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 Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:37 am
Warrick had a house. It was too big for him, because in his opinion one house was too big for any one person. However, it was not a big house by any means. It could have been, but that would have felt like even more of a waste than living in a house alone already was. It was a nice house though, so it wasn't like his money was being thrown away or anything.
The house was in a nice neighborhood not very far from his office. It was tall and white with a green trim, though he hadn't painted it himself of course. The downstairs was just big enough for a living room sort of area and a kitchen. Upstairs there was a bedroom, a bathroom, and a room that was mostly just empty. After all, he did live alone. He was pretty sure there was an attic or something but he hadn't ever felt the need to really investigate.
Anyway, it wasn't decorated much. It didn't feel as bare as it was for some reason, though. There was a small table in the small part of the kitchen area that was the dining room, and his living room had a couch and a comfortable looking chair. There was a fire place, but he had no photos or anything like that on the mantle. Just a few books scattered around the place, including on the mantle for some reason. Upstairs his room was decorated lightly as well. He had a bed, and a dresser, and a closet. His sheets were white, his blankets and pillow cases were red, the brightest thing in his entire house most likely. He had a lamp on a tabke by one side of his bed, and a few bookshelves around. Things were fairly nicely organized.
When they entered the house it was dark. And it took Warrick a few moments to light it. He didn't want to feel awkward, but he sort of did. Here they were at his house. "You umm... You can sit... If you want to, I should go... Change," Warrick said. He was back to his awkward self already! It had happened too soon. He turned to started to head upstairs but tripped on the first one and had to catch himself on the railing. His face flushed with embarrassment immediately as he righted himself to attempt heading upstairs again.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:27 am
To be perfectly honest, Ace had never been invited into a nicer house. Of course, he had paid to stay in a fair amount of inns and occasionally there was a kind enough person to let him sleep on the couch in their living room... but they were never people that were exactly well off. Ace never thought he would find himself in the position where he would actually be invited into a house like this.
When the teenager stepped through the door, he couldn't help but to look around at his new surroundings with his mouth slightly open. He felt very out of place. Ace had never been one to have nice things. Being that he had been a homeless orphan for a good amount of his life. In fact, he didn't have that many belongings to begin with. He did now, of course... since he joined the military. He was making at least a little bit of money and he had a place of his own in the dorms even though it was a temporary place. However, he still felt as if he was out of place. Like he didn't belong or he wasn't deserving. It wasn't hard to recognize that Warrick had a nice home.
His attention returned to the older man when he was addressed and he nodded a little bit in response. He would have been content to wait in the living room, but when Warrick stumbled up the stairs, he decided against that. The young man crossed the room over to the stairs, briefly noting the embarrassed look on Warrick's face. Ace placed a hand against the other man's back, sort of in a secure way.
"You still have a concussion." He stated, though this was obvious. "Let me help you... Or... at least let me help you to your room. And your head still needs to be cleaned and bandaged properly so it can heal properly and doesn't get infected... or something." Ace was pretty knowledgeable when it came to this sort of thing since he had to learn how to take care of himself at a very young age.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:15 am
Warrick was still embarrassed. But he had to admit he needed the help. So he allowed Ace to help him up the stairs. He was dizzy, after all. And he steered himself with Ace's help to his room. He didn't bother with lights once he got in there. He knew his way around his own room. He smiled sheepishly at Ace and pulled away from him a little. "Thank you," he said. And he really, truly meant it.
Warrick's closet was full of a lot of plain, boring clothing. But somehow it looked good on the man. Just the way a uniform did. Because Warrick didn't need anything fancy to stand out, even when his face was covered. However, he had a few very nice things. Just in case. And he had a couple things that were somewhere in the middle of plain and fancy. He selected something from the boring side. A soft grey shirt. He moved to his dresser to find a darker grey pair of slacks.
His head probably did need further looking after. He figured he would take care of that himself. He was no stranger to dressing his own wounds. He never let anyone else touch him or even be in the same room when he did so. Anyway, he would think about that later. For now he wandered over to his bed and tossed his clothes onto it, almost forgetting Ace, wherever he had gotten to now. He wasn't used to not being alone. And despite his hyper awareness of Ace at most times, he was definitely a little fuzzy right now.
He further unbuttoned his uniform and slipped off the top half. It had a little bit of his blood on it, which was troubling, but he had gotten blood on uniforms before. He unbuttoned his under shirt now as well and untucked it to take it off. Despite battle and his facial scars, he had no other scars on his body whatsoever. Not visible ones, anyway. Well, his head might have one now if it didn't end up healing well. He could only hope that it would. He hid his scars so very well.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:33 am
Ace smiled a little bit when Warrick thanked him for helping him up the stairs. His hand slipped from the older man's back as Warrick went about finding himself some comfortable clothes to change into. Of course, the young man felt like he wasn't doing much at all to help, but there wasn't much else that he could do, really.
