To Love a Rogue

Over the course of the next week, Hartley had to endure further visits from the infuriating psychiatrist.  The man was smug, self-satisfied and so damn sure that he was right that it made it all too easy for the musician to wrap the older man around his little finger.  By the fourth visit, the man was putty in his hands, and Hartley was fairly sure he’d also managed to get the doctor to like him, judging from the way he was returning the flirtatious glances and little smiles.  The next step in his little plan would be to get Felpz to decide that he was well enough to be discharged, and possibly get the doctor’s phone number while he was at it.

Unfortunately, before that chance could arise, fate made other plans.

Hartley had been staring out the window, watching the sun set across the harbour.  It was getting cold as the seasons passed, autumn moving far too rapidly into early winter, and the glazing in the old hospital wasn’t as effective at keeping out the cold as it might have been.  Without even really thinking about it, he had picked up Len’s parka and pulled it on, still surprised that the man had left it there with him, even after two more secret midnight visits.  There was a small amount of blood on one of the sleeves from where he’d bled out as the captain had carried him to the hospital, though it would be easy enough for Piper to clean once he was finally able to leave, to go home.  The scent on the warm jacket was very much that of Len, which was oddly comforting to the redhead.

“Hartley, baby...”  His head shot up at the familiar voice, eyes going wide as he was shoved back against the window, a strong hand over his mouth.  “Don’t go shouting, baby, don’t want no one else to have to get hurt.”  Earl leered down at him, taking in the frightened eyes and slight quiver of the little redhead.

“What do you want, Earl?”  The musician managed when that hand was finally removed, his eyes flitting nervously from the much larger man to the door and back again.  It was late, and the hospital seemed quiet; Jenny’s shift was over, and the night orderlies weren’t due in for hours, it was unlikely anyone would disturb them and Fury knew this.

“Just wanted to apologise, love, you know I didn’t meant that stuff, right?  I could never mean stuff like that.  All the things I said, about you being a useless little whore, I didn’t mean none of that.  I was just angry, baby.  You know how I get when I’m angry.”  Earl’s tone was deceptively light, his face a mask of innocence as he tried to claw back Hartley’s trust, though that didn’t stop the words from stinging as they dragged up unpleasant memories.  It was working, and he could see that it was working, the redhead’s defences beginning to crumble under the familiar man’s words.  Leaning in, he captured Hartley’s lips in his own, caressing them softly until the smaller man began to respond, kissing back eagerly.  It was a gentle kiss, loving, unlike anything they’d shared previously in their brutal, violent pseudo-relationship, and it completely blew Piper away.

“Come back to me, baby?  I can’t live without you.”  When they finally broke apart, Hartley was panting, his legs like jelly as he pressed forwards against the large wall of man holding him up.  The sweet words just kept coming, and his defences crumbled around his feet as he gave himself up to the man who had put him in the hospital to begin with.  “I love you.”  The final nail in the coffin and Hartley nodded, too stunned for words as he was swept away in another mind-blowing kiss.  For that one, single moment, everything was alright.  Then he felt the pinprick in the back of his neck and the world slowly faded out to black.