(no subject)
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Do You Like Pina Coladas?
Authors: ceria_taliesin and westwardlee
Rating: R
Summary: Does time ruin fizzle or not?
Disclaimer: Don't you get it yet? They belong to JKR. We don't own their universe and we don't make any money off them. The only thing we do is subvert them to feed our twisted sense of interests.
A/N: Written for the AWDT prompt involving reading a personals ad. The song title belongs to Rupert Holmes.
The index of stories
Kingsley stretched his arm over the other side of the bed and was disappointed to notice that he had not been dreaming: Gideon had left already. Damn those practices and the Ministry's ever-increasing needs for hit wizards. Gideon was seldom home these days and, whenever he happened to be home, he was asleep.
They had made love the night before, after Kingsley managed to nudge him awake. It had been okay - not excellent, as before, because Gideon's mind didn't seem to be totally on the task - and, in any event, as soon as Kingsley rolled off him, Gideon promptly fell asleep.
We need holidays, Kingsley thought, irritated. To make matters worse, the only few days Gideon had stayed home in the past week were exactly the days Kingsley was on a stakeout with another Auror. He'd arrived home exactly as Gideon was leaving. They had time for a peck on the mouth and Gideon was gone.
He took a long shower, damning the fact he had to wank solo as if he was fifteen again, pulled on a pair of shorts and went to the kitchen to have breakfast. He opened the refrigerator and, after a few minutes, decided it looked ridiculously devoid of interesting stuff. He made toast and went back to the bedroom to get dressed: he was going grocery shopping.
Back in the kitchen, he made a list of the things Gideon liked. He would cook a good meal that day and hopefully they would have a good time like before. It was Kingsley's day off and he'd have plenty of time to prepare.
He stumbled onto the Pitch, yawning already. He'd woken up early and tried to wake Kingsley up, but that early in the morning it was impossible. His body was pleasantly sore, and Gideon was pretty sure they had made love the night before and he felt horrible for practically sleeping through it.
The Order was playing havoc with his free time, what little there was, and Gideon was exhausted all the time. Between the Arrows, being a hit wizard and partnering with his brother, and Kingsley, he'd had no free time. And damn if it wasn't Kingsley who was paying for it. The charade he was keeping up, trying to keep a secret from the man he lived with was ridiculous.
Fabian kept reminding Gideon that Kingsley, while an adult, wasn't in the Order and hadn't been asked to join. Keeping secrets from the enemy was important, but Kingsley was not the enemy. Gideon knew that Fabian didn't mean anything against Kingsley. They had discussed asking Kingsley to join at the last meeting, and Gideon had vetoed the idea, but it hurt having to lie to him.
Decision made, Gideon told the captain that he was going to leave briefly during lunch. He would go speak to Dumbledore, tell him he reconsidered his vote and wanted to talk to Kingsley about the Order.
Kingsley Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron and quickly strode through the pub and into Muggle London. Since he'd moved in with Gideon, they had made a point of shopping at Muggle stores: Wizarding groceries were certainly easier to handle, but the variety they found at Sainsbury's couldn't be matched.
Besides, he'd noticed they were all out of Nutella. Gideon loved Nutella crepes for dessert, and he planned to make some for that night. He would wake Gideon up from any nap to eat dinner and they would delight in dessert.
Thinking about licking Nutella off Gideon's lips - and maybe other parts of his body - made his cock stir and he decided to think about something else while he walked to the Tube station.
He couldn't reach Dumbledore by the Floo, but the Order had set up alternative communications with him, just in case something went wrong. He tried McGonagall as well, but in the end, sent his Patronus to find Dumbledore.
His conscience lighter than it had been for days; Gideon returned to finish practice, and in turn, earned rare recognition from their coach. For once he didn't have a mission that afternoon and went straight home to wait to hear from Dumbledore. He dropped his equipment on the floor by the door and took a quick shower, humming to himself.
Kingsley pushed the shopping cart through the aisles. Sainsbury's was very busy that morning; it seemed that every single housewife in the area had woken up and found their cupboards bare.
He helped a few of them get some items from the top shelves, receiving a few warm smiles of thanks and, in one occasion, one of a more inviting nature. For a moment, he thought that he was so damn horny that he might have accepted her unspoken offer. She was married, too - and he looked pointedly at her wedding ring - and probably just looking for a little pastime on a boring day.
He noticed her also looking pointedly at his ring-less finger and automatically fingered the loop he wore on his lobe. When she said, "That's a nice earring," he knew he wouldn't be able to go through with it anyway. He could never cheat on Gideon, so he just nodded and said, "So long."
He could feel her eyes following him until he turned into the next aisle.
***
Finally Kingsley was done and pushed the cart to the checkout area. The queues were huge: all those housewives had apparently decided to be done at the same time. He left his cart on queue and walked to a pile of free newspapers. They were rags with mostly ads for goods and services, but he could leaf through them to pass the time.
When he returned to his cart, he complimented himself on his foresight: the lady who'd made the silent invitation was standing right behind him. He smiled perfunctorily at her and opened the publication randomly to the personal ad section.
Their flat was oddly messy; of course Gideon hadn't pulled his share of chores for some time. He cleaned quickly, even putting away his Quidditch equipment and his clean clothes, then fell asleep on the bed since Kingsley wasn't home anyway.
Hopefully, he would hear from Dumbledore soon and he could return back to their flat before Kingsley came home. He was oddly excited to have the afternoon off, and hoped that Kingsley would be as happy as he was. Besides, after a decent nap, he would be able to spend some needed time with Kingsley - which he missed doing.
The woman was still trying to talk to him, although Kingsley was answering in monosyllables. Finally, to give her a definite clue, he turned the pages to the 'Men Seeking Men' ads. That should give her a good indication that she was wasting her time. He bit back a smile at the thought: he still thought women were damn attractive, probably even more so than men, but there was no-one more attractive than his red-haired bloke.
She stopped trying to make conversation right away and Kingsley glanced at the ads. He wasn't really reading for content, although some of them were rather comical: VWE WM, seeks a meaningful relationship with another VWE male, any race. He wondered what the two VWE males would do together - measure their cocks, maybe, to see who was more endowed?
Trying hard not to laugh, his eyes stopped at the ad below that:
Red-haired man, mid-twenties, with exotic talents, currently in a relationship that has lost its fizz, seeks a caring man to bring him back to life. Send response to mail box GP-1520.
Kingsley had to be nudged by the woman behind him, telling him it was his turn. He hadn't been able to look at anything else since he read the ad.
It was Gideon's, he was sure.
Dumbledore called him through the Floo minutes after he woke up and invited him to Hogwarts. Joining him in time for tea, Gideon discussed his summer, Quidditch practice, Fabian's proposal to Amelia, and Molly's children.
Finally the conversation turned toward the Order and Gideon's hesitance during the last meeting to invite Kingsley to join.
"How is young Kingsley these days? He often caused uproars in class with the young women; I wonder how the Aurors handle such things. You two are close friends, are you not?"
Choking on the piece of candy he was too polite to refuse, Gideon wasn't sure how to answer that question. "I've hardly talked to him recently, sir. We've both been very busy. It seems we keep missing any opportunity we typically have to visit."
"Yet you two are close friends, probably his closest among our current members?"
"Yes, sir."
"And you didn't want him to join the Order. So what has changed your mind this past week, Gideon?"
"I'm afraid it was a gut response to the question, sir. Because Kingsley's such a good friend, all I could think about was the danger he'd be in. He's barely begun his training; I think I hoped that he could get more training in before joining," Gideon hoped his answer was adequate.
"Yet, you didn't protest for young Black, who is also training for the same career. We all know Black is clever, but not nearly as hard working as Kingsley. Not to mention the other boys their age who you didn't protest."
