Title: Club Descent: Home

Author: Aeon Cole

Rating: FRAO

Genre: AU, angst, hurt/comfort, romance

Warning: Slash, past abuse, non-con, rape

Fandom: CSI Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Challenge: Lover100

Table: table-c

Prompt: #34 Cuddle

Word Count: 1680

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me and I am making no money from this.

Author's Note: This is NOT part of my H/Speed universe. This is my first AU. I have plans to turn this into a limited series.

Previous Chapters: The Meeting, Regrets, Choices, Let's Talk, Good News, Problems, Saturday, Help, Secrets

Tim sat silently staring out the window all of the way to Horatio's. He lived about twenty minutes away on the other side of the city on the beach so he had some time to think. He was trying to keep his mind focused but it was difficult. He kept flashing back to the attack this morning. He thought that Simon seemed different somehow. In the past he had always possessed this strange combination that he could only describe as brutality mixed with concern. He'd always said, "I'm doing this for your own good," when he would hit him, teaching him a lesson. Then he would force himself on him with little or no preparation. Sex and pain, it was what he'd come to expect from a partner.

He had spent that hour with Simon this morning waiting for the inevitable forced intercourse. It hadn't come. Simon had spent the whole time ranting and raving about how Tim had fucked everything up, about how he was going to make him pay. Each time he punctuated his point with his fist or his foot until Tim had ended up curled up on the floor. A shudder ran through his body, an involuntary reaction to the realization that Simon probably would have killed him this time rather simply rape him.

Most of Horatio's attention was focused on the road ahead of him but he kept his peripheral vision on his companion and stole the occasional glance in his direction. He managed to catch the shudder that shook his body and he reached out a hand. Tim grabbed it and held on tight for a few seconds while he tried to regain some mental control.

"Hang in there," Horatio said. "We're almost home."

Tim nodded and released Horatio's hand. He was still trying to work out what Simon had meant when he'd said that he'd fucked everything up. His first thought was Horatio but oddly enough he didn't really think that that was what he had been talking about. Tim had been with other men, even when he was with Simon. In fact, Simon would frequently hire other men to dominate Tim. He liked to watch. It got him excited. Afterward, Simon would tie him to the bed and play with him, sometimes for hours, without letting him come until he was begging and swearing his love for him. It wasn't until he reached that point that Simon would allow him any release and then it would only come with Simon buried deep inside of him. This was usually how it went.

His thoughts were interrupted when Horatio knocked on the car window then opened Tim's door. He hadn't even realized that the car had stopped. Tim stepped out and looked around. Horatio lived in an upscale neighborhood on the beach. The house was a two-story and much larger than Tim had imagined. He followed Horatio through the front door and surveyed his new surroundings. The house had an open floor plan and he could see right to the back and through a sliding glass door. He could see the ocean through the glass. He looked up and saw a second floor open loft area.

Horatio walked into the kitchen. "I'm going to make us something to eat and some coffee," he said. "Make yourself at home."

Tim distracted himself by slowly wandering around the first floor, checking the place out. There was a fireplace on one wall and a wide screen TV opposite with stereo on a shelf next to it. He glanced through Horatio's bookshelves and found some books on psychology and profiling, some on forensics, and a whole shelf of chemistry textbooks that looked old and worn. Tim pulled one of the books off the shelf and opened it to a random page. He found handwritten notes scribbled in the margins of the page. He flipped to the inside front cover and found a NYU bookstore sticker.

He looked over at Horatio. "You studied chemistry," he said.

"A very long time ago," Horatio replied with a smile.

"When did you graduate?" Tim asked.

"Seventy-nine. I joined the force a month later."

Tim did a quick calculation in his head and said, "So, that would make you, what, about forty-five, or so?" He wandered into the kitchen as he spoke.

Horatio looked up from what he was doing and smile. "And he's good at math too." Tim gave him a shy smile. "How 'bout you?" Horatio asked.

Tim raised an eyebrow. "Undergraduate, Graduate or Doctorate?" he asked.

"Pick one," Horatio replied, turning back to his scrambled eggs.

"I started at Cornell when I was seventeen, graduated in three years, class of ninety-two. Moved down to the city and did my Master's and PhD at Columbia. Graduated a little over five years ago and was immediately hired at Miami University. I jumped at the chance for my own lab and a warm, sunny climate."

