The basic theme here has been bouncing around in my head for a long time.
Dorian paused in the entryway of the bar, partly to let his eyes adjust to the dim and partly for effect. Before he could even take a first glance around, he heard a familiar voice raised in unfamiliar laughter. The sound drew him like a magnet.
"Hello, Major. Do you mind if I join you?" Dorian grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the table without waiting for an answer. He didn't wait for Klaus to introduce him. "Earl Dorian Red Gloria."
"The famous Earl." The man with Klaus looked him up and down slowly before taking Dorian's hand. "Major Albrecht Lang, NATO Intelligence."
"Another Major. How very delightful." Dorian turned the full force of his smile on Albrecht and twirled one curl charmingly. "You're very strong and handsome." He turned his smile on Klaus. "But not as strong and handsome as you, of course."
Klaus growled at him, but Albrecht only snorted derisively. "I see what you mean," he said to Klaus.
Dorian gestured the waiter over. "Have you been talking about me?" He ordered beer and sausages, appropriate for the locale.
"Warning about you," Klaus growled at him. Dorian counted it as a victory that he was only growling and hadn't thrown him out yet.
Dorian smiled blindingly at both of them. "I see," he purred. "As long as I'm always in your thoughts." He turned his regard on Albrecht. "Am I in your thoughts, Major Lang?"
Albrecht regarded him coolly. "Cool it, blondie. I'm not interested." He gestured for the check and paid for his meal and Klaus's.
He and Klaus stood together, put on their coats in a motion so similar they could have been mirror images, and walked out without even saying goodbye.
***
"12!" Albrecht yelled.
"Your agents are numbered?" Dorian asked as a young man came their way.
"Klaus gets his pick of the best agents," Albrecht informed him, "and he wanted letters."
That was the first time Dorian had ever heard anyone refer to the alphabets as "the best" of anything.
"Show Lord Gloria to the door," Albrecht ordered Agent 12.
"There's no need for that," Dorian said. "I'm sure I can be of assistance."
"We neither want nor require your assistance," Albrecht informed him, and Dorian was very efficiently ushered out of the building by Agent 12.
***
"We'll rest here," Albrecht said when they reached an open cavern. The footsteps following them had faded away some time ago. "H, the first aid kit. Klaus, sit down."
That was the first time Dorian had ever heard anyone address Klaus by his first name. He almost expected Klaus to yell at Albrecht for it.
Klaus glanced down at his arm. "It's a scratch," he said. "I'm fine."
"You're bleeding," Albrecht said. "You're going to drip and leave a trail. Sit down and let me bandage it."
Surely Klaus would yell at him for that, but, no, he simply sat on a low, flat rock that left enough space for Albrecht to sit next to him. They conferred quietly while Albrecht cleaned and bandaged Klaus's cut with the same brisk efficiency he seemed to bring to everything he did.
He used that same efficiency to keep Dorian away from Klaus and direct Agents 9 and L to distribute water and energy bars.
***
They were leaving in the morning; James was ecstatic about the deal he'd gotten on their tickets and Bonham was clearly relieved to get Dorian away from Klaus and his endless missions.
Dorian was determined to get one last glimpse of his Major. He slipped out from under Bonham's watchful eye and carefully picked the locks and disabled the alarms that let him creep unnoticed into Klaus's flat and then into his bedroom.
He noticed his divestmentphobe Major's nudity first and took a moment to drink in the sight of him. He truly was a beautiful man. A truly beautiful man with another man's arm draped across his chest.
Dorian followed the arm back up to the body it was attached to, and then up to the body's face. The face of Major Albrecht Lang.
The whole mission shifted into focus, and Dorian realized why it was he'd felt like he'd been missing something ever since he'd walked into that bar and heard Klaus laughing.
Only a long life of silent thieving kept him from crying out as his heart broke.
He crept back out to the main room and found a pen on Klaus's desk. On the back of one of his own cards, he wrote, "I wish you could have been happy with me. -D." He went back to the bedroom and left the card on Klaus's nightstand.
He carefully relocked the doors and rearmed the alarms on his way out.