"I'm not friends with them, sir. Like I said, I was surprised, and my initial answer was hasty."
"Well, thank you for your candor. We'll bring it up at the next meeting, and I'm sure that we'll agree then to invite Kingsley. I assume you would like to ask him?"
"If you don't mind, sir, yes."
"Until then, Gideon. It was nice of you to visit."
"Thank you, I've enjoyed it as well."
Gideon called out his home and stepped through the Floo.
Kingsley left Sainsbury's in a daze, balancing his groceries in his arms. Normally he'd stop in a deserted alley and Transfigure his bags into something small. It wasn't until he was almost at the Tube station and his oranges rolled out of one of the bags that he returned to his senses. He found a nook and then, unencumbered by packages, walked to a park bench and sat down heavily.
Gideon was bored! This is why he was always out. And probably feigning fatigue. That must be it. And now he was looking for another bloke, one who could put -what had he called it? Fizz. Put fizz back in his life.
What could he do to put fizz back into their relationship? And then, with a jolt, he remembered something worse! Suppose someone had already put fizz into Gideon's life? Someone might have answered already. And this someone might be the reason Gideon was away so much.
There was only way to know. Kingsley picked a gum wrapper from the ground, looked around and, when he was satisfied that nobody was looking at him, Transfigured it into paper and envelope. On it he wrote:
G.P., if you haven’t found someone yet, respond to this and send back to the newspaper, care of
Here he stopped. He couldn't use his initials. But there was nothing wrong with using his cousin's in an emergency.
S.S.
.
And then he realized he couldn't write it - Gideon would recognize his handwriting, of course! He Transfigured the text into print:
G.P., if you haven’t found someone yet, respond to this and send back to the newspaper, care of S.S.
He'd stop by the newspaper the next day to see if there was any message.
It wasn't the answer he wanted from Dumbledore, but Gideon knew he was correct. They had agreed to invite more witches and wizards only if everyone agreed - and Gideon had not agreed to Kingsley.
Which meant that until the next meeting, he officially wasn't allowed to tell Kingsley anything. He was tired of stretching the truth each time they had a conversation. He was tired of falling asleep on his lover, and missing out on what time they had together.
Something had to give, he wasn't willing to give up any of his work, and he definitely wasn't giving up Kingsley.
Kingsley found a post office near the park and mailed the letter. He had no idea what he'd do if Gideon sent him a reply. Walking back to the Tube, utterly depressed, he thought that maybe he'd rather not know that Gideon was looking for someone else.
But he had to know. He'd face Gideon and ask him what he could do to bring fizz back to their life.
He strode through the Leaky Cauldron, oblivious to the people who were waving at him, and Apparated back to their flat. Which was still empty.
Was Gideon meeting someone already? Half-heartedly he started cooking dessert. His mind was not into it, though, and he burnt the first batch of crepes. He had no idea where Gideon was or what time he'd get home. The loneliness of the flat was stifling him, so he left to visit his grandfather.
Kingsley wasn't there when he came home, but Gideon could smell the burnt food. Opening the bin, he saw the remains of crepes inside and smiled. So Kingsley had been home, and cooking one of Gideon's favorite desserts.
It was possible he left to buy more groceries, but that seemed unlikely.Gideon scribbled a quick note:
K - I see what you started, what a great idea. I'm waiting for you at home. G
He gave the note to Archimedes, who was napping in his cage. "Go find him for me," he whispered.
Deciding that he should get some sleep, Gideon curled up on the sofa and closed his eyes, hoping the owl found Kingsley soon and he could come right home.
Kingsley was being pathetically beaten in a chess game when Archimedes came flying towards him. His heart skipped a beat - it could only be a message from Gideon. He opened the paper, smiled and conceded defeat prematurely, and Apparated to their flat.
A loud noise startled him from sleep. Stretching on the sofa, Gideon sat up, confused at first. He had just fallen asleep, and no matter how much rest he'd had that day, it wasn't enough to make up for the past week. He wasn't sure if Kingsley had Apparated or closed the door. In all honesty, he didn't care as long as Kingsley was home.
He saw Kingsley out of the corner of his eye and smiled, turning his head toward him. "I have the whole night off and thought to myself, 'How lucky could I be to stay here, with you.'"
Gideon's hair was a mess, his face was puffy from sleeping and his eyes were red - yet, Kingsley thought he was beautiful. His smile brought a warmth to Kingsley's heart and he completely forgot about G.P. and the personal ad. He rushed to the couch and took Gideon in his arms, kissing him tenderly and whispered, "I missed you."
Gideon could live without sleep, but he didn't know how to live without Kingsley. "So much," he said between kisses. Massaging Kingsley's head, Gideon touched all the skin he could, slobbering wet kisses on eyes, nose, lips, and chin.
Moving his body, Gideon encircled him with his legs as Kingsley knelt on the floor in front of him. He slid to the edge of the sofa, pressing his torso against Kingsley, holding him close with his hands and continued to kiss him.
"Hmmm…" Kingsley murmured against Gideon's mouth. "So glad you're home." He nibbled at Gideon's mouth, "What do you want first - dinner or me?"
"You. Always you. I can live without food."
He was frantic for touch, for confirmation that he was awake and not dreaming. Anxious to prove he could stay awake long enough to come, then even longer to touch Kingsley afterwards and tell him what making love to him meant.
Falling asleep on his lover was unacceptable. Unwrapping his legs, Gideon gently pushed Kingsley back and stood up, pulling his shirt off, then shimmied his shorts off his hips as Kingsley knelt in front of him.
He stood naked before Kingsley, cock jutting away from his body in anticipation. Gideon wanted nothing more than to lean over the seat of the sofa and have Kingsley behind him,.
Kingsley just moved his face forward and took Gideon in his mouth, his hands on Gideon's buttocks, pulling him closer. He'd been longing to do that - the night before had been a hurried affair, brought about by pent-up desire and the knowledge that Gideon had been exhausted.
But now, kneeling in front of the sofa, Kingsley closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of Gideon's cock in his mouth, sucking, licking, teasing, until he felt Gideon's legs falter. He reluctantly let go of Gideon's cock and pushed him gently onto the sofa.
Gideon melted onto the sofa, spreading his legs as he felt Kingsley push against him. "I need to feel you," he mumbled, turning his head, knowing Kingsley liked to hear him lose control like that.
"I want your fingers digging into my hip, your hand wrapped around my cock, I want your chest pressed against my back, and your breath near my ear."
With a swift hand movement, Kingsley Summoned one of the many tubes of lube they kept around the flat for convenience and quickly coated himself. With an oiled finger he entered Gideon's body, knowing that it was something Gideon liked and then replaced his finger with his cock.
After so many times of having sex with Gideon, it still felt new and wonderful, just like the first time.
He let the sofa support his weight and reached back, both hands covering Kingsley's as Kingsley touched him. So many things had gone wrong the past week that he wanted to make sure they enjoyed this. So far, Kingsley had been very tolerant of his long days and nights away. Gideon feared that might end sometime, and until he was allowed to tell Kingsley about the Order, he worried.
Kingsley almost always found that spot inside him and managed to drive Gideon crazy with only a few touches. Each time he hoped they could continue forever, and feared they wouldn't. The erratic emotions, as well as Kingsley making noise behind him, drove Gideon over the edge, climaxing in their hands.
Not a very patient person normally, Kingsley nevertheless tried to hold off as long as he could, until Gideon came. Gideon's climax made him tighten around Kingsley's cock and that was all it took for Kingsley to follow. Then he lay on top of Gideon, still inside him, kissing and nipping at his shoulder blades, the pale flesh dotted with freckles. With his tongue he played his favorite version of connect the dots, while, under him, Gideon's breath resumed its normal speed.