His eyes followed Warrick as he crossed his room over to his bed so that he could begin removing his uniform. The teenager continued to watch, not really realizing that he was more or less staring as the lt. colonel unbuttoned the shirt he had been wearing beneath his uniform. Ace couldn't help but to notice that his body was in much better shape than his face, though of course Ace didn't mind the scars. And it was then that the young soldier realized that he was staring at Warrick as he was changing. He very quickly looked away.
For a minute Ace just stood there, feeling the heat rise in his face. The young alchemist wasn't the type to become embarrassed easily. He didn't often blush either, so he was thankful that the lights were off currently. If they had been on, he was sure that Warrick would be able to see the pink tint to his cheeks. The lt. colonel was making Ace feel all sorts of strange, new things, wasn't he?
The young soldier left the room the room then. However, he was in search of something. It didn't take him too terribly long to find the bathroom. When he found it, he flipped on the light and went rummaging through the cabinets. He found a couple wash cloths, one of them he ran under cold water and rung out in the sink. He rummaged even further until he found a bottle of peroxide, ((which I assume that Warrick had)) and he found some gauze. ((which I also assume that Warrick had)) When he had gathered all that he needed, Ace wandered out of the bathroom and back into the lt. colonel's room.
By now Ace had managed to get the color of his face under control. He crossed the room over to the bed so that he could stand beside Warrick. "Sit." He said. Even though it was a command, it was gentle. He sat on the edge of the bed himself, tugging on Warrick's arm lightly.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:47 am
Yes, Warrick had all of those things. As said before he was used to dressing his own wounds. So it probably didn't take Ace long to find just exactly what he was looking for. Warrick was constantly organized and well prepared. The only thing that was really ever scattered around when it came to Warrick was books. He had books everywhere. He spent a lot of time alone, after all, and when work was done he had nothing to do but read.
When Ace returned to Warrick's room the older man remembered him entirely. He had never entirely forgotten him, but it was still a mild shock to realize that Ace was here and wanting to take care of him. He turned to look at him and his brow furrowed lightly. He wasn't sure how to feel about all of this. He had always taken care of himself. It should have been a very nice feeling but instead it felt strange and bordered on awkward.
What was even more awkward was the fact that he had only gotten around to changing his pants right before Ace had gotten back. So he was holding his light grey shirt uselessly in his hands. His hesitated for a moment because of this. It was a job unfinished. But he sat down beside Ace eventually anyway since the young man had commanded it and was tugging on his arm, bare chested as he was. He kept his shirt in his hands, though, grasping it almost nervously. It was probably better that it was off so peroxide had the chance to accidentally spill on it, anyway.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 2:40 am
Ace was fully aware that Warrick was not wearing a shirt. He was probably much more aware of it than he wanted to be. Or more aware of it than he ever thought he could be. Briefly his eyes flickered over the man's bare torso, but then he decided that he should probably get back to his objective.
The young man had set all of his supplies on the bed beside him, but now he took the damp wash cloth into one of his hands so that he could bring it up to the side of Warrick's head. Very gently he cleaned away any of the blood that had dried to his skin. He smoothed the cloth back through the man's hair, cleaning away as much of the blood in it as he possibly could. All the while he remained gentle, though it was obvious that his hands knew what they were doing. Of course, Ace was used to doing this for himself, but cleaning and dressing someone else's wounds was an entirely new experience for the teenager.
"You helped me when I got shot. I'd never gotten shot before... I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have been able to take care of that one by myself. I... thank you for that." It was obvious that event had left an impression on Ace. At least it didn't seem like it had been a bad impression. Even though he had cried at the time... though that was because it had been very VERY painful.
The young alchemist folded the blooded wash cloth and set it aside so that he could pick up the dry one as well as the bottle of peroxide. Unscrewing the cap, he soaked a little piece of the material with the liquid and closed the bottle again. "This will hurt, but I'm sure you already know that." Ace said before raised the wash cloth to the older man's temple. He carefully dabbed at it a few times until he was sure that he had properly cleaned the wound, then he traded the second cloth for the gauze. He unrolled a little bit of it so that he could begin wrapping the material around Warrick's head. He did this until the gauze was used up. It wasn't too tight or too loose. Ace couldn't help but to think that it was kind of nice being able to take care of someone like this. "I think you should be okay for now." He said, placing his hands in his lap.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 2:58 am
So this was strange for both of them. Warrick thought he was handling it pretty well. He sat as still as he could, practically holding his breath. And when the peroxide part came he remained surprisingly still. He winced just a little bit, tensing up at the same time. But otherwise he hardly moved at all. Warrick was no stranger to injuries. He felt pain, but he had found ways to block it out of his mind to some degree.
