Elements of the Mind; Matt/Bennet; PG-13
Title: Elements of the Mind
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1768
Pairing: Matt/Bennet
Summary: He looks into those unblinking blue eyes and Bennet twists a small grin.
Warnings: None
A/N: Thanks to karathephantom for being the world's quickest beta. All other mistakes are mine. Feedback much appreiciated as I'm slightly unsure about this one.
Elements of the Mind
The room smells sterile - a peculiar mixture of antiseptic and medicine mingling with the light perfume from the flowers covering his bedside table. He wakes up for the twentieth time that day, feeling heavy and pained, almost as if he were falling through the hard mattress.
A hand reaches over, wrapping his palm in the warmth and he feels the cold band against his skin. He almost thinks that it shouldn't have taken this to bring them back together again but stops himself.
"Matt… You're awake." He looks up to see his wife smiling down at him and he gives a squeeze of reassurance with his hand, almost too exhausted to twist a weak grin but he does anyway.
His head is heavy and his thoughts are blurred and slowed, but he can hear the voices floating around him like he is surrounded by a crowd. Tell him. Tell him. God, this is so painful. Hundred and fifty pounds, twenty milligrams. Tired. Another distinct voice. Tell him. Shouldn't wait. Should I? I should.
Matt closes his eyes, forces the invasion out of his mind and they muffle, quiet down, sounding like a murmur of an unsettled crowd. That was enough.
He tries to sit up. Manages. Turns to his wife and she looks at him with that wrinkle on her forehead and he stares.
"There's someone outside who wants to see you. I told him you were asleep but he insisted on waiting." Tell him. That was his wife. "Said that you would know him as Bennet."
Bennet. Bennet. Familiar. Glasses, older man, helped him escape. Escape what? Prison. Primatech. The paper company. He frowns. "You didn't ask him to leave?"
"I didn't know." She says, the frown not leaving her face. "But if you'd like me to then-"
"No. No." He lifts up a hand. Stupid IV line. He puts it back again, shakes his head. "No, no, it's okay. Let him in."
She smiles and stands. She's in a dress he doesn't recognize. Baggy, flowery. He feels a sudden tinge of guilt for her being here - six months pregnant and straining herself looking after him in the cold hospital room. She hands him a cup of water while she's up, and she walks towards the door, disappearing as he sips and gargles, washing away the taste of sleep and medication lingering in his mouth.
When the door opens again she is followed by a man in a suit and suddenly he feels cold, naked, in his paper-thin, hospital-issue gown.
"Mr. Parkman," Bennet greets him matter-of-factly.
"Bennet. Long time no see."
He bites the inside of his cheek, not looking as his wife moves over to him, leaving something on his bedside table. He reaches for her arm, pulls her over to speak to her.
"Hey, sweetie, I'll like to have a word with him alone. Would that be okay?"
"Sure. I- I'll wait outside." She nods, slightly flustered but not forgetting to throw him a pointed look that clearly says I-hope-you-know-what-you-are-doing. He didn't need to read her mind to tell that. It's the same look she gave him five years ago when they had just gotten married and he insisted he knew how to use the washing machine. Who the hell knew that you only needed one tiny scoop of detergent for a whole ton of clothes?
"Thanks, hon," Matt manages to say before the door closes behind his wife with a click. And that was it - two of them, alone in the room. He looks up at Bennet.
"You seem to be recovering well, Parkman," Bennet says politely as he stands in front of him, stoically, and Matt feels like he's being interrogated all over again. He points him to a chair nearby and Bennet sits, pulling the chair close beside the bed.
"After six bullets, hell yeah. I'm lucky to be alive," he laughs in reply, slightly pissed because, well, he isn't exactly close to the guy, yet here he was sitting so close to him, like he was his freaking uncle. Then again, for all the trouble he had given him, this guy saved his ass and maybe that is all he needs right now. Hell, he even took the trouble to visit him. Not that he knows whether there is an underlying reason for the visit besides seeing whether he was still reasonably alive, but still…
He relaxes, smiles.
"You must be glad everything seems to be getting back to normal now," Bennet comments after a beat.
"I'm not sure anything was ever normal in the first place." Matt's tone changes, sounding almost sarcastic. Bennet breathes a small chuckle, pointing casually towards the door as he talks. "I see that your wife's pregnant. Congratulations. You're getting a family. That's a huge step back into leading a normal life."
"Normal, my ass. I'm not even sure the kid is mine," Matt laughs, almost scoffs.