He remembered the letter from G.P. and wondered how he could ever imagine it was from Gideon. There were lots of red-haired G.P.s in their mid-twenties in London. His own G.P. hadn't just acted as someone whose love life had lost its fizz.
But what kind of exotic talents could that other G.P. have? This was what had drawn Kingsley's attention - when he read the ad, he'd immediately thought about magic.
There was not another G.P. with those characteristics in the wizarding world. Following this train of thought, it was a few seconds before he realized that his tongue had stopped moving and now it looked like it was stuck on one of Gideon's freckles.
Sticky or not, Gideon didn't care. He carefully rolled them off the sofa and pulled away from Kingsley in order to turn over and lay his chest on Kingsley's torso. He outlined muscles with one finger, slowly kissing the skin beneath him - not quite awake, but not tired for once.
Kingsley was very quiet and still, which seemed odd. Gideon lifted his head up, folded his hand beneath his chin on Kingsley' chest and looked at him.
"Everything all right, Imp?"
Distracted by the thought of the ad, Kingsley nodded, then, on a whim, he ventured, "Yes, G.P., everything's fine." He wanted to see what kind of reaction Gideon would have to the name.
Gideon rarely heard that tone of voice from Kingsley. Stilling instantly, he tilted his head to the side and looked at him. It seemed that Kingsley was testing him somehow and Gideon was puzzled by it. "Who's G.P.?" he asked.
It was that fraction of a second when Gideon stilled that made Kingsley freeze inside. He'd always trusted Gideon blindly, but he was aware of the many times people had made a comment on how much of a Slytherin Gideon was - not that he had the nastier qualities of the House, but he certainly was a sneaky person. This ability had helped Gideon immensely in being both a cunning Chaser and a hit wizard.
Feeling uneasy, he answered, "You. Your initials, right? Do you know any other G.P.?"
"Sure, those are my initials. But you're not one for nicknames, what's wrong?"
Kingsley opened his mouth to tell Gideon all about the newspaper ad, but thought better of it. Instead, he shrugged. "Nothing. I just thought it was funny. Nobody ever called you G.P. before?"
"The only one who's come close to giving me a nickname is you," Gideon told him. He moved up closer to Kingsley, kissing his chin and jaw line back toward his ear. "I've missed you terribly," he whispered. "However, I have a serious problem."
Eyes closed, enjoying the kisses, Kingsley mumbled, "What?"
"I'm starving."
Kingsley hit him playfully. "You're a bottomless pit, Prewett!" He stood up. "Let me finish dinner. Want to come and help me with the salad?"
"Always." He cast Scourgify on them - no reason to shower before the night was over when he knew they'd just need another shower. He left his clothes on the floor and followed Kingsley into the kitchen.
He leaned his hip against the cold counter after washing his hands and began pulling apart the vegetables for the salad.
"I saw the burnt crepes in the bin earlier and was confused. For a minute I thought I had been cooking and was too tired to remember it," Gideon said. Kingsley seemed better, but Gideon had a niggling feeling that something else was wrong.
Kingsley was tying a "Kiss the Cook" apron around him. "Yes, I've noticed you've been too tired. The Arrows are working you out. And so's your brother - sorry, the Ministry." He started making one of Gideon's favorite dishes, a seafood risotto he'd learned from Santini, and congratulated himself on having had the foresight of chopping the vegetables and preparing the broth beforehand.
He loved this domestic intimacy between the two of them - of cooking together in their kitchen. And loved the idea of having a great dinner for two. Candles were a must tonight.
How was that for fizz?
Finishing the salad, Gideon set the table properly for dinner instead of the casual way they had eaten lately. Opening another cupboard, he put his hand on the candle stems and turned to look at Kingsley with one raised eyebrow.
Kingsley grinned at him and Gideon nodded in agreement. He set some on the table and scattered a few more around the dining room. When Kingsley wasn't looking, Gideon snuck out of the kitchen to their bedroom, picking out something nice to wear. He chose one of Kingsley's favorite formal shirts, bright blue to match his eyes. Originally he picked up a pair of jeans, but reconsidered it. He had fallen asleep on Kingsley last night. He put on a pair of dark blue, tailored trousers and walked back to the kitchen, barefoot.
Kingsley cheated and used magic to make the risotto self-stir, while he went to the bedroom and dressed up too, in nice khaki trousers and a shirt he'd bought to tease Gideon - a pinstripe Slytherin green button-down.
He went back to the kitchen and announced that dinner was ready.
Gideon had lit the candles while Kingsley was out of the room, and laughed when he returned. Gripping Kingsley's shoulders, Gideon kissed him, gently nibbling his lips before pushing his way inside, tongues dancing together.
"Do you know how much I want you right now?" he mumbled, then stepped away, looking Kingsley up and down. "Promoting House unity are we?" he said with a smirk.
"Sit down," Gideon ordered. Picking up the plates, he served them.
***
Dinner was delicious and they were eating their crepes, Kingsley mesmerized by a bit on Nutella stuck on the side of Gideon's mouth, when Kingsley mentioned that he was off the next day and they would be able to spend the whole day in bed.
That caught Gideon off guard. He already knew he had to travel with Emmeline Vance the following day on a short mission. She had to make contact with someone in France and Gideon, with his talent for languages, had been asked to travel with her.
Closing his eyes - that was another secret he hadn't told Kingsley and couldn't until he could explain the Order - he answered, "I can't. I was volunteered for a mission tomorrow. I have to leave… around 10:00 or so and won't be back until late."
"A mission?" Kingsley asked, disappointed. That certainly put a dampener in his plans. Then he remembered something else - Fabian, the only partner Gideon had, had asked for a few days to visit Amelia's family and wouldn't return for another two days.
If Fabian wasn't working, then Gideon had no reason to be working. Perturbed with this thought, he rose from the table and started piling up dishes on his arm.
It had been so wonderful until then. But now he had the very firm sense that Gideon was hiding something from him. Where would he be going the next day?
And he almost dropped the dishes: of course! How stupid of him. Gideon probably had left a message for S.S. with a time and place for a meeting. And much more, considering he'd be gone until very late.
He needed to be alone to think about it all; without facing Gideon, he said, "I have to go to Grandpa's. Be back in a little bit." He Apparated away before Gideon could see the hurt in his eyes.
Obviously he had said something wrong. Belatedly, Gideon realized that Fabian had asked for the next few days off work to visit Amelia's family, and typically Fabian was his only partner.
Oh, fuck he thought. Of course Kingsley would know that. Gideon did have a mission, but he often left it implied that the missions were for the MLE. No wonder Kingsley thought he was lying.
He would have to make a decision and fast, because he wouldn't lose Kingsley over this.
When Kingsley returned home, Gideon was not there. He'd left a note saying he had to leave earlier for his mission, apologized for the confusion and they'd talk when he got back home. By then Kingsley was completely sure these were all fabrications. He went to bed but didn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.
He woke up late with a headache. In a bad mood, he showered and walked the same route as the day before. He meandered through London, one moment going in the direction of the newspaper building, the other deciding he really didn't want to know the truth. Finally he realized that he had to confront Gideon. It'd be better for him to be hurt now than to live in a fantasy world.
He walked into the lobby, clueless about what to do or where to go. He didn't even know if he'd done the right thing, asking G.P. to write to S.S. care of the paper.
A pretty blonde was looking at him from the reception desk inquisitively, so he asked her if there was a letter for S.S. from the ads.
"As a matter of fact, there is! We didn't see a box number for S.S., so I kept it here. Is this for you?"
