Disclaimer: Still not mine.
A/N: things get a little slashy here. Just so you know.
II.
He finds himself staring up at the Tardis building and scoffing. This is where Theta lives now? This rickety old block of flats with chipping blue paint on its dinged and dingy wooden doors is the place his notoriously tidy ex-(roommate/friend/fuck buddy – take your pick) has chosen as his place of residence? He can't say that it doesn't serve him right. He deserves every inch of this ramshackle building.
He's not entirely sure why he's here, though. He doesn't really have a reason to be, but ever since he found out where Theta is living, he has felt the urge to see him again. For what purpose? He doesn't know. He could rage at him, fly off the handle and scream. He could gloat, brag about having shagged his girlfriend in a dirty alley last weekend. He could be honest, tell him how he's been living since he left, the drinking and the anger and the hole in the drywall from where he put his fist through it that first night alone. But he really doesn't see how any of that would solve anything.
Not that there's much left to be resolved. Theta has made things perfectly clear.
He spends a few afternoons outside the building, watching and waiting to see if Theta does indeed live here. Part of him refuses to believe it until he sees it. On the third day of his impromptu stakeout, he spies him returning from whatever mad adventure he'd been on.
Seeing him again isn't what he thought it would be. He'd always assumed that he would be angry, would march right up to him and grab his jacket, slam him into the wall and demand that he explain himself, tell him why he left him alone, why he never came back for him, why why why why?
But he doesn't. He stays rooted to the spot, his feet seemingly melding into the concrete as he watches Theta disappear right in front of him. Maybe Theta isn't the only coward after all.
It takes him another day to work up the courage (and a viable excuse) to come back, ready to do battle and win. He has plans. A master plan.
He walks up to the door and, even though he finds Theta's name on the directory, runs his thumb over all the buttons and rings all the doorbells – for good measure. Someone buzzes him in and he pushes his way inside, the door creaking and sticking as he does so. He makes his way through the musty lobby with its nearly green fluorescent lighting and up the stairs through tight winding corridors. It isn't long before he's found the flat he's looking for and he knocks loudly, his knuckles rapping the wood four times.
"Just a minute!" he hears Theta shout from within, followed by a few quick thumps. He wonders if Theta's expecting anyone – perhaps he thinks it's Rose come to visit, come for a surprise shag – but when he answers the door, the look on Theta's face is anything but welcoming.
"What are you doing here?"
"Can't an old friend stop by his former roommate's new place?" he smirks, leaning on the doorjamb. "Or is it considered inappropriate to come without warning?"
Theta narrows his eyes, arms folding over his skinny chest. "What do you want?"
"Oh, nothing important," he shrugs, pushing off the doorframe and stepping inside. Theta doesn't stop him as he steps into the center of the room, glancing around flat. Despite what he might have assumed, the room seems bigger on the inside, if that's even possible. It's a studio, a single space for cooking and living and dining and sleeping, but it's laid out extraordinarily well. It's small, obviously, but it feels homey.
He hates it.
"Koschei…" Theta prompts, clearly not amused by his sudden appearance and subsequent inspection of his flat.
"Just returning this," he says, digging his hand into his pocket and producing a small item. "Found it the other day. In your rush to leave, you forgot a couple things. Not unexpected, considering how fast you hightailed it out of there. Anyway, I thought you might be missing this."
He gives it a liquidy little shake before tossing it to Theta, who catches it easily in the cup of his palms, opening them to see what Koschei has brought. He glowers at the little tube in his hands.
"Really?"
"Thought you might be needing it," he shrugs, "now that you've got someone else to fuck. Rose, I think her name is?"
Theta turns from closing the door to glare at him. "How do you know about her?"
"You think I wasn't going to find out? Especially when you've been so discreet, dragging her all over London?"
"Is that what this is about? You're angry that I've met someone new?"
"Don't flatter yourself," he retorts, venom in his voice. "This is about you running away just like you've always done, about you not telling me why."
"I didn't realize that I had to clear my life choices with you first."
