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Dave rolled out of bed with a yawn, bare feet padding against the plush carpet of his boyfriend's condo, it was hands down the most expensive place he's ever taken a shit in. He'd told Dylan just that when he learned just how much he paid in rent. Dylan wrinkled his nose at the sentiment and called him a barbarian, but it was all said in a loving manner, Dylan was just a little more uptight out of the two of them.
He made his way into the kitchen, the open floor plan and giant windows that overlooked the city once made him entirely too cautious to even walk by them in such a state of undress as he was now, but after a year with Dylan and the number of nights they shared on the couch, he no longer minded, some days he'd stand right in front of them, dick out and sipping from his coffee mug as he enjoyed the view.
"Morning lover, you feel like protein shakes for breakfast?"-Dylan asked, wearing his adorable kiss the cook apron over his work clothes. Dave didn't get it, but just the sight of such a professional man looking simultaneously domestic had his stomach squirming with butterflies. Only on mornings like this when he slept over did he get to see it.
"I was thinking something with a little more flavour, like sausage and eggs maybe?"-he said, knowing damn well Dylan could cook and was capable of so much more than a peanut butter and banana shake.
Dylan raised his eyebrows, -"well I already made them, and I don't have time to cook."
Dave frowned, coming into the kitchen to check the time on the oven, it was barely 8:00am, they didn't need to be at work for another hour and a half.
"I know what time it is Dave, but I have a meeting and if you want a ride, you're gonna have to get dressed and leave when I do."-He ordered, pulling off his apron and walking out of the kitchen.-"your shake is in the fridge, you have fifteen minutes, chop chop."
Dave sighed, watching his boyfriend take a seat on the couch and literally start a timer on his apple watch. -"I'm guessing there's no chance I can make you late with a blowjob?"
"I just pressed these pants, Dave, don't you fucking dare."-he warned.
Dave not having enough fight in him to keep up his efforts relented-"All right, I'll be out in a bit."-he groaned, trudging back to the room.
Only on weekends did they get to enjoy a romantic morning together, and even then it was a rare occasion. He understood though, as much as it bothered him, he knew Dylan played a big role in the company they worked for, he was a busy guy and Dave was lucky to even spend the time he could with him.
Walking back out and straightening his tie, he couldn't help but to smile back at the grin and soft eyes of his boyfriend. -"Is that the fancy tie I got you last month?"-he asked, moving to take over and perfect his knot.
Dave rolled his eyes but nodded in reply.-"it was three hundred dollars, I don't know what I'd do if it were to get ruined."
Dylan chuckled, patting his tie down then leaning in to smack a kiss on his cheek,-"I'd just buy you another."
Dave laughed, shaking his head and feeling all the discontentment of the morning just flow out of him, how could he stay mad when Dylan was such a sweetheart.
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They strode out of the elevator hand in hand on to the sixth floor, Dylan had a couple more floors to go to get to his meeting, but he always took the time to walk him to his desk and give him a goodbye kiss. It always felt so sweet and almost cliche with how all the office ladies swooned at their PDA. He was never the popular kid in school, but now he kind of knew what it felt like to be 'that' couple, the ones who always won prom king and queen and got their very own page in the year book. He and Dylan were like celebrities at the company, everyone knew them and walking into the break room was always like walking into a living tabloid, they were never not a hot topic.
Dave couldn't lie and say he didn't like the attention, it was kind of the best thing that could have happened to his ego, before dating Dylan, he was a shy, much lankier shut in who always ate his lunch by the koi pond in the courtyard. Now though, he ate lunch with everyone else in the fancy lunch room with some of the top executives of the company and it all happened in just the span of a year.
"Alright my love, I'll see you at noon."-Dylan spoke softly into his ear, pressing one more kiss to his lips before walking off. The ladies that surrounded his cubicle not even bothering to be subtle as they watched intently with adoring eyes.
"Yeah, Dylan definitely tops."-lila announced, leaned back in her desk chair with a wicked smirk.
Dave went red in the face, he and Dylan didn't have too much of a difference in build, especially when he started to bulk up about four months into their relationship. But then again, it wasn't like you needed a height of weight difference for what role you played in the bedroom, but these ladies seemed to think it was a tell all, cause they could only see things from their straight women perspective.
