For rare_heroes challenge: What You See; Bennet/Claude; PG
Title: What You See
Fandom: Heroes
Characters: Bennet/Claude
Rating: PG
Word count: 959
A/N: First time writing this pairing. Feedback much appreciated.
Beta: fantasticpants who lives up to her name... the pants part I wouldn't know though. Thanks!
Summary: The nights are lonely. His life is all lies. What is one more lie?
What You See
The nights are lonely. His life is all lies.
He figures that another lie would do nothing to tip the scale.
As if he had never lied to himself.
He always does.
They are in the car. The empty coffee cup rattles in the holder and Claude stares out the window at the rows of trees and shrubs as if they are something interesting. The radio plays a muffled tune. Bennet thinks it is Johnny Cash. He leaves it down and so all they can hear is the humming and the rattling in the near silence of the car.
It is dark outside. Bennet is looking for a turnoff to a motel. Claude spots it first, pointing to the neon sign along the road. They park out front and walk in.
Bennet asks for one room and pays in cash. The woman doesn’t look up even as she hands him the key, the type with huge numbers stuck on a big plastic keychain.
He walks down the corridor - after being in the reception, where the heating was cranked a notch too high, the cold outside air hits him like a brick wall. It is only when he is out of the doors that Claude materialises beside him again.
“You do realise that if I forget and say two it would be rather… awkward?” Bennet says even as they walk. Claude laughs his usual dry laugh.
Bennet stops, pushes the key into the lock and opens the door. Claude walks in first and Bennet closes the door behind him, shrugs off his coat and pulls out his laptop, balancing it on the small table. He has barely set it up properly when he sees Claude heading for the bar fridge.
Typical.
“Don’t touch it. I’m not going to pay for that and you know the company won’t.” Bennet warns as he starts typing. He stares at the screen, the blue glow illuminating his face in the darkened amber lighting.
“Aw, what’s some money between friends, eh?” Claude chuckles, as he closes the refrigerator door and wanders over to the sofa bed, straining as he pulls out the rusted frame and the dusty mattress. He finds the remote and sits down on the makeshift bed, switching on the TV.
For a while, it is just the voices on the television; the traffic, muffled in the background and the clacking of keys flitting over the keyboard. Claude grows bored quickly. He looks over at Bennet impatiently.
“Stop working,” he drawls.
“You know I can’t. We need to be prepared for tomorrow.”
“You know I can handle it with my bloody eyes closed.” Claude chuckles, leaning back against the wall and shutting his eyes as if to demonstrate.
Bennet stops typing; stands up and reaches for a document in his bag. He doesn’t find it and he keeps standing there, looking at Claude. “We’re a team, remember? Do you even know where we’re heading?” He says with a hint of a smile.
Claude shrugs. “It’s your job. Always has been. Me, I take care of the dangerous shit.” He stands up, running a hand through his hair. “I need to take a leak.”
Claude hears the scrape of the chair when he stands, and throws a look over his shoulder. Bennet is moving over, intercepting Claude before he reaches the bathroom door. Claude gives him a look.
“I’ve decided to stop working.” Bennet says neutrally, looking Claude in the eye.
Claude scoffs. “Good, then get outta my way so I can go piss.”
Claude moves to take a step forward and Bennet reaches for him. Takes him by the collar. Claude’s breath hitches in surprise and Bennet’s lips are on his. Claude almost kisses back before he pushes away.
“Fuck. You’re married, you bloody idiot,” Claude yells.
“No one needs to know.” Bennet is keeping up the façade, the calm demeanour that he always wears. Claude isn’t fooled. He looks at him, stares into his eyes and his lips twitch into a crooked grin.
“Ah, mate, I can see it. Loneliness. It’s in your eyes.” If Claude hadn't had the power of invisibility, Bennet could have sworn that his ability was picking out the worst in people and nailing them with a few carefully placed words.
He swallows.
The look in Claude’s eyes changes. He is thinking seriously about this now. “Wouldn’t hurt, would it?” He says in a whisper.
Bennet doesn’t respond because Claude moves towards him and they're kissing.
Even as Claude kisses him he finds himself somewhere else. Somewhere, hiding in the back of his mind. He feels rough, chapped lips and a pervasive tongue but he doesn’t think. He cannot think. He retreats into the hollow end of his mind; the quiet, private corner where he can see himself, see himself as he wants to. Lips press against his, too hungrily, too affectionately.
He opens his eyes and he still sees Claude.
“Can- can you be invisible?” Bennet asks between breaths, stuttering.
“Didn’t think you were into kinks, Bennet,” Claude’s lips draw into a wolfish grin, but he complies.
Bennet has seen it countless times, but it still fascinates him. A ripple is what he sees first, and then Claude disappears, as if he is melting away.
He feels the heat in his mouth but he can’t see. Can’t see the hand that touches him, cups his cheek and runs over the day-old stubble. Can’t see the lips that envelope his own, the teeth that gnash lightly, pulling him into submission.
He can’t see the guilt, the sin in front of his eyes.
He pulls Claude closer, reaching out blindly and wrapping his arm around the curve of his waist.