Kingsley nodded, craning his neck to see if the handwriting was Gideon's. But the letter had been typed. Inside there was a brief message:
Dear S.S., I'd love to meet you. Tonight at seven, at The Cock and Bull. I'll be wearing a blue shirt. See you there, handsome.
The Cock and Bull! The same bar in Soho he and Gideon loved to go to.
Kingsley left the building feeling as if his world had crashed around him.
Mission or not, his trip with Emmeline was awful. Gideon felt he couldn't concentrate enough to help her. He was worried about the way Kingsley Apparated so quickly from their flat, then to have to leave last night and not speak to him again…
It was nerve wracking. He didn't understand how something could fall apart so fast. He'd managed for months to hide the Order's work behind his employment.
Maybe it was time to tell him the truth, secrets be damned.
Gideon looked at Emmeline - his secret would affect her and no matter what else, he couldn't do that. Kingsley would have to be told something when he went home, but not the whole truth.
He just hoped Kingsley trusted him enough to believe him.
It was a rotten way to spend his day off. Kingsley morosely walked through London, trying to find something that could hold his attention. But every single place he liked had strong memories of Gideon. During their time together, he'd introduced Gideon to the things he liked in Muggle life. His favorite stores, museums, they all had been visited together and he was feeling increasingly sadder. He'd never have imagined that Gideon was bored with him. He himself had never been happier.
Late in the afternoon his stomach rumbled and he realized he'd not eaten lunch. He grabbed a sandwich and gulped it down, feeling slightly sick afterwards. Then he roamed again, going in and out of various stores, until it was almost seven.
At the door of the Cock and Bull, he stopped. Maybe he shouldn't go... But he just had to confront Gideon. Maybe they could still work out something to save their relationship. He tried not to think that G.P. might have met other men already - the image was too painful. Gathering all his courage, he stepped inside.
And he winced. Sitting at a table near the corner, his back to him, was the familiar red hair, longish and silky looking, and a well-worn and well-known blue shirt. He knew he should just bolt from the place, but instead he walked purposefully to the man, touched his back and said, "Gideon?"
The good thing about leaving for the mission the night before was that it ended earlier than originally planned. Gideon had plans that evening he wanted to keep. The best thing was that they got the information they needed relatively easy. Dumbledore would be happy for that.
Emmeline had to know he had been distracted and Gideon felt bad for it, but the mission was completed. For the first time in a while, he didn't have to use his wand, fight anyone, and left with no bruises on his skin. Amazing, that.
He Apparated home, standing outside the door, listening for Kingsley. When he didn't hear him, he snuck inside quietly, only to discover that Kingsley wasn't home. Gideon had hoped to surprise him by returning early - and catch him before he could Apparate away again.
"S.S., I presume?" responded a voice completely unlike Gideon's, which was alright, because the man in front of Kingsley was definitely not Gideon. Kingsley shook the hand that was being offered to him in silence, while the other man looked at him appraisingly. "I didn't expect you to be this gorgeous, darling. So I'll even forgive you having called me by a name that's not mine." The man laughed and let his fingers lie on Kingsley's biceps, squeezing them lightly.
Kingsley didn’t know what to say. He was feeling like a total fool and just wanted to rush back home and wait for Gideon. He smiled forcedly at the man and said, "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."
"Gideon?" The man asked with a wink.
"Yes. I apologize for the confusion."
The man laughed. "It's all right. I'm Gordon. Gordon Platt."
Kingsley stared at him for a few seconds before he realized he'd also have to introduce himself. "Kingsley Shacklebolt," he said.
"K.S., then? Not S.S.?"
"I suppose so, yes." Kingsley was trying to find a way to leave.
"Well, sit down, Kingsley. Let's talk, get to know each other."
"Well, I…I can't, I'm sorry."
Gordon's friendly attitude changed and he snapped. "Why not? We have a date." He held Kingsley's arm and tried to force him to sit down.
"I have to get back home," Kingsley said, prying Gordon's fingers from his arms.
"What for?"
Kingsley thought about all the things he could say to Gordon, about his suspicions of Gideon, the past two horrible days when he thought Gideon had written the ad, but he turned away, saying simply, "To see Gideon."
There was little to do while he waited, so Gideon took a shower and picked up one of their books to read. He'd left it on the end table two weeks ago, but life had been too crazy to read lately. He turned the WWN on to fill the quiet of the flat and relaxed, thinking more about how he enjoyed living with Kingsley than actually reading.
All he had to do now was wait for Kingsley to return.
Gordon followed Kingsley to the door, demanding to know why he'd had a change of heart. Kingsley kept telling him he thought he was another G.P., that he was in a happy relationship and wasn't interested in a "little fun," as Gordon was suggesting.
It wasn't a very pretty scene, Gordon grabbing Kingsley's arm and Kingsley trying to pry Gordon's fingers away. He laughed at one point in time - he knew that he could send Gordon flying away from him with either a hand movement or with brute force. But he didn't want to do either. He knew he'd been wrong. Gordon was an attractive bloke, who was probably used to having his way with men and couldn't understand why he was being rejected.
Finally, he had it. He held Gordon's hands forcefully and told him, "Hey, this is not about you. I have a lover; I thought he had written the ad, because you and he have the same initials, and I came here just to confront him. You're not him and I have to go home and apologize for having suspected him."
Pouting, Gordon asked, "And why would you be suspicious of this fantastic lover of yours? He must've done something, unless you're totally mental."
"He's been away a lot - he…works two jobs - and whenever he's home he's awfully tired."
"So, your relationship has also lost its fizz, yeah?" he asked seductively.
Thinking about the night before, finding Gideon in the sofa, the wonderful lovemaking and the romantic dinner, Kingsley shook his head. "No. He does have something up his sleeve, but it's probably job-related. He…works with national security, so it may be something he can't tell me." He paused for a second. "I really have to go. Good luck to you, Gordon. I'm sure you'll find a nice bloke. You wouldn't want me anyway - I'm too deeply in love with him and would be a truly horrid affair to you."
Sighing, Gordon said sassily, "Not even a 'hello, good-bye' kiss?"
Laughing, Kingsley stretched out his hand. "No, not even that. See, it would be a horrid affair." He shook Gordon's hand and walked out.
***
He couldn't wait to be home, so he found an alley and Apparated to their flat, scaring a tomcat with the loud Crack. When he opened the door to the flat, he heard the sound of soft music and saw Gideon reading on the sofa. He rushed to his side, kissed his forehead, and said simply, "Hello love."
Gideon eyed him warily, Kingsley had left because he was upset about something and most likely had caught Gideon in a lie. Now he was back, and without accusing him of anything, rushed to his side and kissed him
Oh yes, he was hiding something.
"Kingsley," Gideon said by way of greeting. When Kingsley sat down beside him and pushed the book away to kiss him again, Gideon knew there was something else wrong. Kingsley wasn't one to let go of an argument, especially when he would have been the aggrieved person.
He let Kingsley kiss him, there was no reason not to, but didn't respond enthusiastically like he normally did. Kingsley pulled back and looked at him, grinning slyly as he slid a hand up Gideon's leg to fondle him.
Sliding down a little, Gideon spread his legs and let him, still expecting an attack, but willing to play along - for the moment. As Kingsley undid his jeans, Gideon wrapped his arm around Kingsley, untucking his shirt, then began to undo the buttons with his other hand.
Still no resistance.
Rubbing the small of Kingsley's back, Gideon caressed lower, pressing against the cleft of his arse. "I really need you," Gideon said, knowing that Kingsley would know what he wanted.
When Kingsley didn't respond with any sign of protest at all, Gideon shoved him away and jumped off the sofa. Picking up his wand, he aimed it at the man now sprawled across the floor.
"Who the fuck are you and where's Kingsley?"