"Am I right?"-she asked, scooting her chair just a little closer, her friends peeking over their cubicles in anticipation for his answer.
Dave shook his head, honestly wishing he worked surrounded by men just so he didn't have to have this conversation almost once a week. -"it's none of your business lila, now stop asking or I'm reporting you to HR…again."-he said, turning to his desk top, scrolling through emails and dutifully ignoring lilas protest and jabs until she eventually got bored and left him alone. He was about half an hour in with responding to his email until his computer did a weird glitch thing and then completely shut off. He froze, eyes wide as he clicked his mouse and moved it around. Then he scooted his chair out to get under his desk and try the modem. It was off, all of it was shut off and not turning back on.
"Shit!"-he hissed, poking his head back up to see he had everyone's attention again. -"Are your computer's working?"
They all nodded their heads.
"ooh, Dave broke his computer."-lila jeered, eyes alight with mirth.
Dave groaned, he sure hoped not, Lord knows someone would find a way to take the repairs out of his paycheck. -"guys I'm serious, I need my computer, what do I do?"
"My best bet would be to call up the IT department, I had Ben fix my keyboard a couple month ago and he told me they had more than enough replacements down there to give half the building upgrades, but the company likes to keep them in storage to save on costs."-Bette, one of the nicest women on his floor chimed in, lila sending her a mean look for daring to be helpful.
Dave breathed a sigh of relief, pushing himself back to his feet, -"thank you, Bette, now where are these guys anyway?"-he asked, face bright with hope.
Bette winced, Dave's stomach instantly sank.-"the basement."-she answered, a haunted look crossing over her face as she said it.
A shiver went down his spine,-"we have a basement?"
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Ten minutes later, Dave found himself in the elevator, descending to the very last floor in their building. The elevator light flickering madly as he passed the first floor and he swore he was going to scream if it went out. His heartbeat raced, the elevator stopped and the doors opened, revealing pale yellow walls that definitely haven't been touched since the sixties and a narrow corridor that led to a set of stone stairs. -"at least they won't creek."-he whispered to himself, taking the first step and moving further into hands down, the creepiest place in the entire building. The further he went the more he wished Dylan were here with him to hold his hand, maybe he just might deserve some cuddling tonight if he told him about the horrors of his day. With that in mind, he mustered up the courage to keep going.
Once at the end, he found a bright red door that did not fit the color scheme he'd witnessed so far. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on it.
"Coming!"-a voice called out, the door opening up and Dave looking out at nothing, almost as if it opened on its own.
"Hey, how can I help you?"-a voice asked kindly, Dave looking down to see a small man flashing him a charming smile.
"Oh, umm, hi, are you Ben?"-he asked, not sure if he should crouch down to be at eye level with the guy or take a couple steps back.
The man shook his head,-"No, I'm Victor, Ben's busy coding some software for MR Wells."
Dave nodded, that was Dylan's colleague Andrew, they ate lunch a couple times a month when he wasn't wanting the whole dine in experience at some of the fancier restaurants around here. -"Okay, well umm, I'm Dave from communications and you see my computer just kinda stopped this morning and I think it might need to be replaced, is there anyone here that can help me with that?"
Victor frowned, tipping his head in thought, adorable images of little puppies popping into his mind at the gesture.-"I could try to help you, but I work more with mechanical repairs, not nearly as techy as my friends here, but I think Klaus might be free."-he turned around and motioned for Dave to follow.
Walking inside, he could see the office was a lot less creepy than the path leading to it had been. There was a nice leather couch against the farthest wall, a couple desks that he assumed belonged to Ben and Vanya, and another door painted completely black on the other side of the room. He could hear an ominous thumping coming from behind it, followed by a shrill bloody scream that had his teeth rattling in his skull.
"So, that's going to be Klaus' office, aside from Ben, he's the next best computer guy, oh and don't mind the noise he's a little bit of a horror junky."-Victor explained, not looking the least bit bothered by the terribly concerning sounds coming from behind the door.
