A/N: C'mon, we all knew it wasn't gonna be that easy for him!
This chappie contains more naughtiness. I didn't plan it that way, honest! It was all spur of the moment. I promise the next one will be longer and have more plot to it.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Watchmen or any of its characters.
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When Chloe woke the next morning, Walter was gone. She felt a brief stab of disappointment until she saw his fedora carefully placed on the center of her coffee table. She smiled; he wouldn't have left it by accident. She rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom to shower, the lingering soreness between her legs a reminder of the previous night's activities. A euphoric smile graced her features all through her morning preparations, and she practically glided down the steps to the clinic. Maria took one look at her and grinned slyly. "Looks like somebody had a good night."
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Chloe responded primly, even as a grin spread across her face.
"Like hell! If you were glowing any brighter I'd have to put on some shades."
Young Rachel finally caught on. "You slept with someone?"
"Eventually." Chloe laughed.
"Oh. My. God!"
The other two nurses clustered around her like sharks at a gossip feeding frenzy. "Who was it?" "Somebody we know?" "Was it that hot new guy at the--"
"It's nobody you guys know!" Chloe interjected quickly. "He's a very private person. Very private." She eyed them significantly. The others deflated slightly.
"Can you at least tell us if it was any good?" Rachel begged. Chloe rolled her eyes. "Well, it had been six years since the last time I'd had sex, so I don't think you can rely entirely on my opinion. But," she smiled, "Yeah. It was not at all disappointing."
"'Not at all disappointing,'" Maria echoed, "Gosh, that's sounds so romantic." They laughed. Then the first patients arrived, ending all further discussion.
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The newsvendor saw the weirdo's approach and braced himself. He had the day's issue of New Frontiersman in hand and he plastered an almost sincere smile on his pudgy face. "Hey, there! World gonna end today?"
Kovacs regarded the newsie with his usual blank expression, but something about his eyes… The older man frowned slightly. They seemed less…cold.
"No," the redhead answered evenly, "Not today." He handed the appropriate change, stuffed the folded paper into his pocket like always. Then he did something that nearly made the older man's jaw hang open; he said "Thank you."
"Uh, yer welcome." He stared as the man with the doomsday sign strolled off. He's finally cracked! Any second now he's gonna come at somebody with a machete screamin' bout the aliens in his head. But though the newsvendor kept his guard up the whole day, there were no such mishaps. He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or not.
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Walter was troubled. It had to have been a mistake, what he did. What they did. Things were so much more complicated now. Rorschach hated complications. For him, everything was either/or; left or right, good or evil, black or white. But this…he had no category for this new emotion that all but overshadowed his worry. Walter was happy. At least, the thought he was. He'd never been truly happy before. He had plenty of experience with unhappiness before, so he assumed what he felt now must be the opposite. It was very distracting.
Shouldn't have done it, Rorschach growled, Gave in to basic animal drives. Mindless fornication--
No, it wasn't like that! Those rare moments when his body had betrayed him and he'd been forced to relieve it with his hand, that was mindless. Those terrible moments had always left him feeling soiled, debased. He hadn't felt that way with Chloe; not entirely, anyway. It hadn't just been his own pleasure he was satisfying; it had been hers as well. That realization, knowing she was in ecstasy and it was his actions that brought her there, had given him a satisfaction no amount of masturbation could achieve. That wasn't mindless. Was it?
It won't last, the disembodied voice snarled in his mind, She'll get tired of you. Find someone better. Someone she deserves. He knew this. To him there was no question about it; someday she would wise up and end it with him. Walter didn't know if he was strong enough to bear it.
There she was, against the wall like always, waiting for him. On seeing his approach a smile lit the nurse's face like a beacon and his pulse quickened in response. There were dark rings under her eyes, he noticed, and her shoulders slumped a little. He took his usual place beside her. "Look tired."
"Yeah," she chuckled, "Somebody kept me up past my bedtime." Her smile took on a sensual quality that made the heat rise on the redhead's face. Chloe adored that about him; no matter how stolid he was, she could still make him blush like an adolescent. "By the way, you forgot something up in my apartment."
Walter gave nothing away in his expression. "Oh?"
"Mmhmm," she nodded. "You just might have to stop by and pick it up later."
Walter shuffled his feet awkwardly. He had no experience with this kind of thing; this flirtation. He wondered how something could be so embarrassing and yet so enjoyable. "Have to check my schedule," he mumbled. He felt a small rush as Chloe laughed in response.
"Guess I'll have to keep the window unlocked, then." Her hand brushed against his thigh, ever so lightly. Walter felt it like an electric shock. He watched as she sauntered off back to work, heart thudding in anticipation and dread.
It won't last.
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Chloe spent the rest of the day in a heightened state of arousal. The closer it came to quitting time, the more fidgety she became. Rachel and Maria exchanged sly looks and smirks several times over the next few hours. Finally, the doors were locked for the night. Chloe all but ran up the stairs to her little apartment; took the steps two at a time. Walter was already there, seated in her easy chair with his fedora in his hands. He stood when she entered, took in her flushed complexion and heavy breathing and felt his body respond. He half expected Chloe to rush into his arms, but instead she approached him slowly, eyes agleam.
"Hey," she breathed, close enough for him to feel it. She leaned towards him for a kiss, was startled when he leaned away.