TBC here
Do You Like Pina Coladas?
Authors: ceria_taliesin and westwardlee
Rating: R
Summary: Does time ruin fizzle or not?
Disclaimer: Don't you get it yet? They belong to JKR. We don't own their universe and we don't make any money off them. The only thing we do is subvert them to feed our twisted sense of interests.
A/N: Written for the AWDT prompt involving reading a personals ad. The song title belongs to Rupert Holmes.
The index of stories
Kingsley stretched his arm over the other side of the bed and was disappointed to notice that he had not been dreaming: Gideon had left already. Damn those practices and the Ministry's ever-increasing needs for hit wizards. Gideon was seldom home these days and, whenever he happened to be home, he was asleep.
They had made love the night before, after Kingsley managed to nudge him awake. It had been okay - not excellent, as before, because Gideon's mind didn't seem to be totally on the task - and, in any event, as soon as Kingsley rolled off him, Gideon promptly fell asleep.
We need holidays, Kingsley thought, irritated. To make matters worse, the only few days Gideon had stayed home in the past week were exactly the days Kingsley was on a stakeout with another Auror. He'd arrived home exactly as Gideon was leaving. They had time for a peck on the mouth and Gideon was gone.
He took a long shower, damning the fact he had to wank solo as if he was fifteen again, pulled on a pair of shorts and went to the kitchen to have breakfast. He opened the refrigerator and, after a few minutes, decided it looked ridiculously devoid of interesting stuff. He made toast and went back to the bedroom to get dressed: he was going grocery shopping.
Back in the kitchen, he made a list of the things Gideon liked. He would cook a good meal that day and hopefully they would have a good time like before. It was Kingsley's day off and he'd have plenty of time to prepare.
He stumbled onto the Pitch, yawning already. He'd woken up early and tried to wake Kingsley up, but that early in the morning it was impossible. His body was pleasantly sore, and Gideon was pretty sure they had made love the night before and he felt horrible for practically sleeping through it.
The Order was playing havoc with his free time, what little there was, and Gideon was exhausted all the time. Between the Arrows, being a hit wizard and partnering with his brother, and Kingsley, he'd had no free time. And damn if it wasn't Kingsley who was paying for it. The charade he was keeping up, trying to keep a secret from the man he lived with was ridiculous.
Fabian kept reminding Gideon that Kingsley, while an adult, wasn't in the Order and hadn't been asked to join. Keeping secrets from the enemy was important, but Kingsley was not the enemy. Gideon knew that Fabian didn't mean anything against Kingsley. They had discussed asking Kingsley to join at the last meeting, and Gideon had vetoed the idea, but it hurt having to lie to him.
Decision made, Gideon told the captain that he was going to leave briefly during lunch. He would go speak to Dumbledore, tell him he reconsidered his vote and wanted to talk to Kingsley about the Order.
Kingsley Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron and quickly strode through the pub and into Muggle London. Since he'd moved in with Gideon, they had made a point of shopping at Muggle stores: Wizarding groceries were certainly easier to handle, but the variety they found at Sainsbury's couldn't be matched.
Besides, he'd noticed they were all out of Nutella. Gideon loved Nutella crepes for dessert, and he planned to make some for that night. He would wake Gideon up from any nap to eat dinner and they would delight in dessert.
Thinking about licking Nutella off Gideon's lips - and maybe other parts of his body - made his cock stir and he decided to think about something else while he walked to the Tube station.
He couldn't reach Dumbledore by the Floo, but the Order had set up alternative communications with him, just in case something went wrong. He tried McGonagall as well, but in the end, sent his Patronus to find Dumbledore.
His conscience lighter than it had been for days; Gideon returned to finish practice, and in turn, earned rare recognition from their coach. For once he didn't have a mission that afternoon and went straight home to wait to hear from Dumbledore. He dropped his equipment on the floor by the door and took a quick shower, humming to himself.
Kingsley pushed the shopping cart through the aisles. Sainsbury's was very busy that morning; it seemed that every single housewife in the area had woken up and found their cupboards bare.
He helped a few of them get some items from the top shelves, receiving a few warm smiles of thanks and, in one occasion, one of a more inviting nature. For a moment, he thought that he was so damn horny that he might have accepted her unspoken offer. She was married, too - and he looked pointedly at her wedding ring - and probably just looking for a little pastime on a boring day.
He noticed her also looking pointedly at his ring-less finger and automatically fingered the loop he wore on his lobe. When she said, "That's a nice earring," he knew he wouldn't be able to go through with it anyway. He could never cheat on Gideon, so he just nodded and said, "So long."
He could feel her eyes following him until he turned into the next aisle.
***
Finally Kingsley was done and pushed the cart to the checkout area. The queues were huge: all those housewives had apparently decided to be done at the same time. He left his cart on queue and walked to a pile of free newspapers. They were rags with mostly ads for goods and services, but he could leaf through them to pass the time.
When he returned to his cart, he complimented himself on his foresight: the lady who'd made the silent invitation was standing right behind him. He smiled perfunctorily at her and opened the publication randomly to the personal ad section.
Their flat was oddly messy; of course Gideon hadn't pulled his share of chores for some time. He cleaned quickly, even putting away his Quidditch equipment and his clean clothes, then fell asleep on the bed since Kingsley wasn't home anyway.
Hopefully, he would hear from Dumbledore soon and he could return back to their flat before Kingsley came home. He was oddly excited to have the afternoon off, and hoped that Kingsley would be as happy as he was. Besides, after a decent nap, he would be able to spend some needed time with Kingsley - which he missed doing.
The woman was still trying to talk to him, although Kingsley was answering in monosyllables. Finally, to give her a definite clue, he turned the pages to the 'Men Seeking Men' ads. That should give her a good indication that she was wasting her time. He bit back a smile at the thought: he still thought women were damn attractive, probably even more so than men, but there was no-one more attractive than his red-haired bloke.
She stopped trying to make conversation right away and Kingsley glanced at the ads. He wasn't really reading for content, although some of them were rather comical: VWE WM, seeks a meaningful relationship with another VWE male, any race. He wondered what the two VWE males would do together - measure their cocks, maybe, to see who was more endowed?
Trying hard not to laugh, his eyes stopped at the ad below that:
Red-haired man, mid-twenties, with exotic talents, currently in a relationship that has lost its fizz, seeks a caring man to bring him back to life. Send response to mail box GP-1520.
Kingsley had to be nudged by the woman behind him, telling him it was his turn. He hadn't been able to look at anything else since he read the ad.
It was Gideon's, he was sure.
Dumbledore called him through the Floo minutes after he woke up and invited him to Hogwarts. Joining him in time for tea, Gideon discussed his summer, Quidditch practice, Fabian's proposal to Amelia, and Molly's children.
Finally the conversation turned toward the Order and Gideon's hesitance during the last meeting to invite Kingsley to join.
"How is young Kingsley these days? He often caused uproars in class with the young women; I wonder how the Aurors handle such things. You two are close friends, are you not?"
Choking on the piece of candy he was too polite to refuse, Gideon wasn't sure how to answer that question. "I've hardly talked to him recently, sir. We've both been very busy. It seems we keep missing any opportunity we typically have to visit."
"Yet you two are close friends, probably his closest among our current members?"
"Yes, sir."
"And you didn't want him to join the Order. So what has changed your mind this past week, Gideon?"
"I'm afraid it was a gut response to the question, sir. Because Kingsley's such a good friend, all I could think about was the danger he'd be in. He's barely begun his training; I think I hoped that he could get more training in before joining," Gideon hoped his answer was adequate.
"Yet, you didn't protest for young Black, who is also training for the same career. We all know Black is clever, but not nearly as hard working as Kingsley. Not to mention the other boys their age who you didn't protest."