Once Ace was done Warrick remained still for a moment. He was quiet, but he eventually leaned over and planted a very small, very sweet kiss on the corner of Ace's mouth. It was different than the passionate ones from before. It was nice. Warrick had a side that a generally very sweet. But he never really had anyone to share that side with. All anyone ever saw was how quiet he was, and polite. Or how dedicated he was to his military career. It was kind of a relief to be able to share it. Warrick felt like he wanted to be affectionate.
Of course, now probably wasn't the time, was it? The Lt. Col. realized he didn't know when the time was. And in this case there probably never would be a time that felt like a good time. Because this was supposed to be wrong. In more ways than one. Warrick shifted away from Ace a little bit and began to pull on his shirt. As he did so he decided that it would be a good time to start speaking.
"I am sorry," he said. He was thinking about the incident Ace had referred to now, the one where he had dug the bullet from his shoulder. "I believe I mentioned before, or at least wanted to, that after than I promised myself I would never touch you again. I wanted to make sure I would never hurt you. But that's a promise I obviously could not keep. I don't go about breaking promises very often," he said, frowning a little at himself as he began to button his shirt.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 3:34 am
Ace closed his eyes when Warrick's lips came to the corner of his mouth. It felt nice. The affection was something that he wasn't used to. But he thought that it was definitely something he COULD get used to. There was something so sweet about Warrick right now. He liked the gentleness. He found himself longing for more of it. And since he wasn't used to it just yet, he could feel the color rising in his face again.
Just as Warrick knew that all of this should be wrong, Ace knew that as well. By all standards and morals this whole situation should have been wrong. But the young alchemist had never felt more... right in his entire life either. And he didn't think that he wanted anything more as well. Ace shifted a little bit, his knee brushing against the older man's lightly. "If you hadn't done that, I don't know what I would have done with it. I probably couldn't have dug the bullet out myself. And I definitely wouldn't have gone to a doctor." For some reason Ace had his eyes averted from Warrick, but now he looked back up at him.
"Besides..." The young soldier shifted a little bit once again, a nervous hand coming to lightly rest against Warrick's closest knee. "I... want you to be touching me." His voice was a little more quiet now. It was obvious that Ace wanted to be close to Warrick, but it was also obvious that he wasn't sure how to go about it. They were both new to this, but they both wanted the same thing. This was going to be hard considering their positions in the military. Considering the age difference. Considering that they were both male. But Ace had been through worse... and he was willing to go through anything he had to go through.
Ace leaned up so that he could press his lips against Warrick's again, lightly and affectionately. Maybe even lovingly. When he pulled back, he found himself leaning against the older man, pressing his forehead against his shoulder, his hat lifting a little from his head in the process.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 5:14 pm
Warrick didn't know what to do now. He had appreciated the small kiss in return for his, but now that Ace was leaning against him he wasn't sure what else to do. It was late. And he was tired. He probably shouldn't sleep considering his head injury, or at least he should have someone to wake him up, but he couldn't ask Ace to do that. Ace looked tired as well. Really, he should have been in his own bed by now and asleep himself.
He carefully wrapped an arm around Ace for a few moments. It was nice to just hug him like this. But it wasn't like he could just hug him all night. Eventually he let him go and shifted away from him a bit so that he could stand up. He didn't really have anywhere to go, but he felt like staying where he was wouldn't help him figure out what he was going to do with himself now. Or with Ace, for that matter.
"You could sleep," he said. Ace was probably tired. He had to be. Warrick knew he was tired himself, but once again he really shouldn't be sleeping at all. He'd have to find something engaging enough to keep his eyes open. Perhaps there was something he hadn't read yet. Maybe he could start that report now. Anything to keep himself from falling asleep. Ace, however, should definitely get some rest. "I have to stay awake... You're welcome to my bed," he offered, a familiar gesture.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 7:14 pm
Ace found himself relaxing against the older man when he felt the arms around him. He couldn't really help it. There was just something really comfortable about having a pair of arms around him, and even more comforting to know that they were Warrick's arms. Ace didn't think that he would ever enjoy the company and warmth of another man. it was just something... that wasn't considered. And it was definitely something that wasn't talked about. Who would he have talked to anyway? He didn't have anyone. Though that was starting to look differently now.