"Well, it sure sounds like he's not busy today, so let's see if he's willing to help."-Victor made way for the spooky scary door, Dave having his voice catch in his throat as he watched him lift his hand in slow motion to knock on it. Whoever was behind that door, he didn't want to know, he'd rather wait for Ben to finish his coding job. He tried to tell Victor as much, but the man only gave him a look like he was being ridiculous.
"Ben probably won't be done for like another day or two, Klaus can help you I swear "
Dave felt like Victor wasn't getting it, but he relented and waited for this Klaus person to emerge. His mind flashing with the image of a big hairy bear of a man with a bushy beard and some doom metal shirt with cheeto stains and a drinking horn slung over his hip.
"Sorry Vicky boy, I'm a little busy!"-a voice called out from behind the door.
"No you're not, Klaus, I actually have a job for you today."-Victor responded.
The door swung open, a swirl of incense and cigarette smoke hitting his nose all at once, but through the smoke was a pale, green eyed, curly haired angel staring intently back at him and somehow, he had forgotten how to talk.
The man looked from him, to Victor. -"Who's the square, Vic?"
Victor looked back at him, noticing his state of wordlessness and grabbed him by the sleeve to pull everyone into klaus' office. Once everyone was sat down, Klaus on his part crisscrossed on top of his desk while they sat in the two chairs across from it.
"This is Dave from the communications department, his entire computer system took a shit and you're the only other person down here that can actually set him up with a new one."-Victor explained, sounding a little more authoritative than he would have first guessed his role down here would have been.
Klaus held his hands clasped together under his chin, nails painted a glossy black and Dave couldn't help from silently noting how pretty and slender his fingers were.
"Hmmm, yes that does sound like something I am very capable of, but what's in it for me?"-he asked, Dave pausing for a moment. Who the hell was this guy!?
Victor nodded, seeming all too accustomed to whatever antics this guy had going on. -"well, let's go down the list, one, it's your job and you're getting paid to do things like this, two, I'm technically your boss and I said so, and three, I'll not only let Ben, but also Five know that you're slacking off again."-he concluded, Klaus staring back at him with narrowed eyes.
Silently a heated discussion was had between them, before Klaus sighed and hopped off his desk.-"Alright, you win this round, but only cause there's no one else that can do it, you know Ben is way better with people than I am."
Klaus came around the desk to head out the door, grabbing a key card hanging from the wall on his way out.
"Just follow Klaus, he's probably gonna need some muscle, but he can do everything else once you guys get the new stuff on your floor."-Victor told him, Dave feeling his stomach squirm at the idea of being one on one with him. He just couldn't tell if he liked the guy or not.
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Klaus marched up the stairs, Dave trying to keep his eyes to himself, but the guy was wearing leather pants for christ sake, who wears leather pants at a job like this!? Not to mention, his legs were just so long and yet defined, like he hiked a lot or something.
"I know I got a nice ass, but I'm gonna need you to keep up and pay attention, I don't venture out into the world of the living all that often."-klaus piped up, not even turning to look back at him. Dave almost missed a step, stumbling but catching himself and trying to close the space he let grow between them.
"I…"-he clears his throat, noticing it was getting a little squeaky,-"I wasn't…uh, I wasn't looking."-he said a little deeper, before adding on,-"I have a boyfriend."
Klaus nodded his head,-"That's great, I'm married to my hobbies, now come on."-he motioned for Dave to follow him into a door at the very end of the corridor. It was dark and cold and Dave wondered if Klaus was a blood thirsty vampire that was leading him into a trap. His heart beat faster, mind making up fantastical scenes of Klaus pushing him against a wall and sinking his fangs into his throat, hands roaming over his chest and stomach as the pain and pleasure mixed together.
Then a light flicked on and the fantasy quickly faded away.
"Okay, so I'm guessing for communications, you're gonna need something with a good screen and good memory."-klaus said, pulling out a cart from a closet and then moving it to another area of the room where a number of monitors and modems were covered in tarps. He pulled up one of them to reveal a set in good condition, if a little dusty, but Dave still trusted these guys to know what they were doing. -"now here's where you come in, this shit is fucking heavy and I'm a scrawny vegetarian."
