Hawk had been right, Elaine wasn’t around to worry about how late Hero got home. The two shared a small two bedroom apartment not far from where they worked, the rent currently being covered by both sets of parents. It wasn’t expensive, but with them both starting out with new jobs, they had needed the help with expenses. 

He tossed his things to the side and flopped down heavily on the couch, face first. It had been a long night and he was exhausted, physically and mentally. He was envious of Hawk for not being as tired as he was and he let that be known through the link. Hawk, for his part, was amused, the sense of laughter like a wave in Hero’s chest. He smiled and tucked his arm under his head, closing his eyes.

Soul connection…

The phrase itself was so bizarre and unnatural in Hero’s mind. To him, it felt more like a link, or a tether that could stretch an infinite distance and still be as strong as when they were right next to each other. When he pictured it in his mind, he saw it as a rippling, iridescent tube that only he and Hawk could occupy. It was their own personal space no one could invade, ever. No matter where they were, they were tied together and could find each other easily. 

In this space, they felt everything; pain, desire, comfort, joy, sadness, worry, even affection and attraction. However, he was also finding that some of those feelings could be locked away. Hawk had already proved that, probably unconsciously. Hero felt him do it and it had felt incredibly strange. As though Hawk was hiding away a piece of Hero himself, leaving a hole where that feeling or emotion should have been. 

They could share everything, and hide anything. Hawk had constructed both a door with chains, and a large wooden crate with an iron lock. Hero had his own door but it was far less secure. If Hawk wanted to, he could burst through that door and pilfer every secret Hero stored behind it. He could guess his weren’t nearly as deep or intense as Hawk’s, given how securely locked his door was. As he was looking at it, he noticed something shimmering a few feet in front of Hawk’s corner. Walking up to it, he reached out until his hand met resistance.

What the…

He ran his hand up and down, from one side to the other. It was a completely solid wall of energy. Concentrating, he was able to make out the size and shape of it and he had to take a step back. The wall was circular, several feet thick, and over twenty feet high. As he watched, it began to change, impenetrable gray stone filling in the empty space, blocking his view of what was inside. 

Whatever Hawk was keeping from him, it was bad enough he had to make sure Hero never found out.

“I asked you to trust me.”

Hero spun around, Hawk standing there, watching him with a blank expression on his face, his eyes hard and cold. Hero didn’t move as Hawk approached him, his hair moving about his face. 

“You never said you would.”

Hero thumbed behind him at the wall. “This kind of makes it a little difficult, don’t you think?”

Hawk looked over his head, frowning. “That's why I’m asking, Hero. I’m asking you to trust that the secrets I’m keeping from you are for both our sakes.”

“Are you telling me what’s in there can hurt us?”

“Yes.”

Hero turned his head to look at the wall, taking in how sturdy and unbreakable it was. There was no way of getting through it. However…

He narrowed his eyes as he thought he heard something coming from deep within, probably from the chained door. It sounded like…someone laughing. But it was wrong...terrifying…almost insane. He turned back to Hawk who had paled, his expression of barely concealed fear, his fists clenched at his sides.

“Please…” he pleaded softly. “Hero, please trust me?”

Hero took a hesitant step toward him, and then another, his hand reaching out to touch his face, to reassure him. His fingers halted a moment, unsure if he should. They were already in the space anyway, what more could happen? Tentatively, he placed the tips of his fingers on the side of Hawk’s neck, just below his ear, slowly sliding them up into his hair.

Hawk’s hands went to Hero’s sides, his eyes locked on Hero’s face, his heart pounding. His mind began to race, not sure what he should do or what Hero would do.

Hero smiled up at him, his eyes soft. “Don’t hide everything from me, Hawk,” he said. “Can you promise me that?”

Hawk nodded, his shoulders relaxing. “Same goes for you.”

“Then I’ll trust you. No matter how good we get at figuring this all out, I won’t make any attempt to get behind that wall.”

Hawk’s eyes went to Hero’s poorly defended door. “What about me? Can I go in there?”

