Fanfic: Duty’s burden.

[munnin]

Title: Duty’s burden.

Rating: NC17 with a creeping R towards the end

Pairing: Inspector & Racer X

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the inside of my head. And even then I wonder who I’m sharing it with.
Author’s notes: 100% organic. May contain minor flaws and imperfections that beta-treated slash wouldn’t.

Feedback: sticks and stone may break my bones but feedback will excite me.
Summary: X’s duties pull him away from the CIB but the team are there for him, even if he can’t be. But the Inspector’s always ready to welcome him back. (I suck at summaries) Vaguely comicverse. Tommy Yune 2000 mostly.

The CIB team was driving back from a bust when X got the call. Usually they drove in convoy but with the job done and everyone knowing their own way there was no reason to stay in formation. X and Minx duelled their way up the highway, ducking in and out of the traffic in a playful game of tag.

Ethan sat beside the Inspector in one of the CIB squad cars, watching the display of driving skill. “They’re very...” He marvelled as X squeezed through a gap and powered ahead, disappearing over the ridge.

“Reckless? Foolish? Arrogant?” The Inspector injected without malice.

Ethan smiled “I was going to say impressive.” They crested the rise just in time to see X’s car pulled up on the side of the road some way ahead, sideways as if he’d stopped sharply. Minx was right along side.

The Inspector punched the comms. “X report.”

Minx’s cut across them. “All clear guys. X just needs to take a call.” She pulled in beside them, effectively blocking their view of X’s black street car. “Come on David. I know you can drive better than that.” She revved her sported up Audi at him.

He knew her well enough to recognise a diversionary tactic when it flashed its lights at him. Whatever was going on with X, he needed time to deal with it.

On the last turn before headquarters, X’s black car streaked past them and into the underground garage. He was grabbing stuff out of his desk when they arrived.

“David. I have to go.” X’s voice was clipped and controlled, belying the frenzy of his actions. “I have a duty...”

“I understand,” The Inspector leaned on the doorframe, watching him as he grabbed a bag full of spare clothes from his locker.

Ethan watched them confused, “What’s going on?” he asked Minx as she sat her desk, typing furiously.

“Not now Ethan.” She scowled, lunging to grab paperwork off the printer, thrusting it to X who grabbed it and stuffed it in the top of his bag.

X stopped in front of the Inspector, standing a fraction of a millimetre too close to the quiet European. “I...I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Go.” The Inspector said quietly.

The masked racer’s chest heaved, only in part from his exertions and Ethan turned away, feeling like he was intruding on their privacy. He glanced across at Minx, who was wearing a similar expression.

“I’m sorry David. I have to...” X muttered.

“I know. You have a responsibility as leader. Go.” The Inspector’s voice took on a gentleness, a warmth that Ethan had never heard him use before and there was a moment...but it passed and X turned sharply towards the door.

As he levelled with Minx’s desk she looked up, catching the Star’s keys as he tossed them towards her. She nodded understandingly; having one of those wordless conversation moments that only she and X understood. He gave her a tight smile and took off, not turning back even as Jack and Frank passed him.

“What’s his issue?” Frank muttered, slumping into his chair.

The Inspector straightened up, addressing his team. “Racer X is on leave indefinitely.”

“In the middle of an investigation?” Jack asked, “Is everything alright?”

The Inspector shook his head. “Everything is fine Jack. X has...a duty to attend to. He’ll return to us as soon as he can.”

Ethan glanced at Jack and Frank who were wearing equally confused expressions but Minx and David were making a point of not meeting anyone’s eye.

“Then we just spread the load between us,” Jack said reasonably, “till X gets back.”

The others agreed quietly and when back to what they were doing but Ethan watched out of the corner of his eye as Minx looked up at the Inspector, a shared sadness in her tight smile.

***

Weeks passed without word and slowly the team settled back into a groove, if a slightly hollow one. Minx stepped into X’s place as the Inspector’s right hand, always near, always close, touching him gently from time to time; a hand on his arm, the small of his back. Sharing an unspoken bond and keeping each other grounded.

Another week. Still nothing. Frank, always the litmus test of the group’s mood, grew angry, then quiet, then went back to work, no longer mentioning X’s name unless he had to.

More weeks. More nothing.

A month and a half later, Minx strolled back into the office, armed with a mug of the super strength coffee she lived on these days. “Hey Frank?” She perched on the edge of his desk, “How are your going with the Esford case?”

Frank growled, tossing his report down on the desk. “Nowhere. I know they’re laundering the money. I just can’t work out where.”

She leaned over his desk, flicking through the file. “I’ve got a mate in the tax department, Gabe. She’s a strange one but she’s got a real eye for numbers. If anyone can track it; it’s Gabe.” She grabbed a post-it note off his desk and scribbled down an address. “Here. She’ll meet you at this cafe for lunch.”