Briefly the young man closed his eyes, but Warrick pulled away all too soon. Ace's eyes fluttered open again. He would have been content to lean against the lt. colonel for much longer, allowing him to hold him... but they couldn't really do that... could they? The teenager looked up at Warrick, noticing how nervous he seemed to be. Or maybe he was just being awkward, which was pretty normal for Warrick.
Ace knew that it probably wasn't a good idea for Warrick to sleep in his condition. He also knew that it wasn't uncommon for the other man offer him his bed while he stayed awake. He also hadn't realized how late it was. Usually he was in his dorm by this time of the night. Sometimes he was up studying or reading, but sometimes he was also sleeping. "I've heard that one before." He said, smiling a bit in that impish, mischievous way that he often did. He wasn't sure that he could sleep, what with all of the 'excitement' happening on this particular night. However, he shifted so that he was sitting on the bed completely and stretched out across it, folding his arms behind his head. He turned his head so that his eyes were on Warrick again. It wasn't unlike Ace to make himself comfortable anywhere.
"You shouldn't try going down the stairs by yourself just yet. Maybe you should wait until you've actually rested." He stated. Perhaps this was his way of telling Warrick that he wanted him to stay with him... without directly doing it.l
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 4:11 pm
Honestly, it probably didn't much convincing on Ace's part to get Warrick to stay with him. He considered what he had said for a few moments, trying to decide if he really was telling him he wanted to stay. Maybe he had just said it and he didn't mean that he didn't want him to go. Maybe he just meant not to go downstairs. But no, that was stupid. He was just being too cautious, wasn't he? Warrick felt like to some extent he had a problem with being too cautious a lot of the time. Then again, there ws a younger military man in his bed right now. Things couldn't get much less safe for him. He shifted slightly so he could sit back down on the bed again.
"Well, you're probably right," he said carefully. But then what was he going to do here? Watch Ace sleep? Wasn't that kind of creepy and uncalled for? He glanced down at him again, then shifted his eyes to look around the room. A room that was dark and which he had already seen before. Leave it to Warrick to be incredibly awkward. He glanced at Ace again, but this time he left his eyes on him. He really was something to look at. Warrick felt slightly embarrassed for thinking this. He reached over and snatched his hat off of his head, smiling a little bit at him as he did so, "Covers off inside, soldier," he said.
He set the hat on a table that was beside the bed, then turned back to Ace to smooth some hair away from his face in a very loving way. Because when Warrick did something he put everything he had into it usually. It was just the way he tended to work. And he couldn't do anything BUT love Ace. As long as he had known him he had felt connected to him and he did even more so now. Especially now that he could share with him exactly how he felt, no matter how wrong it was supposed to be. "You can still sleep if you want to. I'll... Stay awake... Somehow," he said. He didn't want to promise he would do something when he was pretty sure he couldn't. Not again. He'd already broken his promise not to touch Ace. Staying awake seemed almost a hard from where he stood currently.
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 12:51 am
Of course Ace was right. As much as Warrick needed to stay awake because of his concussion, he also needed to rest. And as much as the man probably needed to write his report about what had happened, Ace also wanted him to stay with him. The young man didn't think that he wanted to be apart from Warrick just yet. He knew very well that they were going to have to hide whatever was going on between them. If they decided to continue this, ((which they probably would because they couldn't seem to ignore this connection between them anymore)) then they would have to pretend not to be when they were in public. Ace didn't like the thought of this, because he was always the kind of person to break the rules. But as much as that was true, he wouldn't put the other man's military career at risk. Warrick valued his job more than anything, it seemed.
Speaking of breaking rules, the younger officer pouted when Warrick snatched his hat off of his head so that he could set it aside. Ace wore that thing everywhere. Even when he was in uniform. He knew that it was against the dress code to do so, especially when he was inside... but he did it anyway. Because he was all for breaking the rules, wasn't he? However, the small frown disappeared when Warrick used one of his gentle hands to push some hair away from his face. Ace was gazing up at the other man from where he was laying on his bed while he did this. He smiled. That gentle smile that he only reserved for certain times.
Ace reached over to carefully slide his hand into one of Warrick's. The one that the older military man wasn't using to smooth back his hair in that loving and gentle way. He turned his head so that he could look at their hands, his fingers sliding between Warrick's so that he could lace them together. "I don't think that I could sleep even if I wanted to." He said, his eyes still lingering on their joined hands. Ace was feeling a little sleepy to be honest, but he didn't feel that he WANTED to sleep. Of course, he would have no trouble falling asleep in Warrick's bed if he did end up getting too tired.
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