"My advice is, love the child as your own. You raise the child, you will always be the daddy."
"Oh, yeah, that would be easy. Especially if you have to stare at the biological father everyday and try not to deck him in the nuts." Matt tastes the slight venom as he speaks and he breathes, closing his eyes and telling himself that it was the past and everything was okay, everything would be fine now, that they worked it out. Still, he chuckles softly, turning to Bennet with a saddened smirk. "I bet you never had a partner who cheated on you with your wife."
"No, but I cheated on my wife with my partner before."
He stares at him for a while, trying to read his face; a futile attempt, and Bennet just keeps thinking he doesn't believe me over and over again. "Oh come on…" Matt finally laughs. "But you know, it's hard to come by good female partners, at least in the police force." He thinks of Audrey and he stops. There was nothing there, he tells himself again. Maybe it hurt because he still wishes there was.
"He was male, I believe." Bennet replies neutrally, still looking down at Matt, as if just telling him he was going to a picnic this Saturday afternoon.
Shit, he's gay, is what he manages to pick out from his own thoughts before they fall into messy rambling pieces, and the shock must have shown on his face because Bennet bends in closer, giving a seemingly disappointed shake of a head.
Don't be too quick to make judgements.
He almost replies when he realises that he is hearing Bennet's thoughts. The thoughts that almost seemed… directed to him. He looks into those unblinking blue eyes and Bennet twists a small grin.
Have you kissed a man before, Parkman?
"No, I- stop doing that," Matt growls back in reply.
Funny, you would think that they would know better…
Bennet is still looking down at him, his gaze unflinching. His breath smells of peppermint as he leans in closer, as if he had already planned for this to happen, planned for Matt to be vulnerable and alone in the cold room. Matt isn't surprised, but the thought slips out of his mind when a hand reaches over and touches his cheek lightly, tracing his faint jawline down to cup his chin. And he doesn't stop him because he's too busy remembering how to breathe.
Know how it feels, know where to touch.
Shut up, Matt feels like telling the interrupting thoughts, loud as a voice in his head; but his body responds, feeling the edge of his nerves tingling as Bennet tilts his chin upwards. A man's touch - rough and surprisingly gentle at the same time. He feels a thumb caressing his Adam's apple as he swallows, his throat suddenly dry.
What to say.
Bennet tastes like peppermint and musk when they kiss. His tongue is pervasive, as if he needed to prove a point, but at that moment Matt isn't thinking. He just feels the difference - rougher, harder, stronger, almost… better. The sounds he hears are muffled - an erratic, foreign beeping playing out faintly at the edge of his mind and the footsteps of shuffling people outside fading into almost soundless thuds. He closes his eyes, almost pushing himself up with his elbows to move close; but Bennet leans down, pushing him hard onto the mattress, hand moving downwards over his neck, his...
And the hands leave. They break off.
Matt opens his eyes, feeling the uncomfortable coldness rush over his flushed skin and Bennet is standing again, smiling. Smiling like they hadn't goddamn kissed a moment ago.
Good to know I changed your mind.
Never said you did, Matt wants to retort angrily, pissed because it sounded too true. But before the words could make their way through his fogged mind, Bennet spoke.
"You like grapes?"
"What?" he asks, confused. Grapes? What the hell?
"I brought grapes. Your wife left the fruit basket on your side table." He gestures. "I'm glad to see that you're alright, Parkman, but I think it's time for me to leave. Wouldn't want to be late for dinner."
"Oh, okay. Thanks." He hardly registers the words in his mind, not even lifting a hand in a subtle goodbye as he watches him walk towards the door. Bennet steps out, then turns for a moment to look back in.
"Welcome."
And the door shuts with a click. But barely a moment later it opens again and this time it is his wife.
"Hi, hon." She smiles as she steps in and he is returning the smile when the familiar voice floats into his head again - soft, as if it were from far away.
Those are good grapes, Parkman. You'd better eat them.
He recovers just in time to vaguely hear his wife asking about whom that man was, but before he answers she looks at him and asks, "Matt? You alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Fuck you, Bennet.
He reaches for the grapes, but quickly draws back a hand. He doesn't usually like grapes, but these were dark - almost black - and fresh, firm. He takes one, bites into the crisp fruit and feels the cold sweetness of the juice as he licks his lips, tasting the brief kiss in his mouth all over again.
He tries not to think, leaning over to grab a handful of the fruit. They were good. Really good. And that was saying something for a person who only liked his grapes in the form of wine.