"You do when they concern me," Koschei says coolly. "You could have given me any reason. 'I just need more space. I don't like the flat. I just don't want to suck your cock anymore.' Any reason would have been better than just running."
"I knew you would be angry either way," Theta insists. "I thought it was better just to go."
"Bull-fucking-shit," he spits. "You wanted what you wanted and you didn't even bother to clue me in. Thanks."
"I didn't know how to explain…"
"Yeah? Explain what? That you wanted to fuck someone new?" he snaps. "Or did you just not want to feel guilty about it, so you moved halfway across the city to try and forget?"
"I wasn't trying to hurt you," Theta says softly.
"Oh, I think we're past that now… Hurt was a long time ago. Hurt was discovering that you had left, that you were gone, that you'd taken up with some new girl. Now I'm angry. Really angry," Koschei says, stepping right up in his face, his eyes flashing a challenge. "But tell me, honestly, is she worth it? Is little Rose as sweet as her name?"
"Don't talk about her," Theta warns, his eyes growing dark.
"Touch a nerve there?" Koschei grins. "She must be, for you to have left me for her."
"We are not having this conversation," Theta turns from him, stiffening his spine as crosses the room to straighten clutter on a bookshelf.
Nonplussed, Koschei creeps up behind him and leans in close, feeling him tense at his nearness, letting his breath hover near Theta's ear. "Have you fucked her yet?"
"STOP!" Theta pushes him away, causing him to stumble a few steps back. Koschei just laughs.
"Oh, you haven't yet, have you? Well, has she at least gone down on you yet? Dropped to her knees and taken you in her mouth and sucked you off?"
"That's enough!" Theta moves to shove him again, but Koschei is ready, quick to dodge and catch him, turning him back around until he has him pressed up against a nearby expanse of wall between the bookcase and a desk.
"Does she know you like it rough like this? How it gets you off?" he hisses in his ear, his hand coming around to cup him through his jeans. "Seems to me like you're just about halfway there already."
"Kos…" Theta gasps, the sound rough and harsh. "What…?"
"Shh," he whispers harshly in Theta's ear, putting more pressure on his groin, his fingers already fumbling with the button and fly. Theta groans, squirming, but he doesn't say stop. Koschei knows he's being aggressive, that he's moving fast, but at any point, Theta could say no, push him away, demand he stop. He would honor that request; his rage has limits, after all. But Theta doesn't say a word.
"I'm with Rose now," Theta manages, his voice barely above a whisper, as if he is reminding himself of this fact.
"Forget about her. You can't have told her about me anyway. Just let this," he punctuates his statement by shoving his hand past the waistband of his jeans and pants, gripping his cock in a tight fist, "be one more thing you never tell her."
Theta curses even as his hips buck forward into his hand, seeing greater contact from fingers on flesh. Koschei grins and begins to move his hand in a slow rhythm, steady and sure. When Theta gives no objection, he slips his thumb over the tip of him, feeling the slick moisture there as he grows harder in his hand. From over his shoulder, Koschei can see his fingers gripping the edge of the bookcase, see the cords of muscle in his neck as he gasps and strains under the crushing weight of the pleasure he feels.
It's all so familiar, so easy.
Koschei starts to work his hand faster, tightening his grip and adding a twist to his stroke, just the way he knows Theta likes. Theta curses again, his hips now moving in counterpoint to Koschei's strokes. He's close now, Koschei can tell by the way he makes that noise in the back of his throat and begins tensing up. In response, he pumps his hand frantically now, pressing his hips into Theta's ass to ease the ache in his own cock, when Theta suddenly grabs his wrist, stilling his hand.
Koschei stops instantly, biting back a groan of disappointment. How else had the imagined this was going to go? He should have known better, should have known that Theta would put a stop to this before it crossed a line. But he had been so fucking close. Theta had been so fucking close.
