punch me if I piss you off but don't ever try mixing the two again. Sex and violence aren't to be mixed in our relationship if you want it to continue." Removing his hands from his pockets he took the necessary steps needed he reached out and grabbed Noir's upper arms, pulling the startled man against him. Wrapping his arms around Noir Florian hugged him close, holding Noir tight even as the young man struggled against him. "It's okay, I know you didn't mean to do what you just did. Your temper got the better of you again. You're nothing like Azura, I'd have never stayed with you if you were. I'm just making a point. I shouldn't have taunted you the way I did, not that you're blameless either." He added, not about to take all the blame even as he refused to let Noir go, holding his tightly until Noir finally sagged against him in defeat.

"But I..I..." Unable to say it Noir buried his face against Florian's neck, his own arms coming up to wrap around Florian's waist. How could he have done that? How could he have let his temper get so out of control that he'd actually hurt Florian like that? He loved Florian. Florian was everything to him. Other then the occasional well deserved punch he hadn't laid a serious hand on Florian since the old days, when they'd first been getting to know each other. As it was, thanks to his teachings, Florian could really throw a decent punch now. He'd had the black eyes to prove it so it wasn't like Florian was lily white either. But Florian was right, he'd never mixed the two before, sex and violence, and had never taken advantage of his superior physical prowess in the bedroom except in a playful, mutual way.

I

Holding him for several minutes Florian finally drew away, grabbing Noir's hands so that he held them as they stood in front of each other. Now it was time to get to the bottom of all this and move on. First, he had to understand exactly what had set Noir off for future reference. "Why did the letter bother you so much?" He asked carefully, not wanting to set Noir off again. "I can't figure out what part of it made you so angry that we'd both end up in this sort of situation."

Of all the questions Florian could have asked that was definitely high on the rather be slowly driven over by a carriage list. But right now, he owed Florian and he couldn't wiggle his way out of this one, not with Florian letting him off the hook the way he was. He wasn't sure he could have done the same if the situation had been reversed, not that Florian could ever physically over power him, even on his best day. Taking a deep breath Noir shrugged, though it came off as more of a jerk before answering. "I..didn't like the tone of the letter. Like you were still lovers. It just bothered me. Plus, you'd never mentioned him before so..."

Ah." Florian replied, getting exactly what Noir was not saying. Noir had seen Dante as a threat because of the fact that he and Dante shared a history together. The fact that Dante was also his social and schooled equal probably had a lot to do with it too. He was well aware of the fact that he was by far more comfortable and secure in this relationship then Noir was. It was only to be expected though since he was Noir's first solid, long lasting romantic relationship and to call their relationship unusual was putting it mildly. It wasn't like they'd met under normal circumstances and grown fond of each other the way most couples started. No, he hadn't had a say in the matter of being in Noir's company, Florian thought with a small smile. And Noir had never forgotten that, something that had probably led to Noir's over possessiveness and need to dominate. And Noir, being Noir, would sooner jump off a cliff then admit to any of that. Someone like Noir just didn't, perhaps couldn't admit to those sorts of insecurities and weaknesses. Lucky for Noir, he had taken psychology for the fun of it in school. You almost had to, to even begin to understand the complex man in front of him.

I

"Why did you two break up?" Noir asked, looking at a spot beside Florian's head rather then into those purple eyes that seemed to be able to read his own emerald green far too often as time went by. If he wasn't careful, Florian might start being able to read him as easily as he could read Florian's. Frankly, he needed all the advantages he could get when it came to his intelligent, if trouble prone lover.

"He's a lord, expected to carry on the family name and marry the woman his parents pick out for him. We went to school together for a couple of years and then the money situation got to the point where mother called me back home from London. Dante and I conversed through letter for a while but over time we slipped back into the role of just friends and decided to leave things that way. He has responsibilities that had to come first and I had mother to take care of." Reaching out a hand Florian slid it lovingly through Noir's tussled hair, cupping the back of his lover's head as he brought Noir's face over so that he could press a kiss against the growing frown on Noir's mouth. "You, on the other hand, I don't think I could ever think of as just a friend."

