It was to be expected and Adam sometimes had to hold back not to laugh out loud. Now that it was out in the open that he was Paul's partner in more ways than just in the field, more than a mere friend – and he had always been more, in his opinion, than 'mere' – people were watching them.

Closely.

"You're not obvious," Grey remarked one calm afternoon as they were in the gym together.

Adam frowned. "Come again?"

"You and Scarlet. Wouldn't have figured."

"What did you expect?" he asked mildly.

It got him a shrug and Iain put down the weights.

"Do you want us to hold hands and kiss passionately in not so dark corners of Skybase?" Adam teased, laughing at the other man's expression. "We're not like that."

"But you are… together, right?"

"I'm his anchor, Iain."

"Yeah, we got that. We all got that. And that it's something very close and intimate and binds you together and shit."

Especially 'shit', Adam thought, amused.

"There's not more?"

"There's more," he answered truthfully. "But it's something we're still figuring out, so whatever you think we're doing, we're probably not."

Taggart snorted. "Probably," he echoed.

Adam grinned unrepentantly. No one had any idea what their relationship was like or what had already happened, aside from Paul and himself. No one had to know that they shared bed space to calm down Paul's mind, to get him to sleep. No one had to know that touch helped the other man relax, let go of the tension he was always under. No one had to know that the kisses meant more than a semi-erotic, intimate contact.

No, no one had to.

"Whatever it is, still means you're partners. Exclusive, right?"

Adam shrugged and grabbed a towel. "Kinda."

"Shared quarters?"

"Nope."

Iain shrugged and changed the weights on the bar.

Adam had to grin and finished his found on the treadmill.

This was going to be highly entertaining.

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White sent them on enforced leave after a grueling mission that had Scarlet close to losing it in the end. The Mysterons had left a path of destruction, eradicating a whole town with a virus they had wanted to unleash unto the whole world, and the town had been the lab experiment.

Scarlet had died of that virus and come back alive, but he had seen twenty men, women and children fade away in person, all trapped with him in a restaurant, and there had been nothing he could have done.

Captains Blue, Grey and Magenta had been able to deliver the antidote to those not yet affected. Of four hundred inhabitants, only a handful had survived.

It had been catastrophic.

"Not your fault," Adam whispered when they lay together that night before their leave, sharing Adam's quarters.

Paul had come to him, silent, pale, in pain, and Adam had simply pulled him close.

Of course it wasn't anyone's fault. The Mysterons were a coldly calculating bunch of alien bitches, in Adam's opinion, and even if there were factions opposed to this War of Nerves against Earth, he would rather see the whole of them blown to Hell. He pushed those thoughts aside, aware that his own fury was talking, not his more controlled, logical side.

"Paul," he murmured.

Paul's eyes were closed and his face was buried against Adam's chest, fingers digging into his shirt.

"I want this to end," the dark-haired man finally whispered, voice harsh, almost broken.

"We all want that."

"They'll never stop."

No, probably not.

x X XX xx X XX xxx x X XX xx X XX xxx x X XX x

They left the next morning. Dressed in civvies, bags in hand, and both men looking forward to their time off. It was an unscheduled vacation, with no fixed plans. They would decide on a whim where to go.

Adam gave his partner a smile and Paul's smile looked close to real now, compared to what he had looked like when they had come back from their mission.

Lieutenant Silver dropped them off at an international airport.

From here out on, they were on their own, with no trail for anyone to follow; especially Mysteron agents. White had only asked them to have a communicator with them, just in case.

Adam had it on him, switched off, of course, and it was a bit of a safety net, but he wasn't really worried.

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It had been almost like playing the lottery, but in the end they had taken a flight overseas and ended up with a rental car - a jeep -, a cottage, and a lot of nothingness around them. Well, not nothingness. Just landscape. Lots of it. Some horses, some birds, a lot of mountains and the occasional hot spring.

Adam had taken it all in, breathing in the crisp, clear air, then he had started to unpack their mountain of groceries.