Hero averted his eyes, his hand sliding down to Hawk’s chest. Why does this feel so natural? “Maybe,” he said. “At some point, maybe.”

“I know it isn’t traumatic, at least.”

Hero’s right eyebrow ticked. “How do you know that?”

Hawk shrugged. “I just do. You’ve never known major trauma in your life, I can sense it all over you. I’m sure you’ve had some difficult times, even been sad or depressed, but traumatized? No chance.”

Hero chuckled as Hawk’s arms encircled him, drawing him in closer. He looked up into Hawk’s face, his own expression changing, becoming more serious, his heart rate speeding up. Since they were now in sync, he knew Hawk’s was now just as fast.

“What are we doing?” he said quietly, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

“No idea,” Hawk said, not taking his eyes from Hero’s face. “I just felt like I had to. I can’t touch you out there…here I can. Here, I don’t have to hold myself back. It’s like, everything I feel and want is exposed and I can’t prevent it.”

Hero knew exactly what he meant. There was no keeping back his desires in a place where everything was shared and known. Well…almost everything. Here, he could see how badly Hawk wanted him, he could feel it within himself, feel how his own attraction overtook his body. He wanted to get closer, to feel more of Hawk against him. To taste and devour him.

Hawk lowered his head, his forehead touching Hero’s. He closed his eyes and sighed. “I want to, but it isn’t right. Especially not in here…how would that even work outside with being physically separated?”

“What if we kissed?” Hero asked without thinking.

Hawk’s eyes slowly opened, gazing deeply into Hero’s. 

“We almost did last time…”

“We almost did a lot more than that last time. If not for Toji, we would have. I can’t control myself with you when we get locked in like that and that really…really bothers me…” Hawk finished, his voice trailing away. He swallowed and lifted his head, his hand going to the side of Hero’s face. “Besides,” he said with a small, genuine smile. “If we ever got to that point, I wouldn’t want our first kiss to be in here.”

“Where would you want it?” Hero asked.

Hawk looked thoughtful a second before saying, “On the cliffside at dawn.”

“For someone who’s making a point to lock his feelings away, you sure are a hopeless romantic.”

Hawk chuckled. “Believe me, I’m anything but. I’m just really good at talking my way into someone’s pants.”

“Is that what you’re trying to do with me?”

Hawk flinched and dropped his hand, averting his gaze. He took a step back, unwinding his arms from Hero, running his hand through his hair, his face reddening. “No,” he finally said. “Not with you.”

Hero folded his arms across his chest. “You just admitted to being a manipulative manwhore, Hawk.”

“Is that what you think I’m doing here? Manipulating you?”

Hero shook his head. “I’d sense it if you were.”

“What if I blocked it?”

“Can you?”

Hawk turned away, shaking his head. He laced his fingers behind his head, pacing. Finally he stopped and let his arms fall to his sides. “I’ll prove it.”

“Excuse me?”

Hawk turned and faced him again. “I’ll prove my intentions are real. I’m not trying to get you into bed and I won’t ever try to. What we have here is different and demands more honesty than I’ve ever given in my whole existence.” He walked slowly back to Hero. “Outside, I won’t hit on you, I won’t touch you, I won’t try anything crazy. I’ll just be your friend, as we should be. I’ll train and practice with you on controlling our Veil, we’ll hang out, we’ll do all that shit normal people do. But in here…” He grabbed Hero’s wrist and pulled him in, holding him close, one arm around his back, the other hand in his hair. 

Hero gasped as their bodies made contact, his eyes wide with surprise. He didn’t realize just how warm Hawk really was, how steady and firm his body was against his own.

“In here,” Hawk said, his breath hot against his ear. “I’ll do this. I’ll hold you, touch you, hold your hand, play with your hair. Whatever you want, I’ll do it. We can’t lie to each other here, Hero, I caught on to that pretty damn quick. I can’t hide my desire for wanting you. I know the emotions travel, but when we’re here, it’s more intense, more real. You know my intentions, you know I’m not playing with you. You know me here.”