Frank, who was getting to the thumbnail clicking stage, grabbed the address and the file. “Thanks Minx. I owe you one.”

She watched his retreating back till he was well out the door before moving on to Jack. “How’s Leslie?”

“She’s doing better but...” Jack dragged a hand over his brow with a sigh. “The treatments are getting to her. Losing her hair and all.”

Minx laid a hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you go home for lunch and surprise her? Go past the deli and grab some of those blueberry bagels she likes.”

“I don’t know Minx. If I go home...it’s just so hard to leave her to come back.”

“So don’t. Go home Jack. Be with your wife. Come back on Monday.”

Jack took her hand in his giant paws, kissing it gently. “Thank you.”

Minx touched his face, standing on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Give her and Katie my love.”

She flipped open her phone, eyeing the time as Jack left. Just Ethan to go. She turned to the young man who was watching her with brightly curious eyes. Far too knowing. The kid was learning fast.

“I...” She started but stopped, smiling at Ethan’s crossed arms and openly defiant face. “You know; I’m out of ideas and out of time. Grab you’re gear pal, we’re out of here.”

He sat resolutely still, arms still crossed. “So you’ve heard from X?”

She leaned across his desk, friendly menace glistening in her eyes. “Get your ass up. I’ll tell you in the car.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

So did Minx. After years of working with X and his stubbornness, she’d mastered the art of the ‘move or I’ll do something nasty’ smile.

Ethan blinked first. “Alright. You win. But you’re buying me lunch.”

“That’s blackmail you know?” She said tolerantly, tucking her arm under his, half dragging him out the door. “For a cop, you’d made an awfully good bad guy.”

***

“Come in.” David barely looked up from his paperwork when there was a knock on his office door. There was so much work to do and Minx’s watchful eye meant that he could rarely got a chance to work back late. Even so he often took it home with him, trying to occupy his mind in his all too quiet evenings.

X leaned on the door frame, waiting for the Inspector to look up. The quiet European looked thinner than when he left, weary too. “David?”

The Inspector looked up startled, as if unsure he’s heard him name. “X.” He got up slowly, crossing the room. “How are you?”

“Tired.” He said truthfully, reaching for David and pulling him close.

The Inspector stiffened, “X? The others.” Noticing for the first time the silence outside his office door.

X flashed him the post-it he found stuck to his desk.

Thank me later.
M.

“Trust her to know when you’d be back.” David smiled, letting X draw him in, resting his head on his lover’s chest.

X chuckled, kissing David on the top of the head. “I swapped aliases at each airport but she still tracked me somehow.” He breathed in David’s scent, running his hands down the European’s back. “God I missed you. I’m so sorry.”

David leaned back to kiss him, stopping his words. “Don’t apologies. The duty to Kapetapek is part of who you are.”

Racer X fell onto the couch. “I just...I hate having to leave like that.”

The Inspector eased down on the couch next to him. “How was it?”

X pulled away sharply. “I can’t...”

“Easy X.” David came up behind him, running his hands over the tense muscles of the racer’s back. “You don’t have to tell me. I’m just glad you’re back.”

X turned, gathering up David’s hands, “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just a bit wound up still. Need to blow off a bit of stream.”

David backed off, understanding that meant X wanted to go off driving. “I understand. Perhaps you’d care to come over this evening sometime?”

X glanced up at him, his eyes smiling. “Actually I was wondering if you’d like to spar a bit. I’ve been cooped up on a plane too long. I won’t mind a chance to stretch my muscles.” Though X would never admit it; there was an edge of pleading to his request. So long spent in diplomatic talks and closed door meetings. Meaningless smiles and weasel words left him restless and in need of genuine human contact.

David brushed X’s hair away from his face, kissing him lightly. “Gladly. I’ll lock up here and meet you in the gym.”

The CIB gym, if you could call it that, was a smallish space. Just a few machines, some weights, a locker-room and showers off to one side but the floor was dominated by a sprung, padded mat used for hand to hand and martial arts training. It was empty on a Friday afternoon and they had the place to themselves. Nevertheless the Inspector made a point of locking the door so there was no risk they’d be disturbed.

X was hammering into the lone punching bag as David entered. The masked racer was so determined in his assault of the bag that he didn’t seem to notice the quiet European till David laid a hand on his shoulder. X acted on instinct alone, lashing out at the attacker at his back.

David neatly sidestepped, using X’s momentum to pull him away from the bag and towards the mat. Panic flared in X’s eyes, realising what he had just done but David didn’t give him a chance to apologise, landing a tidy kick into X’s side that sent him rolling onto the mat, springing to his feet in one fluid motion.

“Sloppy.” David teased, stepping onto the mat and bowing formally. “I’d expected more out of my best agent.”