Dorian paused in the entryway of the bar, partly to let his eyes adjust to the dim and partly for effect. Before he could even take a first glance around, he heard a familiar voice raised in unfamiliar laughter. The sound drew him like a magnet.
"Hello, Major. Do you mind if I join you?" Dorian grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the table without waiting for an answer. He didn't wait for Klaus to introduce him. "Earl Dorian Red Gloria."
"The famous Earl." The man with Klaus looked him up and down slowly before taking Dorian's hand. "Major Albrecht Lang, NATO Intelligence."
"Another Major. How very delightful." Dorian turned the full force of his smile on Albrecht and twirled one curl charmingly. "You're very strong and handsome." He turned his smile on Klaus. "But not as strong and handsome as you, of course."
Klaus growled at him, but Albrecht only snorted derisively. "I see what you mean," he said to Klaus.
Dorian gestured the waiter over. "Have you been talking about me?" He ordered beer and sausages, appropriate for the locale.
"Warning about you," Klaus growled at him. Dorian counted it as a victory that he was only growling and hadn't thrown him out yet.
Dorian smiled blindingly at both of them. "I see," he purred. "As long as I'm always in your thoughts." He turned his regard on Albrecht. "Am I in your thoughts, Major Lang?"
Albrecht regarded him coolly. "Cool it, blondie. I'm not interested." He gestured for the check and paid for his meal and Klaus's.
He and Klaus stood together, put on their coats in a motion so similar they could have been mirror images, and walked out without even saying goodbye.
***
"12!" Albrecht yelled.
"Your agents are numbered?" Dorian asked as a young man came their way.
"Klaus gets his pick of the best agents," Albrecht informed him, "and he wanted letters."
That was the first time Dorian had ever heard anyone refer to the alphabets as "the best" of anything.
"Show Lord Gloria to the door," Albrecht ordered Agent 12.
"There's no need for that," Dorian said. "I'm sure I can be of assistance."
"We neither want nor require your assistance," Albrecht informed him, and Dorian was very efficiently ushered out of the building by Agent 12.
***
"We'll rest here," Albrecht said when they reached an open cavern. The footsteps following them had faded away some time ago. "H, the first aid kit. Klaus, sit down."
That was the first time Dorian had ever heard anyone address Klaus by his first name. He almost expected Klaus to yell at Albrecht for it.
Klaus glanced down at his arm. "It's a scratch," he said. "I'm fine."
"You're bleeding," Albrecht said. "You're going to drip and leave a trail. Sit down and let me bandage it."
Surely Klaus would yell at him for that, but, no, he simply sat on a low, flat rock that left enough space for Albrecht to sit next to him. They conferred quietly while Albrecht cleaned and bandaged Klaus's cut with the same brisk efficiency he seemed to bring to everything he did.
He used that same efficiency to keep Dorian away from Klaus and direct Agents 9 and L to distribute water and energy bars.
***
They were leaving in the morning; James was ecstatic about the deal he'd gotten on their tickets and Bonham was clearly relieved to get Dorian away from Klaus and his endless missions.
Dorian was determined to get one last glimpse of his Major. He slipped out from under Bonham's watchful eye and carefully picked the locks and disabled the alarms that let him creep unnoticed into Klaus's flat and then into his bedroom.
He noticed his divestmentphobe Major's nudity first and took a moment to drink in the sight of him. He truly was a beautiful man. A truly beautiful man with another man's arm draped across his chest.
Dorian followed the arm back up to the body it was attached to, and then up to the body's face. The face of Major Albrecht Lang.
The whole mission shifted into focus, and Dorian realized why it was he'd felt like he'd been missing something ever since he'd walked into that bar and heard Klaus laughing.
Only a long life of silent thieving kept him from crying out as his heart broke.
He crept back out to the main room and found a pen on Klaus's desk. On the back of one of his own cards, he wrote, "I wish you could have been happy with me. -D." He went back to the bedroom and left the card on Klaus's nightstand.
He carefully relocked the doors and rearmed the alarms on his way out.