Dave nodded, this would be easy and he was quite thankful for how hard Dylan pushed him in the gym, he was a strong guy who definitely looked it. Without much effort he got both the modem and the screen on the cart, cheeks going pink at the impressed look on Klaus face.
Seeing him in the fluorescent light like this, really put this guy's looks into perspective. Sharp bone structure, his eyes popping with the rim of charcoal lining them, and a blood red lipstick that matched the colored streaks in the front of his curly black hair. And he had at least been right about the band T-shirt, except it was just hardly a crop top, revealing a sliver or skin just under his navel. Dave hated himself, but he could admit Klaus was unnecessarily hot.
"You get your eyefull yet?"-klaus asked, a smirk on his face. Now he really had been caught looking and Klaus had all the attitude about him that a man who knew exactly how good looking he was, would.
Dave clammed up, mind glitching as he tried to come up with a response.-"sorry, um, you're just…. really weird looking."-he finally said, feeling the ground open up underneath him.
A hurt look flashed over Klaus' face, but it was gone just as quickly as it was there. He shrugged and swayed his hips a couple times just to spite him as he walked back to the door. -"can't say I haven't heard that one before, but no one says you have to find me attractive, imma look however I want regardless."
Dave bit his tongue, he didn't trust himself to keep this conversation going, he really did not know how to act infront of pretty people.
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Walking out of the elevator onto the sixth floor, the two of them, or more accurately, Klaus, turned some heads as they pushed all the new equipment to Dave's cubicle.
"Alright, so first-"-klaus started, pulling out a hair tie from his back pocket and holding it with his teeth as he gathered up his hair. Dave not realizing what a number Klaus in a man bun would do to him.-"First I'm going to actually take a look at your desk top here and see if she really is caput, and if I can't fix her, then I'll have to hook you up with the new stuff."-he announced, looking at Dave expectantly. -"sound like a plan, Dave?'"
Dave nodded his head quickly, taking a step back and letting Klaus get to work.
"Alright, let's see what we got going on down here."-he said, clapping his hands together, then getting on all fours to look at the mess of wires and outlets going on under his desk, leather clad ass in the air as he ventured further under the desk and just like that, Dave's imagination was off to the races once more. He felt a nudge to his side, turning to see lila looking at him with the biggest grin.
"Perv."-she whispered.
Dave choked on his spit,-"you, not me, I'm not into the freaky type, and I'm dating Dylan."-he responded, trying to make his voice come out in a whisper, but his urgency turned him up a couple octaves.
"I am, I'm into the freaky type."-came a breathless Bette, heavily leaned against the wall separating their cubicles.
They all heard as Klaus snorted, scooting out from under the desk and resting on his knees.-"I'm more than just freaky, babe, I'm a whole degenerate."-he winked, Bette's nose flaring with the deep breath she took, before giggling miniachly and going back to her desk to hide. Then Klaus inclined his head to his direction, long neck on full display, and Dave was suddenly feeling like the vampire instead.
"Okay, so this wire, right here-"-he said, holding up an old frayed cord in his hand.-"is very important to this particular computer, but as you can see, it's at the end of its life and I did not bring a replacement."
Dave nodded, not understanding how one little cord could kill his entire setup, but Klaus knew more than him, so there was no point arguing. -"where can we get a replacement?"-he asked instead.
"Same room we were in before, but I am much too lazy to go back and besides, a lot more of the cords you got down here are on their way out anyway, so I'm just gonna go ahead and give you the upgrade, it'll be at least an hour and a half for me to finish, so if you wanna take an early lunch, go for it."-klaus explained, getting up and dusting himself off.
"You won't need help?"-he asked, kinda not liking he was gonna leave Klaus to do all the work.
He smiled, but shook his head,-"sorry babe, but you'd just get in my way, plus I wouldn't want to subject you to all my freakiness."-he jeered, lila howling with laughter next to him.
His face flushed, cause Klaus definitely thought he was an asshole and he really wasn't that kind of guy. Klaus just made him feel….conflicted.