The cottage was big enough for them, had one bedroom, a good-size kitchen, a bathroom, and an attic with a large, triangular floor to ceiling window. The view was incredible.

They had running water, which was a big plus, and their heat came from geothermal water. The stove was connected to a gas tank.

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"You cook," Adam stated evenly when he walked back inside from a long stroll.

Paul raised his eyebrows. "Yes?"

His eyes lingered on the flushed cheeks, the glowing eyes, the wind-torn hair. Adam, dressed in a knit sweater, blue jeans and hiking boots, did something to him that Paul Metcalfe had tried to deny himself for a very long time now. It shivered through him in a way that made it hard to suppress an immediate reaction.

This was just them, civilians away from Skybase, with enough time to work out what was still happening between them, and it didn't help that Adam looked… like that. His partner didn't do more than before, never pushed, but something was building and it was getting so much harder to tame the instincts to… take.

"Didn't know that about you," Adam jerked him out of his thoughts.

Paul chuckled. "Finally something."

Adam leaned against the kitchen counter and watched him chop onions. "So, what's on the menu?"

"Lasagna and salad."

"Sounds good."

And he stayed to watch.

It wasn't an oppressive presence, just… Paul was very much aware of the other man anyway and now he was so close, to temptingly near, and something primal inside him wanted to bridge that last gap, cross that bridge, take Adam up on his still standing offer.

Paul didn't know what would happen if he did. He was terrified of himself.

Adam started on setting the table as he pushed the lasagna into the oven. He glanced at his partner and felt the steady hum of the connection between them, unwavering and strong.

He turned away and glanced out the high windows.

Outside, the weather had abruptly changed, clouds riding low and obscuring the mountains, and the wind pushed them lower and faster across the land.

Adam casually wrapped an arm around Paul's waist as they looked out the window. It was a loose hold, but still relayed an intimacy that had Paul want to do things…

Adam's chin rested on the muscular shoulder, his body aligned with Paul's.

"So much for another hike," he sighed.

Paul let himself lean against the blond. It was an unconscious move, like the way they curled together in bed.

"Don't like the weather, wait fifteen minutes," he quoted a brochure.

It got him a soft chuckle. "Yeah."

"Just call yourself lucky you aren't stuck in the mountains right now."

"Good instincts," the other replied lightly. "Now, food?"

X X X

The lasagna was perfect.

X X X

The weather didn't really lift and they stayed on the couch, watching satellite TV. Adam was a solid, comforting weight at his side and Paul smiled when the blond head slid lower until he was snuggled up under Paul's arm.

A light dusting of snow blew past the window and Paul watched it, feeling himself relax completely.

X X X

They made it to bed, Adam sleepy but more alert than he looked. There was no thought lost about not sharing a bed; it was natural by now. Paul curled up to the other man with an involuntary sigh. He closed his eyes, letting himself slide off into sleep.

Adam kissed his head, his breathing evening out soon.

X X X

Outside, the snow stopped falling, the wind driving the heavy clouds toward the ocean.

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They lay together at night and Paul slept deeply, as always. He woke up before Adam and made coffee, enjoying the early morning. His partner woke half an hour into his silent contemplation of the quiet landscape and shuffled into the open concept kitchen.

"Weather's still not our friend," Adam remarked after half a cup of coffee, gazing out the window.

Their cottage was surrounded by low clouds. The mountains were invisible and the temperatures had dropped considerably. Paul found the fog strangely calming. Maybe it was Adam's presence, maybe the solitude, too. Maybe all of it together.

"Had any plans?"

Adam shrugged. "Not any more." He refilled his cup. "At least not outside, unless you want to hike in the fog."

"Not really."

"Then we'll wait. Weather will clear up."

"Clairvoyant?" Paul teased.

Adam grinned. "Don't have to be. This won't last."

"If you say so. How about breakfast?"

"I'm all for it."

X X X

The weather really did clear up by noon and they grabbed their gear.

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"What are you afraid of, Paul?"