"I'm not friends with them, sir. Like I said, I was surprised, and my initial answer was hasty."
"Well, thank you for your candor. We'll bring it up at the next meeting, and I'm sure that we'll agree then to invite Kingsley. I assume you would like to ask him?"
"If you don't mind, sir, yes."
"Until then, Gideon. It was nice of you to visit."
"Thank you, I've enjoyed it as well."
Gideon called out his home and stepped through the Floo.
Kingsley left Sainsbury's in a daze, balancing his groceries in his arms. Normally he'd stop in a deserted alley and Transfigure his bags into something small. It wasn't until he was almost at the Tube station and his oranges rolled out of one of the bags that he returned to his senses. He found a nook and then, unencumbered by packages, walked to a park bench and sat down heavily.
Gideon was bored! This is why he was always out. And probably feigning fatigue. That must be it. And now he was looking for another bloke, one who could put -what had he called it? Fizz. Put fizz back in his life.
What could he do to put fizz back into their relationship? And then, with a jolt, he remembered something worse! Suppose someone had already put fizz into Gideon's life? Someone might have answered already. And this someone might be the reason Gideon was away so much.
There was only way to know. Kingsley picked a gum wrapper from the ground, looked around and, when he was satisfied that nobody was looking at him, Transfigured it into paper and envelope. On it he wrote:
G.P., if you haven’t found someone yet, respond to this and send back to the newspaper, care of
Here he stopped. He couldn't use his initials. But there was nothing wrong with using his cousin's in an emergency.
S.S.
.
And then he realized he couldn't write it - Gideon would recognize his handwriting, of course! He Transfigured the text into print:
G.P., if you haven’t found someone yet, respond to this and send back to the newspaper, care of S.S.
He'd stop by the newspaper the next day to see if there was any message.
It wasn't the answer he wanted from Dumbledore, but Gideon knew he was correct. They had agreed to invite more witches and wizards only if everyone agreed - and Gideon had not agreed to Kingsley.
Which meant that until the next meeting, he officially wasn't allowed to tell Kingsley anything. He was tired of stretching the truth each time they had a conversation. He was tired of falling asleep on his lover, and missing out on what time they had together.
Something had to give, he wasn't willing to give up any of his work, and he definitely wasn't giving up Kingsley.
Kingsley found a post office near the park and mailed the letter. He had no idea what he'd do if Gideon sent him a reply. Walking back to the Tube, utterly depressed, he thought that maybe he'd rather not know that Gideon was looking for someone else.
But he had to know. He'd face Gideon and ask him what he could do to bring fizz back to their life.
He strode through the Leaky Cauldron, oblivious to the people who were waving at him, and Apparated back to their flat. Which was still empty.
Was Gideon meeting someone already? Half-heartedly he started cooking dessert. His mind was not into it, though, and he burnt the first batch of crepes. He had no idea where Gideon was or what time he'd get home. The loneliness of the flat was stifling him, so he left to visit his grandfather.
Kingsley wasn't there when he came home, but Gideon could smell the burnt food. Opening the bin, he saw the remains of crepes inside and smiled. So Kingsley had been home, and cooking one of Gideon's favorite desserts.
It was possible he left to buy more groceries, but that seemed unlikely.Gideon scribbled a quick note:
K - I see what you started, what a great idea. I'm waiting for you at home. G
He gave the note to Archimedes, who was napping in his cage. "Go find him for me," he whispered.
Deciding that he should get some sleep, Gideon curled up on the sofa and closed his eyes, hoping the owl found Kingsley soon and he could come right home.
Kingsley was being pathetically beaten in a chess game when Archimedes came flying towards him. His heart skipped a beat - it could only be a message from Gideon. He opened the paper, smiled and conceded defeat prematurely, and Apparated to their flat.
A loud noise startled him from sleep. Stretching on the sofa, Gideon sat up, confused at first. He had just fallen asleep, and no matter how much rest he'd had that day, it wasn't enough to make up for the past week. He wasn't sure if Kingsley had Apparated or closed the door. In all honesty, he didn't care as long as Kingsley was home.
He saw Kingsley out of the corner of his eye and smiled, turning his head toward him. "I have the whole night off and thought to myself, 'How lucky could I be to stay here, with you.'"
Gideon's hair was a mess, his face was puffy from sleeping and his eyes were red - yet, Kingsley thought he was beautiful. His smile brought a warmth to Kingsley's heart and he completely forgot about G.P. and the personal ad. He rushed to the couch and took Gideon in his arms, kissing him tenderly and whispered, "I missed you."
Gideon could live without sleep, but he didn't know how to live without Kingsley. "So much," he said between kisses. Massaging Kingsley's head, Gideon touched all the skin he could, slobbering wet kisses on eyes, nose, lips, and chin.
Moving his body, Gideon encircled him with his legs as Kingsley knelt on the floor in front of him. He slid to the edge of the sofa, pressing his torso against Kingsley, holding him close with his hands and continued to kiss him.
"Hmmm…" Kingsley murmured against Gideon's mouth. "So glad you're home." He nibbled at Gideon's mouth, "What do you want first - dinner or me?"
"You. Always you. I can live without food."
He was frantic for touch, for confirmation that he was awake and not dreaming. Anxious to prove he could stay awake long enough to come, then even longer to touch Kingsley afterwards and tell him what making love to him meant.
Falling asleep on his lover was unacceptable. Unwrapping his legs, Gideon gently pushed Kingsley back and stood up, pulling his shirt off, then shimmied his shorts off his hips as Kingsley knelt in front of him.
He stood naked before Kingsley, cock jutting away from his body in anticipation. Gideon wanted nothing more than to lean over the seat of the sofa and have Kingsley behind him,.
Kingsley just moved his face forward and took Gideon in his mouth, his hands on Gideon's buttocks, pulling him closer. He'd been longing to do that - the night before had been a hurried affair, brought about by pent-up desire and the knowledge that Gideon had been exhausted.
But now, kneeling in front of the sofa, Kingsley closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of Gideon's cock in his mouth, sucking, licking, teasing, until he felt Gideon's legs falter. He reluctantly let go of Gideon's cock and pushed him gently onto the sofa.
Gideon melted onto the sofa, spreading his legs as he felt Kingsley push against him. "I need to feel you," he mumbled, turning his head, knowing Kingsley liked to hear him lose control like that.
"I want your fingers digging into my hip, your hand wrapped around my cock, I want your chest pressed against my back, and your breath near my ear."
With a swift hand movement, Kingsley Summoned one of the many tubes of lube they kept around the flat for convenience and quickly coated himself. With an oiled finger he entered Gideon's body, knowing that it was something Gideon liked and then replaced his finger with his cock.
After so many times of having sex with Gideon, it still felt new and wonderful, just like the first time.
He let the sofa support his weight and reached back, both hands covering Kingsley's as Kingsley touched him. So many things had gone wrong the past week that he wanted to make sure they enjoyed this. So far, Kingsley had been very tolerant of his long days and nights away. Gideon feared that might end sometime, and until he was allowed to tell Kingsley about the Order, he worried.
Kingsley almost always found that spot inside him and managed to drive Gideon crazy with only a few touches. Each time he hoped they could continue forever, and feared they wouldn't. The erratic emotions, as well as Kingsley making noise behind him, drove Gideon over the edge, climaxing in their hands.
Not a very patient person normally, Kingsley nevertheless tried to hold off as long as he could, until Gideon came. Gideon's climax made him tighten around Kingsley's cock and that was all it took for Kingsley to follow. Then he lay on top of Gideon, still inside him, kissing and nipping at his shoulder blades, the pale flesh dotted with freckles. With his tongue he played his favorite version of connect the dots, while, under him, Gideon's breath resumed its normal speed.