For a mind reader, he was sure good at changing his mind.
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1768
Pairing: Matt/Bennet
Summary: He looks into those unblinking blue eyes and Bennet twists a small grin.
Warnings: None
A/N: Thanks to karathephantom for being the world's quickest beta. All other mistakes are mine. Feedback much appreiciated as I'm slightly unsure about this one.
Elements of the Mind
The room smells sterile - a peculiar mixture of antiseptic and medicine mingling with the light perfume from the flowers covering his bedside table. He wakes up for the twentieth time that day, feeling heavy and pained, almost as if he were falling through the hard mattress.
A hand reaches over, wrapping his palm in the warmth and he feels the cold band against his skin. He almost thinks that it shouldn't have taken this to bring them back together again but stops himself.
"Matt… You're awake." He looks up to see his wife smiling down at him and he gives a squeeze of reassurance with his hand, almost too exhausted to twist a weak grin but he does anyway.
His head is heavy and his thoughts are blurred and slowed, but he can hear the voices floating around him like he is surrounded by a crowd. Tell him. Tell him. God, this is so painful. Hundred and fifty pounds, twenty milligrams. Tired. Another distinct voice. Tell him. Shouldn't wait. Should I? I should.
Matt closes his eyes, forces the invasion out of his mind and they muffle, quiet down, sounding like a murmur of an unsettled crowd. That was enough.
He tries to sit up. Manages. Turns to his wife and she looks at him with that wrinkle on her forehead and he stares.
"There's someone outside who wants to see you. I told him you were asleep but he insisted on waiting." Tell him. That was his wife. "Said that you would know him as Bennet."
Bennet. Bennet. Familiar. Glasses, older man, helped him escape. Escape what? Prison. Primatech. The paper company. He frowns. "You didn't ask him to leave?"
"I didn't know." She says, the frown not leaving her face. "But if you'd like me to then-"
"No. No." He lifts up a hand. Stupid IV line. He puts it back again, shakes his head. "No, no, it's okay. Let him in."
She smiles and stands. She's in a dress he doesn't recognize. Baggy, flowery. He feels a sudden tinge of guilt for her being here - six months pregnant and straining herself looking after him in the cold hospital room. She hands him a cup of water while she's up, and she walks towards the door, disappearing as he sips and gargles, washing away the taste of sleep and medication lingering in his mouth.
When the door opens again she is followed by a man in a suit and suddenly he feels cold, naked, in his paper-thin, hospital-issue gown.
"Mr. Parkman," Bennet greets him matter-of-factly.
"Bennet. Long time no see."
He bites the inside of his cheek, not looking as his wife moves over to him, leaving something on his bedside table. He reaches for her arm, pulls her over to speak to her.
"Hey, sweetie, I'll like to have a word with him alone. Would that be okay?"
"Sure. I- I'll wait outside." She nods, slightly flustered but not forgetting to throw him a pointed look that clearly says I-hope-you-know-what-you-are-doing. He didn't need to read her mind to tell that. It's the same look she gave him five years ago when they had just gotten married and he insisted he knew how to use the washing machine. Who the hell knew that you only needed one tiny scoop of detergent for a whole ton of clothes?
"Thanks, hon," Matt manages to say before the door closes behind his wife with a click. And that was it - two of them, alone in the room. He looks up at Bennet.
"You seem to be recovering well, Parkman," Bennet says politely as he stands in front of him, stoically, and Matt feels like he's being interrogated all over again. He points him to a chair nearby and Bennet sits, pulling the chair close beside the bed.
"After six bullets, hell yeah. I'm lucky to be alive," he laughs in reply, slightly pissed because, well, he isn't exactly close to the guy, yet here he was sitting so close to him, like he was his freaking uncle. Then again, for all the trouble he had given him, this guy saved his ass and maybe that is all he needs right now. Hell, he even took the trouble to visit him. Not that he knows whether there is an underlying reason for the visit besides seeing whether he was still reasonably alive, but still…
He relaxes, smiles.
"You must be glad everything seems to be getting back to normal now," Bennet comments after a beat.
"I'm not sure anything was ever normal in the first place." Matt's tone changes, sounding almost sarcastic. Bennet breathes a small chuckle, pointing casually towards the door as he talks. "I see that your wife's pregnant. Congratulations. You're getting a family. That's a huge step back into leading a normal life."
"Normal, my ass. I'm not even sure the kid is mine," Matt laughs, almost scoffs.
"My advice is, love the child as your own. You raise the child, you will always be the daddy."
