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rsadelle"Ah, Klaus!"
Klaus looked, to Dorian's eyes, as if he'd rather be anywhere but where he was. Nonetheless, he obeyed his father's summons. And looked as if he might not be able to restrain himself from doing violence when he saw who was with his father.
"Have you met Lord Gloria?"
"We've met," Klaus ground out.
"Yes," Dorian said. "I'm delighted to see you again, Major."
There was an awkward moment of silence in which Klaus failed to return the greeting and his father frowned at him.
"You should introduce Dorian to Lady Theobald," Klaus's father suggested. "She has several unmarried daughters."
There was an almost cruel twist to Klaus's lips as he said, "He's a homosexual."
His father barely hesitated. "She has unmarried sons, too."
While Klaus was still all but frozen with, Dorian presumed, shock, he himself picked up the thread of conversation. "That's very kind of you, but my heart is already taken."
"Oh? I didn't see you with anyone."
"No," Dorian said sadly, keeping an eye on Klaus to see how far he could take it. "I'm afraid he doesn't return my affections." He heaved a sigh.
"I don't see why he shouldn't. You're reasonably intelligent, a noble, even if you are English." Klaus's father eyed him critically. "Attractive enough, if you like that sort."
Dorian sighed again. "If only he could see that, too."
Klaus stepped forward, and Dorian thought he was about to, despite their surroundings and the presence of his father, hit him, and he braced himself for it, so he was surprised when Klaus pushed him back, against the wall, and kissed him. His surprise gave way after only a few seconds, and he kissed back. Enthusiastically.
It didn't last nearly long enough before Klaus stepped away and glared.
"Are you both happy now?" he asked, and then he stalked away without waiting for an answer.
Dorian turned back from watching Klaus go to find Klaus's father watching him.
"What was that?"
"I think that," Dorian said, thinking it through as he spoke, "was the result of both of us pushing him too far. No," he added as Klaus's father started to follow the path Klaus had taken, "I'll go. After he's had a little time to calm down."
Dorian excused himself then, and made polite small talk with a few other people before he judged enough time had passed and he went in search of Klaus.
He found him, predictably enough, in the study. Klaus had draped his tie and coat over a chair. The man himself was lying on the couch, collar unbuttoned, head on one arm of the couch, feet dangling over the other, with an empty ashtray and a full glass - Scotch, going by the bottle on the floor next to him - balanced on his stomach. He glanced at Dorian when he came in, and then returned to staring at the ceiling.
"I have the education," Dorian told him, "as well as the breeding. If you meant that," it came out stronger than he'd intended; he steadied himself and began again. "If you meant that earlier, I can be the respectable officer's husband. I can throw dinner parties and buy boringly appropriate Christmas gifts for your relatives. I won't give up thieving," he warned, "or my team, any more than you would give up NATO or your Alphabets. But I can be useful to you in that too. And in private, I'll be just Dorian. Just yours." And then he waited and hoped one of those had been a trump card.
Klaus, without moving, without even looking at him, said, "I love you."
Dorian took a deep, steadying breath, and when he was able to speak again, he said, "Then put on your coat and tie and come dance with me," and trusted Klaus to know what he was really asking for.
Klaus sighed, but he set the glass and the ashtray on the floor next to the bottle and swung himself up so he was sitting, rather than lying, on the couch. While he buttoned his collar, Dorian picked up his tie and brought it to him. He flipped up Klaus's collar, and slipped the tie around it, preparatory to tying it for him, and the corners of Klaus's mouth twitched.
"I always said you would make someone a good wife someday."
Dorian smiled back at him and tied the tie into an expert bow. "Not someone," he said. "You."
Klaus looked, to Dorian's eyes, as if he'd rather be anywhere but where he was. Nonetheless, he obeyed his father's summons. And looked as if he might not be able to restrain himself from doing violence when he saw who was with his father.
"Have you met Lord Gloria?"
"We've met," Klaus ground out.
"Yes," Dorian said. "I'm delighted to see you again, Major."
There was an awkward moment of silence in which Klaus failed to return the greeting and his father frowned at him.
"You should introduce Dorian to Lady Theobald," Klaus's father suggested. "She has several unmarried daughters."
There was an almost cruel twist to Klaus's lips as he said, "He's a homosexual."
His father barely hesitated. "She has unmarried sons, too."
While Klaus was still all but frozen with, Dorian presumed, shock, he himself picked up the thread of conversation. "That's very kind of you, but my heart is already taken."
"Oh? I didn't see you with anyone."
"No," Dorian said sadly, keeping an eye on Klaus to see how far he could take it. "I'm afraid he doesn't return my affections." He heaved a sigh.
"I don't see why he shouldn't. You're reasonably intelligent, a noble, even if you are English." Klaus's father eyed him critically. "Attractive enough, if you like that sort."
Dorian sighed again. "If only he could see that, too."
Klaus stepped forward, and Dorian thought he was about to, despite their surroundings and the presence of his father, hit him, and he braced himself for it, so he was surprised when Klaus pushed him back, against the wall, and kissed him. His surprise gave way after only a few seconds, and he kissed back. Enthusiastically.
It didn't last nearly long enough before Klaus stepped away and glared.
"Are you both happy now?" he asked, and then he stalked away without waiting for an answer.
Dorian turned back from watching Klaus go to find Klaus's father watching him.
"What was that?"
"I think that," Dorian said, thinking it through as he spoke, "was the result of both of us pushing him too far. No," he added as Klaus's father started to follow the path Klaus had taken, "I'll go. After he's had a little time to calm down."
Dorian excused himself then, and made polite small talk with a few other people before he judged enough time had passed and he went in search of Klaus.
He found him, predictably enough, in the study. Klaus had draped his tie and coat over a chair. The man himself was lying on the couch, collar unbuttoned, head on one arm of the couch, feet dangling over the other, with an empty ashtray and a full glass - Scotch, going by the bottle on the floor next to him - balanced on his stomach. He glanced at Dorian when he came in, and then returned to staring at the ceiling.
"I have the education," Dorian told him, "as well as the breeding. If you meant that," it came out stronger than he'd intended; he steadied himself and began again. "If you meant that earlier, I can be the respectable officer's husband. I can throw dinner parties and buy boringly appropriate Christmas gifts for your relatives. I won't give up thieving," he warned, "or my team, any more than you would give up NATO or your Alphabets. But I can be useful to you in that too. And in private, I'll be just Dorian. Just yours." And then he waited and hoped one of those had been a trump card.
Klaus, without moving, without even looking at him, said, "I love you."
Dorian took a deep, steadying breath, and when he was able to speak again, he said, "Then put on your coat and tie and come dance with me," and trusted Klaus to know what he was really asking for.
Klaus sighed, but he set the glass and the ashtray on the floor next to the bottle and swung himself up so he was sitting, rather than lying, on the couch. While he buttoned his collar, Dorian picked up his tie and brought it to him. He flipped up Klaus's collar, and slipped the tie around it, preparatory to tying it for him, and the corners of Klaus's mouth twitched.
"I always said you would make someone a good wife someday."
Dorian smiled back at him and tied the tie into an expert bow. "Not someone," he said. "You."
(no subject)
Date: 2008-01-01 02:48 am (UTC)That line made me laugh out loud.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-01-01 05:10 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-09 09:50 am (UTC)Also, the last line was perfect, perfect I say :D
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 03:25 am (UTC)