To thine own self
by Ainzfern
19
When he awoke, somewhere towards late morning judging from the intensity of the sunlight that peeked in around the edges of his tightly drawn bedroom curtains, Katze's first thoughts were ones of bleary confusion. Laying, curled on his side, he peered fuzzily at the far wall of his bedroom, his still sleep-addled mind registering that he was in his actual bed, rather than his sofa. This was strange in itself. The next vague observations that occurred to him were that the bed was abnormally warm for some reason, and the covers seemed to be a lot heavier than they usually were.
And then the fog of sleep abruptly cleared and he remembered, a small smile curving his lips as he attempted to roll onto his back whilst being effectively pinned in place by a comatose Blondie. At some time in the night, Katze realized, carefully shifting under the solid arm that had been flung across his body, Raoul must have spooned up next to him. And not just spooned up, either. Katze grunted softly, using his left foot to gently nudge Raoul's leg down off his lower body. The man had really twined right up around him. Absently, he wondered if Raoul Am might just have a touch of octopus genealogy somewhere back along the bloodline.
He snorted, amusement and, oddly, a touch of tenderness in his chest as Raoul responded to Katze's adjustments by mumbling disconsolately and burrowing even further down under the bedcovers.
Okay, Katze chuckled as he sat up and scooted out of bed, so Raoul Am was not a morning person...
Grabbing the nearest shirt from the floor, which in this case happened to be Raoul's, he slipped it on and padded, first to the bathroom to attend to the usual morning business, and then turned to head out into the main apartment area and his kitchen to put on some coffee. Catching sight of himself in the bedroom mirror as he passed by, Katze couldn't help but snicker. Raoul's shirt, all fine cream satin and billowing sleeves – which actually looked amazing on the Blondie – looked quite ludicrous on Katze. Hanging, not unlike a badly packed parachute, half way down to his knees.
Ah well. Katze shrugged amiably at his reflection as he buttoned it partway up, it was something to wear. He shifted to walk on towards the main room, but then he stilled, taking another look at himself.
And, quite frankly...
"Wow," Katze murmured softly, one hand lifting to run his fingers slowly through his hair.
Katze stared, looking at his image in sudden amazement; looking at it as though he'd never seen it before. And, he supposed, from a certain point of view, that this was actually quite true.
He never had seen himself look like this before.
He looked... well, truthfully, Katze grinned at himself, he looked like a man who had just spent the night being well and thoroughly fucked, to be crass about it. He looked incredibly well worked over. His deep red hair was tousled into an unruly mess. He skin was still slightly flushed; the color of his normally pale cheeks was high and healthy-looking. His eyes were bright and clear, meeting his own gaze with a touch of surprise in them. His lips, normally full anyway, were slightly swollen still. Kiss-bruised, Katze suddenly thought, touching his fingertips to them for a moment. There was, he noted with a wry surge of humor, one hell of a love-bite at the base of his throat too, just in passing.
But he looked... good. Happy.
Giving his mirror image an almost congenial nod, Katze turned and headed towards the kitchen as originally intended. Working quickly and quietly, he set about putting the coffee on, and then, on impulse, he reached out to the kitchen window and drew back the curtain, letting sunlight flood into the area.
Well, being honest, he figured... he liked the darkness when he was working, but he probably didn't need 'em closed all the time.
Leaning his rump against the kitchen counter, Katze grabbed one of his ever present packs of cigarettes off the bench-top and lit up, smoking with pleasure while the coffee-maker hissed and burbled its way to completion.
He chuckled again, shaking his head. Well, the Blondie currently snoozing away in his bed had certainly been true to his word last night. By the time Raoul had finished with him Katze would have sworn that there was not one part of his body that the man did not know intimately by now. And, to be fair, he guessed the same thing could be said from the other direction, too.