Hero clutched the back of Hawk’s shirt, burying his face in his shoulder, breathing him in, allowing the spicy aroma to permeate his senses. He felt so safe in Hawk’s arms, so comfortable and at ease. He never wanted to let go, never wanted to lose this feeling of being protected and complete. 

Complete…

His fingers pressed into Hawk’s back. That missing piece Hawk was hiding away from him, that was part of Hero, part of what he needed to feel whole, and it was Hawk’s to hold. He wondered if there was something of Hawk’s that he held, something that made Hawk need him just like Hero was discovering he needed Hawk. Hawk had told him he needed Hero but couldn’t tell him why.

What do I have of yours?

Hawk’s body trembled in his arms as the emotion of that question washed over him. “I can’t tell you,” he whispered. “But it’s pretty fucking huge.” He dipped his head lower, his head on Hero’s shoulder, his lips grazing his neck. He felt Hawk take a small, shuddering breath as they parted, the feeling of his teeth gently pressing against his skin.

Hero’s skin prickled as a heat stirred within him, one that had been lying dormant for too long. “Hawk…”

Hawk moved his head until his forehead came to rest against Hero’s. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “You just smelled so good…” He stood straight, brushing a few tendrils of blonde hair from Hero’s face. “Can I help it if I wanted a taste?”

Hero tilted his head, a small smile on his lips. “Whatever I want, right?”

Hawk nodded.

Before he could say anything, a faint voice came to him from somewhere above him, calling his name. Elaine. He frowned. “Dammit,” he muttered. “Just when it was getting good.”

Hawk laughed. “We have tons of time to try a lot of things, here and outside.” He licked his lips, taking in the bottom one. “But, maybe I did go a little too far with that.” He traced the side of Hero’s neck with the back of his fingers. “At least, right now.”

Hero reached up with both hands, running them through Hawk’s hair, down his neck, across his shoulders, and stopping at his chest. Hawk’s skin heated as Hero resumed his exploration, trailing his fingers down his torso, then going around his sides and up his back, pulling Hawk to him, his face buried in his neck. On impulse, he stuck out the tip of his tongue, licking at the base of Hawk’s throat, letting his lips linger without pressing, before pulling away.

Hawk’s pupils were dilated, the blue almost completely erased. “What was that for?”

“You have a spicy scent,” Hero said with a sly grin. “Can you blame me for wanting a taste?”

Hawk grinned. “Fair enough.”

“Hero? C’mon, let’s get you to bed,” Elaine’s voice came through loud and clear, kind and gentle. 

“Guess I better go,” Hero said. “I’ll see you later.”

Hawk nodded. “I’ll call you.” 

They both smiled at the new joke.

Focusing on Elaine’s voice, Hero allowed himself to draw back out of the space and into his body. He slowly opened his eyes, his vision adjusting to the strange, yet familiar surroundings of his apartment and Elaine’s lovely face in front of him.

“Hey there, sleepyhead,” she said, kissing him on the temple. “Let’s get you to your room, yeah? The couch can’t be all that comfortable.”

“Mmm…” Hero moaned, squinting and rolling his head to the other side. “I’m fine…”

Elaine giggled. “If you say so. Don’t cry to me when your back is killing you.”

She had a point there. He dragged his body up into a sitting position, facing the back of the couch, falling forward into the cloth cushions. Elaine laughed and pulled at him, helping him to his feet. She looped one of his arms around her shoulders and guided him to his room.

“How much did you drink last night?” she joked. “You’re staggering pretty badly.”

“Didn’t drink…” he muttered. “Just exhausted.”

“You must have been over there a long time.”

“Still am…” Hero was falling asleep on his feet, his mind fuzzy, his senses confused. 

Elaine pushed open his door and let him fall into bed, pulling off his shoes and tucking him in. She kissed his cheek and tucked some hair behind his ear as he drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

-*-