"Oh, yeah, that would be easy. Especially if you have to stare at the biological father everyday and try not to deck him in the nuts." Matt tastes the slight venom as he speaks and he breathes, closing his eyes and telling himself that it was the past and everything was okay, everything would be fine now, that they worked it out. Still, he chuckles softly, turning to Bennet with a saddened smirk. "I bet you never had a partner who cheated on you with your wife."
"No, but I cheated on my wife with my partner before."
He stares at him for a while, trying to read his face; a futile attempt, and Bennet just keeps thinking he doesn't believe me over and over again. "Oh come on…" Matt finally laughs. "But you know, it's hard to come by good female partners, at least in the police force." He thinks of Audrey and he stops. There was nothing there, he tells himself again. Maybe it hurt because he still wishes there was.
"He was male, I believe." Bennet replies neutrally, still looking down at Matt, as if just telling him he was going to a picnic this Saturday afternoon.
Shit, he's gay, is what he manages to pick out from his own thoughts before they fall into messy rambling pieces, and the shock must have shown on his face because Bennet bends in closer, giving a seemingly disappointed shake of a head.
Don't be too quick to make judgements.
He almost replies when he realises that he is hearing Bennet's thoughts. The thoughts that almost seemed… directed to him. He looks into those unblinking blue eyes and Bennet twists a small grin.
Have you kissed a man before, Parkman?
"No, I- stop doing that," Matt growls back in reply.
Funny, you would think that they would know better…
Bennet is still looking down at him, his gaze unflinching. His breath smells of peppermint as he leans in closer, as if he had already planned for this to happen, planned for Matt to be vulnerable and alone in the cold room. Matt isn't surprised, but the thought slips out of his mind when a hand reaches over and touches his cheek lightly, tracing his faint jawline down to cup his chin. And he doesn't stop him because he's too busy remembering how to breathe.
Know how it feels, know where to touch.
Shut up, Matt feels like telling the interrupting thoughts, loud as a voice in his head; but his body responds, feeling the edge of his nerves tingling as Bennet tilts his chin upwards. A man's touch - rough and surprisingly gentle at the same time. He feels a thumb caressing his Adam's apple as he swallows, his throat suddenly dry.
What to say.
Bennet tastes like peppermint and musk when they kiss. His tongue is pervasive, as if he needed to prove a point, but at that moment Matt isn't thinking. He just feels the difference - rougher, harder, stronger, almost… better. The sounds he hears are muffled - an erratic, foreign beeping playing out faintly at the edge of his mind and the footsteps of shuffling people outside fading into almost soundless thuds. He closes his eyes, almost pushing himself up with his elbows to move close; but Bennet leans down, pushing him hard onto the mattress, hand moving downwards over his neck, his...
And the hands leave. They break off.
Matt opens his eyes, feeling the uncomfortable coldness rush over his flushed skin and Bennet is standing again, smiling. Smiling like they hadn't goddamn kissed a moment ago.
Good to know I changed your mind.
Never said you did, Matt wants to retort angrily, pissed because it sounded too true. But before the words could make their way through his fogged mind, Bennet spoke.
"You like grapes?"
"What?" he asks, confused. Grapes? What the hell?
"I brought grapes. Your wife left the fruit basket on your side table." He gestures. "I'm glad to see that you're alright, Parkman, but I think it's time for me to leave. Wouldn't want to be late for dinner."
"Oh, okay. Thanks." He hardly registers the words in his mind, not even lifting a hand in a subtle goodbye as he watches him walk towards the door. Bennet steps out, then turns for a moment to look back in.
"Welcome."
And the door shuts with a click. But barely a moment later it opens again and this time it is his wife.
"Hi, hon." She smiles as she steps in and he is returning the smile when the familiar voice floats into his head again - soft, as if it were from far away.
Those are good grapes, Parkman. You'd better eat them.
He recovers just in time to vaguely hear his wife asking about whom that man was, but before he answers she looks at him and asks, "Matt? You alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Fuck you, Bennet.
He reaches for the grapes, but quickly draws back a hand. He doesn't usually like grapes, but these were dark - almost black - and fresh, firm. He takes one, bites into the crisp fruit and feels the cold sweetness of the juice as he licks his lips, tasting the brief kiss in his mouth all over again.
He tries not to think, leaning over to grab a handful of the fruit. They were good. Really good. And that was saying something for a person who only liked his grapes in the form of wine.
For a mind reader, he was sure good at changing his mind.