The pale blue eyes seemed to flicker, indecision written all over the handsome features of his partner. They had been on a day-long excursion with their jeep, driving up and down the unpaved slopes, crossing rivers, without actually meeting another soul. Horses had been their only companions as they had hiked a rather nice trail that had ended near some hot springs.

Paul had clearly enjoyed himself and Adam had seen a side of his best friend and partner that only rarely surfaced. There had been no mission, no pressure, nothing that had the other man constantly on edge. He had been himself. Paul Metcalfe.

Adam liked seeing that person.

He wanted to see him more often.

Now, back at the cottage, he had decided to meet the ghost between them head-on. Adam knew Paul was interested, that he wanted something that Adam wanted, too, but he didn't act on it.

He never did.

"Losing control," was the soft reply.

"There's control and there's you." Adam smiled openly. "Loss of control should be a given if you really get invested. And I know you are. At least in the kissing." He raised an eyebrow.

Paul shook his head. "That's not the same."

"You think getting physically closer than we already are makes you want to what? Bite me? You're not a vampire. At least I never caught a hint of fang. And you're not some kind of animal either. You don't shapeshift, Paul. You're human. Only human."

X X X

Adam was close again and Paul fought the urge to push the man back against the wall, catch that mouth and kiss him. He wanted to… very, very much. And he wanted more. He wanted something that frightened him because of the intensity he felt with.

"We don't know anything about the Mysterons," he managed, sounding harsh and gritty to his own ears.

"Hm, yeah, but not relevant. Human, Paul. You have a human body and human reactions. I've been privy to them for a while no."

"Adam…" he protested.

"You don't know what might happen unless you try," his partner offered.

"And hurt you in the process?"

"You're not that kind of guy. And I heal. Thanks to you, I might add. I'm also very much capable of kicking your scrawny butt clear across the room if you try something funny, Paul Metcalfe. I'm not defenseless and you don't have superpowers."

"I know."

Now Adam was very close and the pressure Paul felt was rising. The anchor between them was a steady hum, neither pushing nor pulling, and he knew this was solely him. He wanted this, wanted this man, and he wanted him badly. He had finally opened the door to the emotions from two years ago, letting it all out.

It was frightening in its intensity, in the clear, sharp want and hunger, and part of Scarlet wondered if this was the Mysteron or the human soul. It had intensified ever since they had started their little vacation. Being around Adam, completely free of any prying eyes on them, without a mission or his duties as a Spectrum officer to think of, things had… developed. It was getting harder and harder to push his emotions away.

Adam slid a slow hand over his rib cage, around his waist, pulling them close, and then his lips brushed over Paul's.

It was so easy to open up, to fall back on what he knew, on what they had both become really, really good at, and to feel the familiar wave of content and calm.

Mixed with the trickles of hunger. And lust. He couldn't deny that anymore.

"Adam," he murmured against the wet lips.

"Trust yourself, Paul. Because I do."

The next kiss was even more intense. It touched something, scratched at the shields Paul still kept up, wriggled through the cracks that had started to appear lately. It was powerful, relentless, and it was so familiar.

Adam bit him lightly, startling him a little, and the groan that left his mouth shocked him.

"Adam!"

"Hm?"

He looked into the intense eyes, dark blue, filled with a fire he had seen in the field before. Now it was directed at him.

His next action shocked him even more, actually frightening him for a second or two. Or five.

Paul whirled them around, pushing Adam against the wall, pinning his wrists and capturing the teasing mouth in a hard, demanding kiss. Adam's reaction was almost beautiful. His mouth opened, pliant and warm and so familiar, and his whole body seemed to welcome him.

Fuck!

He felt the sharp twist of building pleasure, his own reaction to the tension that was building in anticipation of his next step, and when Adam bucked against the leg he had pushed between his thighs, he almost lost it.

"Fuck," he breathed out loud, trembling, still holding on to those wrists.

The look in Adam's eyes, dark with arousal and want, nearly broke the last wall.

"Don't think," the blond murmured, making no move to free himself.

"I…"

"Don't. I've got you. I'm here. I'm your anchor, even now. Paul… let go."

And he did.

Completely.

tbc...