Given the opportunity, Raoul Am of the Tanagura Syndicate, once one of the most rigid and staunchly proper Elites that Katze had ever known, had turned out to be the most incredibly tender and earthy, sensual and adventurous lover Katze had ever encountered. Sure, he might have been new to the game, as such – well, at least from a player's perspective – but Raoul sure as hell wasn't missing out on any chances to expand his skill set.
And he was fun, too. It had been a welcome surprise to Katze to have spent almost as much time last night laughing as he had spent gasping with bliss or crying out in pleasure.
It seemed wholly ironic to him now, thinking back on it, that Elites... designed by Jupiter to originally be cerebral creatures with no need of physical fulfillment, apparently seemed to have one hell of a latent talent for lovemaking.
Sighing softly, a tiny smile still on his face, Katze leaned over and checked the coffee's progress. Soon. He nodded in satisfaction and leaned back against the bench.
It was undeniable now in the light of day, Katze continued his musing as he crushed out his cigarette, but there were literally no more barriers between him and Raoul now. Katze had given him everything last night. Quite willingly, too. Allowing the Blondie to enter him had been a profoundly vulnerable moment for Katze. It had been a conscious choice of will for him, a decision to offer this part of himself even though he knew it wasn't expected. And it had hurt as first, no denying it. Raoul was not exactly under-endowed and despite all his patient care in both preparation and penetration, Katze hadn't been able to hide the wince or stifle his sharp hiss of pain. But Raoul had been as gentle as his superior strength and size would allow, holding back with incredible self-control, just waiting; touching Katze's face and rubbing his stomach gently until the mongrel had relaxed enough for him to move inside Katze's body without causing discomfort.
And the look on Raoul's face, Katze's reflected as he poured himself a coffee and set out an extra mug for when Raoul woke, the sheer beauty of the Blondie's expressions as he experienced the sweet slick heat of fucking for the first time... well that had pretty much made it all worth it. Besides, after a few moments, Katze's body had adjusted, Raoul had found the right angle to bring Katze's prostate into the equation and then it was all white heat and sweat and effort and really working for it, hard as hell, until Katze had come, shuddering deeply and shouting like he was being murdered while Raoul clasped him close and moaned against the hot skin of his neck as he shot deeply inside Katze's shivering flesh.
Looking up suddenly now as movement caught the corner of his eye, Katze grinned at Raoul, leaning in the doorway to the kitchenette, bare chested and wearing only his fitted black pants from the evening before. One elegant brow was raised slightly, his rich mouth curved up at one corner as his beautiful eyes raked over Katze's appearance from head to toe.
"Nice shirt," Raoul murmured eventually.
Katze snorted gracelessly and handed Raoul a steaming mug of coffee. "Yeah," he shrugged airily. "Some guy I know gave it to me."
Sipping with clear enjoyment, Raoul reached out with one hand and touched the fine fabric of the shirt's open collar, his eyes twinkling. "Hmm. Well, he has excellent taste, I'll grant him that. Perhaps I could prevail upon you for his number? I'd like to find out who his tailor is."
"I'll see what I can do," Katze's voice lowered slightly as he moved a little closer. "Y'know... you probably already know him."
"No doubt I do." Raoul frowned slightly then, shifting his touch to stroke across the love-bite at base of Katze's neck. "Does that hurt?"
"No, not at all," Katze set his coffee down on the bench and eased one arm around Raoul's lower back, smiling as the Blondie leaned towards him. "It'll fade in a few days, anyway."
"Ah." A look of relief whispered briefly across Raoul's face. He placed his coffee next to Katze's on the bench and then slid one hand around the back of the mongrel's slender neck, his long fingers gripping gently into soft red hair. Tilting Katze's face up, he descended to kiss him, deeply and with unhurried enjoyment.
Sighing into the kiss, Katze's own hands moved without conscious thought, smoothing around and up, stroking over the warm sleek skin of Raoul's powerful back, feeling the resiliency of the muscles under his fingertips. The Blondie smelt wonderful, he noted absently, warm and masculine, faint hints of sweat and sex. Katze groaned softly as he hardened a little, pressing closer into the solid body before him.
