Shadow Men – 76 – Anders and Grant

After a long pause Grant replied, "I left because the last time we talked you made it damned good and clear that I would count as nothing in your life but the next, what did you call it? Oh yeah, fuck buddy to relieve your tension."

"That's not quite all I said," Anders said quietly.

"Close enough since you wouldn't elaborate when I asked."

"What needed elaboration, Grant? If you didn't know the answer then there was no reason to reply. And if you did…then you walked away in spite of knowing." Anders felt his anger rising and did his best to tamp it down. He hadn't come here to reopen old wounds.

"I walked away because I didn't believe what you were…implying. I didn't think you actually meant it."

"You thought it was just a line to keep you around so I could fuck you and then leave." The anger was there now, and the frustration that Grant didn't understand…anything it seemed.

"Wasn't it?"

Anders slammed his fist against the tree. "No, damn it." He shook his fist, muttering "fuck", not so much at the pain as at his loss of control. He needed to regain it again.

* * * *

Grant might have laughed if the conversation hadn't been so serious, and he suddenly understood, so important to him. To both of them, perhaps.

Anders put one hand on Grant's thigh then. Not in any sexual way, just resting it there. "Look, I'm not promising…eternity. I can't even promise more than that I'll be around when I can. But that said I'd like you to be much more than a short term…" he winced, "fuck buddy."

Grant nodded slowly as he thought about what Anders was saying. "I could deal with that, I suppose."

"You're certain? I'm not free to come and go as I want most of the time. I go where I'm sent, I do…well, you know what I do pretty much. It could be six months before you'd see me again, or six days

"Or six hours?"

Anders chuckled. "Or that."

"I guess it's worth a try."

"Hardly an enthusiastic reply, but I'll take what I can get."

"You get me, for what it's worth."

"Same deal, you get me, for whatever I'm worth."

They looked seriously at each other for a moment and then Grant grinned. "Half an hour?"

Anders appeared puzzled for a minute before he broke into laughter. "Don't want to wear you out."

Grant snorted. "As if." He cupped his hand around the back of Anders' head, tugged him closer, and kissed him.

The End