X laughed, seeing the smile dancing on David’s lips. It had been a while since they’d sparred together and it was easy to forget just how fast the Inspector was.

David shifted into an open stance, his arms at his side, welcoming X to attack but the masked racer mimicked his posture, waiting to see what the Inspector would do. David feinted left with a punch and tapped the back of X’s knee with a foot as the masked racer moved to block him. X twisted to save his balance, kicking his foot out to trip the Inspector.

David failed to avoid the attack, falling roughly as X’s hand pinned his shoulder. The masked racer seized the opening and caught David’s arm and forced it up behind his back and pushing the older man face down on the mat.

“First blood?” He smiled, leaning close to his pinned friend. He could feel the adrenaline humming in his veins; blood rising in his cheeks at the warmth of the Inspector’s lithe body trapped beneath him.

The Inspector twisted away sharply, dislodging X and returning the favour, locking the younger man’s arms above his head. “Perhaps.” He whispered, brushing his fingers over the soft flesh of X’s wrist, making the masked racer shudder. “But you’ve not won the battle yet.”

X pushed back with all his strength, knocking the Inspector off him and clambering to his feet as David sprang back, mischief in his eyes. From there in it was on! They went at it, throwing punches and shifting though blocks with almost graceful synchronicity, neither holding the upper hand for more that a few seconds.

X saw the attack in David’s eye, reaching out to block the Inspector’s fist with both hands but the block left his right side open. David landed a clean kick into the younger man’s unprotected flank and X folded round it, dropping to the floor only slightly winded but breathing hard. The Inspector grabbed him, pulling him up and spinning him round.

X hit the wall hard; David pressing him into it with all the strength of his slender body, forcing his leg tight between X’s thighs. A hand caught X’s throat, shoving his head back as David kissed him hard, forcing his tongue between the marked racer’s lips and exploring his mouth. X panted through his nose, lost to the force of his lover’s assault.

“God David!” he groaned grinding his erection against the older man’s hip as the Inspector grabbed his dark hair, forcing X’s head further back so he could suck at the base of X’s throat with a sharp scrape of teeth.

X growled under his breath and pushed back, feeling his skin burn as David released him. Right! Going to be like that is it! He spun abruptly, scything David’s legs out from underneath him and throwing him to the floor. He pinned David down, grabbed his wrists and pulling them out as far as he could, feeling his lover’s breathing hitch as his ribcage tightened. “You’re mine.” He snarled, bring his head down to lap at David’s nipples, hard and erect through his thin shirt.

David bucked, maddeningly rubbed himself against X’s thigh. Keeping one wrist pinned to the mat, X brought the other to his mouth, swallowing David’s long fingers into his mouth, sucking them obscenely. X’s burning kisses worked their way down his hand to his wrists, bitting at the soft skin as his lover writhed beneath him. X wiggled to open his fly and free himself from his jean.

Determined to have the upper hand, David twisted away, landing X flat on his back. He pinned X’s hands to the floor above his head and shoved his free hand though the open zipper, stroking and squeezing hard enough to make X whimper. “Fuck!”

“Gladly.” David growled in return, forcing hand deeper to press an insistent finger against X’s tight opening. X’s hips lifted off the floor as David pushed into him, riding the line between pleasure and pain.

Frustrated by the constraining demin, David pulled out and yanked X’s pants away, pushing off his own. He grabbing the dark haired man’s legs and throwing them over his shoulder before X had a chance to recover, pressing the blunt head of his cock against X’s ass. “Concede?” he teased.

“Never!” X growled through clenched teeth, thrusting up to meet David but the Inspector kept his distance.

“Beg.”

“Fuck you.”

“Not this time.” David drove into him hard. X was tight and under prepared and every inch burned. David grabbed his shoulders to hold X in place as he drew out slowly and plunged in again. X grabbed his biceps for support, digging his fingers in so hard David’s skin was already bruising. The pain only made David thrust harder, twisting to catch X off guard.

X swallowed a scream as David’s hard cock filled him, each thrust making him gasp. He tried the throw the older man off but the change of angle made him pant as David’s thrust gazed something explosive inside him. Taut as a bowstring, he gulped for air, the orgasm so intense he forgot how to breathe.

X went rigid in his grasp as David buried himself in the dark haired racer’s body, spilling into him with a shattering moan.

They lay there for long moments, David trembling with aftershocks as he sank to his elbows, sweat dripping from his face and chest onto X’s equally soaked skin. X’s eyelids fluttered as he fought to slow his heart down, drawing deep breaths of sex laden air.

David raised an eyebrow at him, half enquiring, half amusement. “So? I win.”

“Fuck you.” X answered breathlessly.

“Next time perhaps.” He kissed the shaking racer. “Welcome home.”