He remembered the letter from G.P. and wondered how he could ever imagine it was from Gideon. There were lots of red-haired G.P.s in their mid-twenties in London. His own G.P. hadn't just acted as someone whose love life had lost its fizz.
But what kind of exotic talents could that other G.P. have? This was what had drawn Kingsley's attention - when he read the ad, he'd immediately thought about magic.
There was not another G.P. with those characteristics in the wizarding world. Following this train of thought, it was a few seconds before he realized that his tongue had stopped moving and now it looked like it was stuck on one of Gideon's freckles.
Sticky or not, Gideon didn't care. He carefully rolled them off the sofa and pulled away from Kingsley in order to turn over and lay his chest on Kingsley's torso. He outlined muscles with one finger, slowly kissing the skin beneath him - not quite awake, but not tired for once.
Kingsley was very quiet and still, which seemed odd. Gideon lifted his head up, folded his hand beneath his chin on Kingsley' chest and looked at him.
"Everything all right, Imp?"
Distracted by the thought of the ad, Kingsley nodded, then, on a whim, he ventured, "Yes, G.P., everything's fine." He wanted to see what kind of reaction Gideon would have to the name.
Gideon rarely heard that tone of voice from Kingsley. Stilling instantly, he tilted his head to the side and looked at him. It seemed that Kingsley was testing him somehow and Gideon was puzzled by it. "Who's G.P.?" he asked.
It was that fraction of a second when Gideon stilled that made Kingsley freeze inside. He'd always trusted Gideon blindly, but he was aware of the many times people had made a comment on how much of a Slytherin Gideon was - not that he had the nastier qualities of the House, but he certainly was a sneaky person. This ability had helped Gideon immensely in being both a cunning Chaser and a hit wizard.
Feeling uneasy, he answered, "You. Your initials, right? Do you know any other G.P.?"
"Sure, those are my initials. But you're not one for nicknames, what's wrong?"
Kingsley opened his mouth to tell Gideon all about the newspaper ad, but thought better of it. Instead, he shrugged. "Nothing. I just thought it was funny. Nobody ever called you G.P. before?"
"The only one who's come close to giving me a nickname is you," Gideon told him. He moved up closer to Kingsley, kissing his chin and jaw line back toward his ear. "I've missed you terribly," he whispered. "However, I have a serious problem."
Eyes closed, enjoying the kisses, Kingsley mumbled, "What?"
"I'm starving."
Kingsley hit him playfully. "You're a bottomless pit, Prewett!" He stood up. "Let me finish dinner. Want to come and help me with the salad?"
"Always." He cast Scourgify on them - no reason to shower before the night was over when he knew they'd just need another shower. He left his clothes on the floor and followed Kingsley into the kitchen.
He leaned his hip against the cold counter after washing his hands and began pulling apart the vegetables for the salad.
"I saw the burnt crepes in the bin earlier and was confused. For a minute I thought I had been cooking and was too tired to remember it," Gideon said. Kingsley seemed better, but Gideon had a niggling feeling that something else was wrong.
Kingsley was tying a "Kiss the Cook" apron around him. "Yes, I've noticed you've been too tired. The Arrows are working you out. And so's your brother - sorry, the Ministry." He started making one of Gideon's favorite dishes, a seafood risotto he'd learned from Santini, and congratulated himself on having had the foresight of chopping the vegetables and preparing the broth beforehand.
He loved this domestic intimacy between the two of them - of cooking together in their kitchen. And loved the idea of having a great dinner for two. Candles were a must tonight.
How was that for fizz?
Finishing the salad, Gideon set the table properly for dinner instead of the casual way they had eaten lately. Opening another cupboard, he put his hand on the candle stems and turned to look at Kingsley with one raised eyebrow.
Kingsley grinned at him and Gideon nodded in agreement. He set some on the table and scattered a few more around the dining room. When Kingsley wasn't looking, Gideon snuck out of the kitchen to their bedroom, picking out something nice to wear. He chose one of Kingsley's favorite formal shirts, bright blue to match his eyes. Originally he picked up a pair of jeans, but reconsidered it. He had fallen asleep on Kingsley last night. He put on a pair of dark blue, tailored trousers and walked back to the kitchen, barefoot.
Kingsley cheated and used magic to make the risotto self-stir, while he went to the bedroom and dressed up too, in nice khaki trousers and a shirt he'd bought to tease Gideon - a pinstripe Slytherin green button-down.
He went back to the kitchen and announced that dinner was ready.
Gideon had lit the candles while Kingsley was out of the room, and laughed when he returned. Gripping Kingsley's shoulders, Gideon kissed him, gently nibbling his lips before pushing his way inside, tongues dancing together.
"Do you know how much I want you right now?" he mumbled, then stepped away, looking Kingsley up and down. "Promoting House unity are we?" he said with a smirk.
"Sit down," Gideon ordered. Picking up the plates, he served them.
***
Dinner was delicious and they were eating their crepes, Kingsley mesmerized by a bit on Nutella stuck on the side of Gideon's mouth, when Kingsley mentioned that he was off the next day and they would be able to spend the whole day in bed.
That caught Gideon off guard. He already knew he had to travel with Emmeline Vance the following day on a short mission. She had to make contact with someone in France and Gideon, with his talent for languages, had been asked to travel with her.
Closing his eyes - that was another secret he hadn't told Kingsley and couldn't until he could explain the Order - he answered, "I can't. I was volunteered for a mission tomorrow. I have to leave… around 10:00 or so and won't be back until late."
"A mission?" Kingsley asked, disappointed. That certainly put a dampener in his plans. Then he remembered something else - Fabian, the only partner Gideon had, had asked for a few days to visit Amelia's family and wouldn't return for another two days.
If Fabian wasn't working, then Gideon had no reason to be working. Perturbed with this thought, he rose from the table and started piling up dishes on his arm.
It had been so wonderful until then. But now he had the very firm sense that Gideon was hiding something from him. Where would he be going the next day?
And he almost dropped the dishes: of course! How stupid of him. Gideon probably had left a message for S.S. with a time and place for a meeting. And much more, considering he'd be gone until very late.
He needed to be alone to think about it all; without facing Gideon, he said, "I have to go to Grandpa's. Be back in a little bit." He Apparated away before Gideon could see the hurt in his eyes.
Obviously he had said something wrong. Belatedly, Gideon realized that Fabian had asked for the next few days off work to visit Amelia's family, and typically Fabian was his only partner.
Oh, fuck he thought. Of course Kingsley would know that. Gideon did have a mission, but he often left it implied that the missions were for the MLE. No wonder Kingsley thought he was lying.
He would have to make a decision and fast, because he wouldn't lose Kingsley over this.
When Kingsley returned home, Gideon was not there. He'd left a note saying he had to leave earlier for his mission, apologized for the confusion and they'd talk when he got back home. By then Kingsley was completely sure these were all fabrications. He went to bed but didn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.
He woke up late with a headache. In a bad mood, he showered and walked the same route as the day before. He meandered through London, one moment going in the direction of the newspaper building, the other deciding he really didn't want to know the truth. Finally he realized that he had to confront Gideon. It'd be better for him to be hurt now than to live in a fantasy world.
He walked into the lobby, clueless about what to do or where to go. He didn't even know if he'd done the right thing, asking G.P. to write to S.S. care of the paper.
A pretty blonde was looking at him from the reception desk inquisitively, so he asked her if there was a letter for S.S. from the ads.
"As a matter of fact, there is! We didn't see a box number for S.S., so I kept it here. Is this for you?"