Not quite sure how to take that comment Noir returned the gentle caress of the kiss before drawing back, giving Florian a questioning look, silently asking for an explanation.

"What we have is completely different from what I had with Dante, Noir." Leaning his head forward so that their foreheads rested against each other Florian's eyes warmed as they stared into those beautiful emerald depths which were more stunning to him then any gem stone. "We've been through it all, you and I. For richer or poorer, sickness and in health, the good times and the bad. There's nothing this world can throw at us that we can't get through as long as we have each other. We're a team, two halves of a whole. Our differences just make us compliment each other that much more."

"Even if I am a kid?" Noir asked lightly, a small smile slipping onto his tanned face as he stared back into Florian's eyes, relaxing as he slid his arms around Florian's waist, leaving them there to rest lightly on Florian's lower back.

Chuckling Florian grinned, changing the position of his head so that he could nuzzle his cheek against Noir's. "Even then. Don't worry, I'll make a man out of you yet."

I

Turning his own head to playfully nip Florian's ear in retaliation for that Noir tightened his hold slightly, fighting his own grin. "Maybe I'll just have to show you how much of a man I am." Noir whispered seductively into that ear, flicking the lobe with his tongue. There was, after all, nothing quite like make up sex, he thought wickedly, tightening his grasp that much more as he pressed his lover's body closer to his own.

"And just how do you propose to do that?" Florian returned, his voice low and husky as he pressed his body against Noir's, deliberately rubbing their hips against each other. He had a very good idea just what Noir was suggesting after all and he was Noir's assistant after all. It was his job to help Noir in any way possible, Florian thought with a wide grin as he leaned forward to place an open mouth kiss on Noir's exposed neck.

"Why don't I surprise you." Noir suggested as he placed his hands on Florian's waist as he moved them slowly backward until he had Florian pressed up against the wall, a wicked grin on his face as he sandwiched Florian against him as he had done earlier only this time Florian was more then happy to be sandwiched.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Florian agreed with a grin as he turned his head to meet Noir's, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss that had Florian's fingers digging into Noir's shoulders while Noir braced himself with a hand on either side of Florian's head as he lost himself in the touch and taste of his only lover. His only everything.

Making a sound of approval Florian's hands went to Noir's shirt, quickly unbuttoning it with practiced skill since this was one of Noir's favorite shirts. Pushing the cotton material away Florian splayed his fingers against the exposed tan skin, his fingers lightly brushing up against the warm flesh that quivered under his seeking fingers. Breaking off the kiss when air was required Florian contented himself with placing kisses down Noir's neck as they both sucked air into their burning lungs. "After we're done here, Noel and I will have to teach you how to play hide and seek." Florian teased, placing a kiss against Noir's Adam's apple. "From the sounds of it you need to brush up on your seeking skills."

"And why the hell would I want to learn how to play it in the first place?" Noir demanded to know roughly as he helped Florian shrug off what remained of his torn shirt before shrugging out of his own. Making a sound of approval when their bare chests were finally rubbing against each other Noir's hands began to roam all over Florian's back, his hips gyrating slightly against Florian's in a rhythm that deliciously tormented them both.

I

Moaning low in his throat Florian laid his head against Noir's shoulder for a moment, closing his eyes as he wallowed in the sensations Noir was causing to explode throughout his body before answering. "Because everyone should know how to play." He informed his very skilled lover, leaning into those calloused fingers. "You don't want a kid to be able to do something you can't, now do you?"

"I think you'll be too busy to teach me today. Not to mention far too tired." Was Noir's opinion as his hands moved to undo Florian's trousers, wanting nothing between them as Florian's fingers went to work undoing his own trousers for him.

"Is that so?" Florian asked, pushing the material down Noir's hips. "You sound pretty sure of yourself."

"Oh I am. And don't expect any mercy this time." Noir teased as they both stepped out of their last remaining articles of clothing, arms coming around each other as they pulled each other close simultaneously.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."