You can be blind when you can’t see.
Fandom: Heroes
Characters: Bennet/Claude
Rating: PG
Word count: 959
A/N: First time writing this pairing. Feedback much appreciated.
Beta: fantasticpants who lives up to her name... the pants part I wouldn't know though. Thanks!
Summary: The nights are lonely. His life is all lies. What is one more lie?
What You See
The nights are lonely. His life is all lies.
He figures that another lie would do nothing to tip the scale.
As if he had never lied to himself.
He always does.
They are in the car. The empty coffee cup rattles in the holder and Claude stares out the window at the rows of trees and shrubs as if they are something interesting. The radio plays a muffled tune. Bennet thinks it is Johnny Cash. He leaves it down and so all they can hear is the humming and the rattling in the near silence of the car.
It is dark outside. Bennet is looking for a turnoff to a motel. Claude spots it first, pointing to the neon sign along the road. They park out front and walk in.
Bennet asks for one room and pays in cash. The woman doesn’t look up even as she hands him the key, the type with huge numbers stuck on a big plastic keychain.
He walks down the corridor - after being in the reception, where the heating was cranked a notch too high, the cold outside air hits him like a brick wall. It is only when he is out of the doors that Claude materialises beside him again.
“You do realise that if I forget and say two it would be rather… awkward?” Bennet says even as they walk. Claude laughs his usual dry laugh.
Bennet stops, pushes the key into the lock and opens the door. Claude walks in first and Bennet closes the door behind him, shrugs off his coat and pulls out his laptop, balancing it on the small table. He has barely set it up properly when he sees Claude heading for the bar fridge.
Typical.
“Don’t touch it. I’m not going to pay for that and you know the company won’t.” Bennet warns as he starts typing. He stares at the screen, the blue glow illuminating his face in the darkened amber lighting.
“Aw, what’s some money between friends, eh?” Claude chuckles, as he closes the refrigerator door and wanders over to the sofa bed, straining as he pulls out the rusted frame and the dusty mattress. He finds the remote and sits down on the makeshift bed, switching on the TV.
For a while, it is just the voices on the television; the traffic, muffled in the background and the clacking of keys flitting over the keyboard. Claude grows bored quickly. He looks over at Bennet impatiently.
“Stop working,” he drawls.
“You know I can’t. We need to be prepared for tomorrow.”
“You know I can handle it with my bloody eyes closed.” Claude chuckles, leaning back against the wall and shutting his eyes as if to demonstrate.
Bennet stops typing; stands up and reaches for a document in his bag. He doesn’t find it and he keeps standing there, looking at Claude. “We’re a team, remember? Do you even know where we’re heading?” He says with a hint of a smile.
Claude shrugs. “It’s your job. Always has been. Me, I take care of the dangerous shit.” He stands up, running a hand through his hair. “I need to take a leak.”
Claude hears the scrape of the chair when he stands, and throws a look over his shoulder. Bennet is moving over, intercepting Claude before he reaches the bathroom door. Claude gives him a look.
“I’ve decided to stop working.” Bennet says neutrally, looking Claude in the eye.
Claude scoffs. “Good, then get outta my way so I can go piss.”
Claude moves to take a step forward and Bennet reaches for him. Takes him by the collar. Claude’s breath hitches in surprise and Bennet’s lips are on his. Claude almost kisses back before he pushes away.
“Fuck. You’re married, you bloody idiot,” Claude yells.
“No one needs to know.” Bennet is keeping up the façade, the calm demeanour that he always wears. Claude isn’t fooled. He looks at him, stares into his eyes and his lips twitch into a crooked grin.
“Ah, mate, I can see it. Loneliness. It’s in your eyes.” If Claude hadn't had the power of invisibility, Bennet could have sworn that his ability was picking out the worst in people and nailing them with a few carefully placed words.
He swallows.
The look in Claude’s eyes changes. He is thinking seriously about this now. “Wouldn’t hurt, would it?” He says in a whisper.
Bennet doesn’t respond because Claude moves towards him and they're kissing.
Even as Claude kisses him he finds himself somewhere else. Somewhere, hiding in the back of his mind. He feels rough, chapped lips and a pervasive tongue but he doesn’t think. He cannot think. He retreats into the hollow end of his mind; the quiet, private corner where he can see himself, see himself as he wants to. Lips press against his, too hungrily, too affectionately.
He opens his eyes and he still sees Claude.
“Can- can you be invisible?” Bennet asks between breaths, stuttering.
“Didn’t think you were into kinks, Bennet,” Claude’s lips draw into a wolfish grin, but he complies.
Bennet has seen it countless times, but it still fascinates him. A ripple is what he sees first, and then Claude disappears, as if he is melting away.
He feels the heat in his mouth but he can’t see. Can’t see the hand that touches him, cups his cheek and runs over the day-old stubble. Can’t see the lips that envelope his own, the teeth that gnash lightly, pulling him into submission.
He can’t see the guilt, the sin in front of his eyes.
He pulls Claude closer, reaching out blindly and wrapping his arm around the curve of his waist.
You can be blind when you can’t see.