"I smell bad," he muttered, not meeting her eyes. He held his fedora in both hands like a shield. All the awkwardness that had been absent the night before now made itself painfully known.
Chloe smiled in understanding, placed a gentle hand on his arm. "I don't exactly smell like a basket of roses, either." She took his hat, set it on the table, took both of his hands in hers. "C'mon," she tugged, "let's go take a shower."
Walter followed, unresisting. In the confines of the bathroom he watched as she undressed. She loosened her ponytail, shook out her long curls so they draped over her shoulders. She pulled off her scrubs top, unsnapped her bra and tossed it aside. Half naked, she looked at him and quirked an eyebrow. "Can't shower in your clothes."
Oh. Face reddening, Walter fumbled his way out of his own clothing while Chloe removed her pants, socks, underwear. He felt terribly self-conscious; a short, skinny man with pasty skin and gaunt features. Didn't help that part of him responded so clearly to the woman's nudity. He covered himself with his hands and averted his eyes. What on earth did she see in him?
Chloe turned the water on, tested the temperature with her wrist. She turned to see Walter, eyes down and shoulders hunched, as if trying to hide in his own shadow. She reached out a hand to cup his chin, lifted his head. "Hey," she murmured, "Look at me."
His eyes met hers; beautiful blue. "I don't want you to feel like you have to be with me," Chloe said quietly, "If you have any doubts about us, just go ahead and say so. I won't be upset." A lie. He meant more to her than she'd realized before. She just wasn't sure how to say so; not without knowing if he reciprocated her feelings.
Walter shook his head. "I'm not…I just…" Damn it! He couldn't think straight with her standing there naked, staring at him with that caring look. He squeezed his eyes shut in hopes of clearing his head. "I've never…been with…"
Comprehension dawned. "Was I your first?" she asked. It hadn't occurred to her. It all happened so fast the night before. After such a long time alone, she had simply overlooked his inexperience and thought whatever clumsiness occurred was all her own.
Walter nodded. Fear and shame and need warred with his habitual mask-like façade. He forced his eyes to open, to look at her. There was none of the pity or mockery he had feared, only a small sympathetic smile. Chloe leaned forward, kissed him lightly. He leaned into the kiss, deepened it, felt the tension melt from him even as another part of him grew even more alert. Chloe gently pushed his hands aside and grasped his hardened member. Walter gasped at the contact, breaking the kiss. Chloe grinned, stepped into the shower still gripping him. Walter followed her into the narrow stall. Warm water caressed his back, flowed over his shoulders and down his chest. Chloe released him to pull the shower curtain closed. He stared at her. The previous night had been too hurried for him to really look at her. His eyes took in her long neck, the delicate collar bone and round shoulders, down to her not overly large breasts with their dark nipples now hardened in arousal. Lower still, to the narrowed waist and slightly pooched stomach, the flared curves of her hips, slender thighs. To that triangle of curls, graying like the hair on her head.
Chloe shifted under his scrutiny. His eyes quickly returned to her face, startled and embarrassed. Chloe laughed nervously. "Sorry, I'm not used to being ogled like that. Been a while."
She's uncomfortable? The thought astonished him. Chloe was always so confident, so self-assured. Walter cupped the side of her face with his hand, stared deep into her hazel eyes. "You're beautiful." He swallowed, uneasy with handing out compliments, even though he meant it. Chloe kissed him, lips smiling against his. Their arms encircled each other, pulled their bodies close. Awkwardness melted away, replaced with ardor. Legs weakened and lowered them to the shower floor. They sat face to face. Chloe straddled Walter's thighs, her legs wrapped around his waist. Walter lifted her, then gently lowered her onto his erection, groaning as her warmth enveloped him. As she moved against him he kissed his way down her neck, her chest, took a hardened nipple into his mouth which earned him a moan in response. He swirled his tongue around the peaked flesh, nibbled gently with his teeth.
"Oh, god!" Chloe gasped, "You sure you've never done this before?"
Walter released her nipple with a smile. "Fast learner." He turned his attention to her other breast. Chloe bit her lip; her fingers tangled in his red hair, wet from the shower still spilling over them. She felt it build in her, turning her insides to liquid. She whimpered. "W-Walter, I'm…"
Walter raised his head to meet her eyes. God, he could feel it; her coming around him. Felt his own climax approach. And then, at the last second, Chloe got off of him and his seed shot onto the floor. Walter stared at the mess in growing alarm. They hadn't used a condom. He could have gotten her pregnant! Chloe hugged him, made him turn his face to her. "It's okay. Heat of the moment and all that," she grinned, "No harm done." She helped him to his feet, grabbed the soap and started washing them. After a while, Walter joined in, spreading the lather over her with slow movements. His hands relished the feel of her soft skin, even as the doubts and fears crept into his mind once again.
Later, naked and spooning in her narrow bed, Walter clung to Chloe as if afraid she might vanish at any moment. Long after she drifted off he lay awake with a furrowed brow and hated how much he needed her. The certainty of their relationship's ending overshadowed his joy, while deep within his mind Rorschach grinned maliciously at the prospect of Walter's undoing. The longer this goes on, the worse it will be when it's over. Walter shivered and hugged her closer. He wished he had the strength to end it quickly rather than prolong his torture; wished it would go on forever.
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The first day of October 1985 dawned.