Breaking the kiss slowly, Raoul pulled back and smiled down at him. "Have we any plans of note for today?" he asked softly, lifting one hand to touch Katze's face.
Blinking dazed eyes, Katze licked his kiss moistened lips and nodded vaguely. "Uh... I think someone mentioned lunch last night?"
"Indeed they did." Raoul gave him a gentle squeeze before releasing him, reaching once more for his coffee. "I certainly think that is a good idea. Perhaps we might stop by Eos Tower so that I can change into something a little more suitable, however."
"Oh, I don't know," Katze grinned at him. "Personally, I think half naked suits you."
"And I must confess, you look rather fetching wearing only my shirt." Raoul returned his grin. "Alas, the other casual diners in Eos Central may not agree with us."
Katze felt his face flush slightly. "I'll change."
"Good idea."
Katze headed into the bedroom and into his neat little ensuite with Raoul sauntering along behind him. As he showered quickly, Raoul leaned against the vanity unit, watching with interest.
"Katze?" Raoul asked at length as Katze shut off the water.
"Yeah?" Katze stepped out dripping, stripping water off his long limbs with his hands.
Raoul handed him a towel. "Would you ever consider downgrading your involvement with the Ceres market?"
Stilling for a moment, Katze looked closely at him. "That's an odd kind of question," he remarked. "Why, exactly, do you ask?"
"It was a thought that occurred to me the day we visited the bio-mechanical facility," Raoul explained, his splendid eyes holding Katze's gaze steadily. "It became quite evident to me that the Tanagura department of sciences and technology would benefit from a talented technical troubleshooter." He lifted one broad shoulder briefly. "I wondered if the job might be something you would be interested in doing."
Katze frowned as he dried off, deeply thoughtful. "Yeah..." he replied slowly, cautiously. "Possibly, I would be."
Raoul walked with him out to the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the disheveled bed while Katze dressed himself in a neat casual shirt and pants. "Consider this, Katze, if you will," he said softly. "Whatever challenges the black market originally contained have been thoroughly bested by you. You've created a business interest that, realistically, only now needs your involvement from a level of overview. You've told me yourself, your two main employees virtually run the day to day operations as it is."
"That's true," Katze combed his hair in front of the mirror, fingering the damp locks into their usual style before turning to look at the Blondie. "So... I'd be employed by you?" his tone was decidedly unenthusiastic.
"No," Raoul replied with a tiny shake of his head. "You'd be contracted to the department, via Iason Mink."
"Oh." Katze tilted his head, a slow smile of his own rising on his face as he thought about the many challenges such a role could present to him. "Special projects?"
"Without doubt." Raoul rose, moving towards him once more. "The remuneration would, of course, reflect your specialist field."
"Ah." Katze slipped his arms around Raoul's shoulders, twining his fingers through the thick golden hair at the base of the Blondie's head. "It's a tempting offer." He sighed softly, considering it seriously. "I mean... maybe it is time for me to take a role in the Ceres market that is more like Iason's anyway. A silent partner, but with a controlling interest if the need arises."
"It is, of course, entirely up to you," Raoul said seriously. "But you have a genuine talent there, Katze. I honestly think it would be quite a matter of regret for you to waste it."
"Can I think about it?"
Raoul smiled at him, leaning forward to kiss his face softly. "By all means." He straightened, stepping away and retrieving his shirt from the bathroom floor. "Shall we head to my apartment, then?" he asked lightly, pulling it on.
Katze nodded and grinned, amused by the incongruous sight of a bare footed, decidedly rumpled Blondie Elite. "Sure." He followed Raoul out into the main apartment area. "Y'know, Raoul," he said then, glancing out the kitchenette window and the sunlit sky beyond. "I think it's going to be a beautiful day."
Raoul stopped and turned to him, pausing in the act of calling his driver. "I believe you are absolutely right, Katze," he replied, a wealth of feeling in his beautiful eyes. "A beautiful day, indeed."