There's a moment of confusion as his grip slackens, as Theta pushes his hand away and turns, staring at him with eyes wide and black with lust before grabbing a fistful of his black hoodie and hauling him back in. Koschei isn't sure what's going on here, isn't sure that Theta fully knows either, but he can't keep the smirk off his face all the same.
"That it, then?" he asks. "What are you gonna do? You just gonna stand there and — FUCK!"
The last is shouted as Theta suddenly grinds the heel of his palm into the bulge in his trousers, his other hand wrapping around his neck to pull him in and meet their mouths together. There's no finesse (not that there ever was, really), just lips and tongue and teeth knocking together and the rasp of stubble against skin. Somewhere in the haze of sensation, he is aware of Theta fumbling with his fly, his hands managing to push his jeans and pants down just enough. There is a moment of clarity as Theta's long fingers wrap around his cock, his touch feeling right in a way that no one else's has since. He can't hold back the grunt that escapes his lips as Theta's hand tightens and twists.
What happens next, he's not completely sure of, lost to sensation as he is. They stumble towards Theta's bed, shedding clothes as they go. Though he was always the master of this relationship, Koschei allows Theta to push him down and roll him over. He likes this domineering side, likes it a lot. He listens as Theta scrambles to find the lube he'd tossed aside. He hears the snick of the cap opening and the wet slick sounds as Theta coats himself first and he second, fingers slippery and slick as they enter him. He groans at the feeling, gripping the bedspread and clenching his teeth. It's good, so fucking good.
There's a moment when he realizes how fucked this is; the irony isn't lost on him as the thinks about what's going to happen, about what happened with Theta's girlfriend just a few days ago, and that he's going to have fucked with both of them.
He's two for two. That must be some sort of record.
There's the quick, familiar rustle of a foil packet and then Theta is pushing inside, careful as he ever was, going slow and holding back despite the pleasure that makes his muscles tremble, patient as he waits for the go ahead. It's so, so good the way he stretches and fills him up, the pleasure/pain sharp and all he ever wants. All he ever wants. He's too proud to admit it, but he misses him, misses this.
He nods briefly and Theta begins to move in slow, careful strokes as they find a rhythm. He can hear him behind him, panting and cursing and fuck and good and yes. It isn't long before he feels orgasm creeping up on him and he's coming fast, faster than he wants to admit. Only Theta could ever do that to him, push him to the edge so quickly.
He cries out sharply, barking out several unintelligible curses as he comes all over Theta's sheets. It gives him a perverse sense of pride to do so and it's seconds more before Theta follows him, giving several final sharp thrusts before stiffening. He pulls out almost instantly, even remembering to ease out slowly, and collapses onto his stomach beside him.
For a moment, they lie there in silence, both trying to catch their breath, their hearts beating out a steady thump-thump-thump-thump.
"I… I can't believe we did that," Theta pants, dragging a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in the most delightful of ways.
"Don't act so surprised," Koschei rolls over on to his back to stare at the ceiling while he collects himself. "Not like that's the first time a shoving match turned into a fucking match."
"We're not together anymore," Theta says, his voice flat. Koschei snorts, causing Theta to look over at him sharply.
"Were we ever?" he asks, laughing. "Really?"
Theta doesn't say anything, but several moments later he gets up and heads to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Running again. Always putting distance between them.
Guess that answers that.
Koschei gets up, finding his clothes and putting himself back together. There's no use in sticking around – he's done what he came to do. As he finishes tugging his sweatshirt over his head, his eyes land on the stack of Post-It notes on Theta's desk. He stares at them for a long minute, wondering if he should leave him a note, something short and sweet and appropriate, like – "P.S. – I fucked Rose too."
His hand twitches toward the pen, but he stops, curling his fingers back into a fist. No. No, he thinks he likes this better. Now that he's fucked both of them, he's done his part. Now he can sit back and watch as they destroy themselves with guilt. He knows Rose will – she'd started simpering just as soon as she'd come – and Theta… Theta will brood for weeks, if he's lucky. And he's already been lucky twice, he smirks to himself.
They don't call him the Master for nothing.