Horatio smiled. "So, let's see, that makes you,… thirty?" Tim nodded. Horatio pulled a couple of plates down from the cupboard and served up eggs and toast. "He gestured to the kitchen table and said, "Sit. How do you like your coffee?"

"Milk and sugar," he answered.

Horatio grabbed the requested items then sat down at the table opposite Tim and proceeded to watch him pour three heaping spoonfuls of sugar into his coffee. He smirked just as Tim looked up.

Tim shrugged. "Sweet tooth," he said. They ate in silence for a while before Tim asked, "How long before I can get back into my apartment? I'm gonna need to get some clothes, my briefcase and some books."

"I'll call Calliegh in a bit. We can probably get back in for those things later today, but they're going to need to keep the place roped off for a few days while they investigate."

"So, this is what you do for a living?" Tim asked. "Deal with victims. Investigate crime scenes."

"Pretty much," Horatio said.

Tim shook his head. "I think I'll stick to my ivory tower."

Horatio chuckled. "I suppose it's not for everyone."

After a moment, Tim asked, "Why did they take your gun this morning? Are you going to be in trouble for all this?"

Horatio smiled at him. "Standard procedure. I drew my weapon when I was off duty and I claimed not to have fired it. They just need to verify my story." Tim nodded.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence but Horatio noticed that Tim wasn't eating very much. He asked, "Is the food okay?"

Tim looked up. "Yeah. I guess I'm just not that hungry," he said, then yawned.

Horatio asked, "Do you want to lie down for a bit? We were up kinda early this morning." He was purposely avoiding any kind of reference to the incident with Simon.

Tim nodded. "Yeah, I think so," he said. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all," Horatio answered. "I could use a nap myself. You sure you don't want any more to eat first?"

Tim ate a little more of his food and finished his coffee but the food seemed to be making him more sleepy. He wanted to help Horatio clean up before he took a nap. He stood up with a slight wince but when he picked up his plate, his hand started to shake. Horatio jumped up and took the plate from him before it fell to the floor.

"Let me take this," he said. "The dishes can wait for now." He quickly deposited the plates in the sink then turned back to Tim who was leaning heavily against the table. "You okay?" he asked.

It took Tim a moment to answer and Horatio thought he had a faraway look on his face. Unbeknownst to him, Tim's mind was flashing back to this morning again and he was trying hard to regain control of himself. Finally he nodded but didn't speak. "Come on," Horatio said. "Let's get you upstairs and into bed."

Tim was beginning to retreat into himself again, his main defense mechanism, and barely noticed Horatio lead him upstairs. Horatio managed to get him out of his pants and shoes, though Tim wouldn't let him remove his shirt, then he stripped himself down to his boxers and they crawled into bed. They laid spooned together in silence for a few moments before Horatio felt Tim's body begin to shake and his legs draw up into his defensive posture. Horatio pulled him close and nuzzled his neck.

"It's okay," he whispered into his ear. Tim sobbed and Horatio said softly, "Let go. I'm here to catch you."

Calliegh walked into the Trace Lab with two large evidence bags, a box containing Horatio's weapon, and a pile of swabs. She dropped everything down on the table just as Eric entered the room with his own pile of evidence. He grinned when he saw her.

"So," he said. "You got roped into coming in today too, huh?"

She glanced over at him. "Yeah. A friend of Horatio's was assaulted this morning. He asked me to investigate."

"Oh, man. Is H okay?" he asked as he started unpacking his evidence.

"Yeah, but his friend was pretty shook up."

A thought struck him and Eric looked up from what he was doing. "Wait a minute. Was that the friend he was going to see this morning when he called me?"

"He mentioned that, yes. He walked in and scared the guy off."

"I hope she wasn't too badly hurt," he said.

"He," Calliegh replied.

Eric looked confused. "I thought he was with his girlfriend."

"Boyfriend," she said. She didn't see any point in lying to him since the lab gossip machine would pick up the news as soon as the uniformed officers returned from the scene. Eric wrinkled his brow, looking very confused, and was about to say something when Calliegh continued. "Look, the whole lab's going to know soon enough. Horatio's lover was assaulted this morning." She looked him in the eye and said, "His male lover."

TBC