Epilogue
Some months later
Standing on Raoul Am's balcony in the soft warm light of the late afternoon sun, Katze of Ceres sipped from a cold beer that Raoul's Furniture, Mika had brought to him and watch the sun begin to set as he waited for his Companion to arrive home from the Midas Bio-Lab.
He'd had a rather productive day, Katze reflected happily, sitting comfortably down on one of the benches placed near the railing of the balcony. He had just completed a major overhaul of all the main computer systems in the Tanagura bio-mechanical facility's experimental labs and had submitted a most pleasing report of an efficiency improvement of nearly forty percent through to Raoul's office at Jupiter Tower.
The fabrication floors were next. Katze smirked slightly, knowing the on-staff techs were already nervously shitting themselves about exactly what he would do.
Raoul had been absolutely right. Katze was loving his new career, the challenges, the headaches, the achievements, the stand up and shout down arguments with stubborn chief techs too damned set in their ways...
Damn, but it was fun.
He still held bi-monthly meetings with the two now-official coordinators of the Ceres market as well, relaying that information to Iason now as a courtesy rather than a job description. Occasionally they called him in to consult on a deal or run his experienced eye over a particular plan but, all in all, his two 'lieutenants' were running the business almost as well as he once did.
Settling back, Katze considered the evening to come. Raoul would, hopefully, arrive home shortly, then they would head up to Iason's penthouse to be fed to near-bursting by Dane while they whiled away an evening with their friends. Then it would be back here to make love until their eyes crossed before falling asleep and not moving until the sun was at least well up in the sky.
Not a bad way to end the week, Katze had to admit. Not a bad way at all.
Katze didn't actually, officially, live here at Eos Tower. Not yet, although Raoul was starting to push the issue a little more firmly these days.
Smiling gently as he gazed out over the city, Katze supposed he would make the move soon enough. After all, he spent so many nights here anyway that he might as well take up residence. Most of his clothes and personal effects had somehow managed to find their way here, too.
Shrugging, Katze took another deep draught from his beer. Tonight, he decided. He'd answer Raoul's question once they got back from dinner. There would, of course, be an extra benefit agreeing to move in... his Blondie was extremely affectionate whenever he got his own way, Katze had learned.
He chuckled softly; even a soft foot fall drew his attention. Stepping out onto the balcony, Raoul smiled at him, one brow quirked slightly.
"You look rather pleased with yourself," he remarked, sitting beside Katze and touching his face gently by way of greeting.
Leaning close, Katze kissed him softly and handed over his half finished beer, smiling as Raoul took a generous sip from it. "I am," he replied, turning back to look at the coloring skyline, admiring the red-gold palette of the sunset. "Did you get the report I submitted?"
Raoul nodded, passing his beer back to him as Mika appeared at his elbow with a glass of chilled wine. "Yes. A forty percent efficiency increase, hmm? Very impressive."
"It is, isn't it?" Katze nudged him gently with one shoulder. "Fabrication floors are next."
Resting one arm along the back of the bench, Raoul sighed with mock-despair. "I shall brace myself for the next litany of complaints from my techs, then."
Katze snorted with amusement. "They're soft, Raoul, that's all. Anyway, you know they stop howling once it dawns on them that I actually know what I'm doing."
"I do indeed." Raoul's beautiful eyes were warm as he glanced at Katze. "But for now..."
"Yeah, I know. Work stays at work." Katze grinned at him, relaxing for the moment against his solid side. "What time are we due at Riki and Iason's tonight?"
"Not for an hour or so, yet."
"Good," Katze breathed a contented sigh as Raoul's arm tightened about him briefly.
Sitting there, beside a man who he had once feared and even disliked, Katze had to admit that life itself could be the most eclectic journey a man could ever take. But, is persevering with that journey, Katze had finally arrived at a place where he was truly content for the first time.
A career he enjoyed to the fullest, a partner who loved him with all the honesty and integrity in the universe, and a future resplendent with potential.
Life was good, Katze smiled softly.
Life was very good indeed.
The End