Kingsley nodded, craning his neck to see if the handwriting was Gideon's. But the letter had been typed. Inside there was a brief message:
Dear S.S., I'd love to meet you. Tonight at seven, at The Cock and Bull. I'll be wearing a blue shirt. See you there, handsome.
The Cock and Bull! The same bar in Soho he and Gideon loved to go to.
Kingsley left the building feeling as if his world had crashed around him.
Mission or not, his trip with Emmeline was awful. Gideon felt he couldn't concentrate enough to help her. He was worried about the way Kingsley Apparated so quickly from their flat, then to have to leave last night and not speak to him again…
It was nerve wracking. He didn't understand how something could fall apart so fast. He'd managed for months to hide the Order's work behind his employment.
Maybe it was time to tell him the truth, secrets be damned.
Gideon looked at Emmeline - his secret would affect her and no matter what else, he couldn't do that. Kingsley would have to be told something when he went home, but not the whole truth.
He just hoped Kingsley trusted him enough to believe him.
It was a rotten way to spend his day off. Kingsley morosely walked through London, trying to find something that could hold his attention. But every single place he liked had strong memories of Gideon. During their time together, he'd introduced Gideon to the things he liked in Muggle life. His favorite stores, museums, they all had been visited together and he was feeling increasingly sadder. He'd never have imagined that Gideon was bored with him. He himself had never been happier.
Late in the afternoon his stomach rumbled and he realized he'd not eaten lunch. He grabbed a sandwich and gulped it down, feeling slightly sick afterwards. Then he roamed again, going in and out of various stores, until it was almost seven.
At the door of the Cock and Bull, he stopped. Maybe he shouldn't go... But he just had to confront Gideon. Maybe they could still work out something to save their relationship. He tried not to think that G.P. might have met other men already - the image was too painful. Gathering all his courage, he stepped inside.
And he winced. Sitting at a table near the corner, his back to him, was the familiar red hair, longish and silky looking, and a well-worn and well-known blue shirt. He knew he should just bolt from the place, but instead he walked purposefully to the man, touched his back and said, "Gideon?"
The good thing about leaving for the mission the night before was that it ended earlier than originally planned. Gideon had plans that evening he wanted to keep. The best thing was that they got the information they needed relatively easy. Dumbledore would be happy for that.
Emmeline had to know he had been distracted and Gideon felt bad for it, but the mission was completed. For the first time in a while, he didn't have to use his wand, fight anyone, and left with no bruises on his skin. Amazing, that.
He Apparated home, standing outside the door, listening for Kingsley. When he didn't hear him, he snuck inside quietly, only to discover that Kingsley wasn't home. Gideon had hoped to surprise him by returning early - and catch him before he could Apparate away again.
"S.S., I presume?" responded a voice completely unlike Gideon's, which was alright, because the man in front of Kingsley was definitely not Gideon. Kingsley shook the hand that was being offered to him in silence, while the other man looked at him appraisingly. "I didn't expect you to be this gorgeous, darling. So I'll even forgive you having called me by a name that's not mine." The man laughed and let his fingers lie on Kingsley's biceps, squeezing them lightly.
Kingsley didn’t know what to say. He was feeling like a total fool and just wanted to rush back home and wait for Gideon. He smiled forcedly at the man and said, "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."
"Gideon?" The man asked with a wink.
"Yes. I apologize for the confusion."
The man laughed. "It's all right. I'm Gordon. Gordon Platt."
Kingsley stared at him for a few seconds before he realized he'd also have to introduce himself. "Kingsley Shacklebolt," he said.
"K.S., then? Not S.S.?"
"I suppose so, yes." Kingsley was trying to find a way to leave.
"Well, sit down, Kingsley. Let's talk, get to know each other."
"Well, I…I can't, I'm sorry."
Gordon's friendly attitude changed and he snapped. "Why not? We have a date." He held Kingsley's arm and tried to force him to sit down.
"I have to get back home," Kingsley said, prying Gordon's fingers from his arms.
"What for?"
Kingsley thought about all the things he could say to Gordon, about his suspicions of Gideon, the past two horrible days when he thought Gideon had written the ad, but he turned away, saying simply, "To see Gideon."
There was little to do while he waited, so Gideon took a shower and picked up one of their books to read. He'd left it on the end table two weeks ago, but life had been too crazy to read lately. He turned the WWN on to fill the quiet of the flat and relaxed, thinking more about how he enjoyed living with Kingsley than actually reading.
All he had to do now was wait for Kingsley to return.
Gordon followed Kingsley to the door, demanding to know why he'd had a change of heart. Kingsley kept telling him he thought he was another G.P., that he was in a happy relationship and wasn't interested in a "little fun," as Gordon was suggesting.
It wasn't a very pretty scene, Gordon grabbing Kingsley's arm and Kingsley trying to pry Gordon's fingers away. He laughed at one point in time - he knew that he could send Gordon flying away from him with either a hand movement or with brute force. But he didn't want to do either. He knew he'd been wrong. Gordon was an attractive bloke, who was probably used to having his way with men and couldn't understand why he was being rejected.
Finally, he had it. He held Gordon's hands forcefully and told him, "Hey, this is not about you. I have a lover; I thought he had written the ad, because you and he have the same initials, and I came here just to confront him. You're not him and I have to go home and apologize for having suspected him."
Pouting, Gordon asked, "And why would you be suspicious of this fantastic lover of yours? He must've done something, unless you're totally mental."
"He's been away a lot - he…works two jobs - and whenever he's home he's awfully tired."
"So, your relationship has also lost its fizz, yeah?" he asked seductively.
Thinking about the night before, finding Gideon in the sofa, the wonderful lovemaking and the romantic dinner, Kingsley shook his head. "No. He does have something up his sleeve, but it's probably job-related. He…works with national security, so it may be something he can't tell me." He paused for a second. "I really have to go. Good luck to you, Gordon. I'm sure you'll find a nice bloke. You wouldn't want me anyway - I'm too deeply in love with him and would be a truly horrid affair to you."
Sighing, Gordon said sassily, "Not even a 'hello, good-bye' kiss?"
Laughing, Kingsley stretched out his hand. "No, not even that. See, it would be a horrid affair." He shook Gordon's hand and walked out.
***
He couldn't wait to be home, so he found an alley and Apparated to their flat, scaring a tomcat with the loud Crack. When he opened the door to the flat, he heard the sound of soft music and saw Gideon reading on the sofa. He rushed to his side, kissed his forehead, and said simply, "Hello love."
Gideon eyed him warily, Kingsley had left because he was upset about something and most likely had caught Gideon in a lie. Now he was back, and without accusing him of anything, rushed to his side and kissed him
Oh yes, he was hiding something.
"Kingsley," Gideon said by way of greeting. When Kingsley sat down beside him and pushed the book away to kiss him again, Gideon knew there was something else wrong. Kingsley wasn't one to let go of an argument, especially when he would have been the aggrieved person.
He let Kingsley kiss him, there was no reason not to, but didn't respond enthusiastically like he normally did. Kingsley pulled back and looked at him, grinning slyly as he slid a hand up Gideon's leg to fondle him.
Sliding down a little, Gideon spread his legs and let him, still expecting an attack, but willing to play along - for the moment. As Kingsley undid his jeans, Gideon wrapped his arm around Kingsley, untucking his shirt, then began to undo the buttons with his other hand.
Still no resistance.
Rubbing the small of Kingsley's back, Gideon caressed lower, pressing against the cleft of his arse. "I really need you," Gideon said, knowing that Kingsley would know what he wanted.
When Kingsley didn't respond with any sign of protest at all, Gideon shoved him away and jumped off the sofa. Picking up his wand, he aimed it at the man now sprawled across the floor.
"Who the fuck are you and where's Kingsley?"
TBC here