"Yeah, alright, just try to be quick, I already missed enough work."-he muttered under his breath, before going towards the elevator, mentally kicking himself for being such a dick head. Was he always like this?
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An hour later, Dave and Dylan walked back to his cubicle, his new computer already set up and running, but Klaus was still there with his feet kicked up on his desk, face bright as he, Bette and Lila were in a deep discussion about the logistics of disposing a body in acid, at least that's what it sounded like.
Dylan cleared his throat loudly, eyes pointed at where Klaus' bare feet were on his desk. Dave took notice that his toenails were also painted too.
Klaus rolled his eyes then turned to look at them,-"well, thank you for interrupting a very thrilling conversation, but I suppose my time is up here, so if I must bid you ladies ado."-he flourished, slipping his sandals back on and giving the girls a little curtsy as they whined and begged him to stay longer.
"If I see you without shoes on again, I'm writing you a citation, clown show."-Dylan said sternly, looking far angrier than Dave's ever seen him. It wasn't that big of a deal, was it?
Klaus only huffed and padded off without much of a word or glance back at them. Dave felt his stomach squirm uncomfortably again, he at least wanted to say goodbye.
"Well, now I know who were a couple of bullies in highschool."-lila chimed in, Bette nodding her head in agreement.
"Yeah, and after Klaus spent his entire lunch getting your computer setup."-she added softly, looking almost teary eyed.
Dave frowned at that, he did tell him to be quick, but he didn't realize that extra half hour would have been for him to get something to eat himself. His heart flip flopped a little in excitement when he realized that probably meant he owed him lunch.
"I wasn't a school bully, I just don't like when weirdo's have their bare feet up on my boyfriend's desk, besides I'm pretty sure that guy will be fine, I don't doubt a pack of cigarettes will fill him up just fine for the evening."-Dylan chuckled, like that was the funniest thing he ever said, Dave kinda started to see what Lila was trying to say.
"Dylan, don't be an ass, he did help me after all."-he said, taking a seat in his chair.
"Yeah, because that's his job, he was paid to do it."-he countered, face going sour at Dave's opposing opinion.
"Yes, but he's also allowed a lunch and I feel responsible that he didn't get one."-he shot back, eyes pleading with Dylan to not make this a bigger deal than it was. Thankfully, Dylan wasn't actually as bad as he sometimes came off.
"Alright, if that's how you feel, then feel free to do whatever it takes to clear your councionse, just make sure he knows professionalism is very important in this company."
Dave grinned, glad they could put the conflict to rest.-"of course."
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The next day, Dave sent off a text to Dylan, letting him know he would be having lunch elsewhere for the day, then quickly made his way to the very last floor of their building, a place he started calling the tech cave in his head.
Knocking on the door, it was a young asian man that opened it this time. -"umm, hello."-he greeted, blinking in confusion.
"Is Klaus here?"-he asked brightly.
The man nodded, "wish I could say no, but yes he is, may I ask who you are and what the occasion is?"
"I'm Dave, Klaus ended up missing lunch yesterday to help me and I wanted to return the favor."-he said, holding up a bag of take out.
Ben still didn't look too convinced, but stepped out of the way for Dave to enter all the same. This time, Klaus wasn't in his office, but sprawled out on the leather couch with what looked like a VR headset on his head. Dave took the moment to appreciate his outfit for the day, an even shorter crop top over a fishnet long sleeve and black skinny jeans that were ripped to shreds, some fishnet stockings underneath those.
"Ben, Ben, you gotta check out this new mod I made, it's literally you and me in the game."-klaus giggled, waving his motion sensor thingys above himself in the air.-"look, look, I can make us kiss!"-he cackled,-"ewww, eww, get your hands off me you dirty boy."
Ben went wide eyed and pink at that, looking at Dave in alarm before marching over to pull the head set off of him. -"We have a guest, Klaus!"
Klaus looked up in surprise, before narrowing his eyes.-"I think the word you're looking for is pest."-he corrected, before standing up and crossing his arms over his chest. -"What brings you to my lair, foul demon?'
Dave tried to bite down on the laugh that response pulled out of him, but he had never met such a genuinely animated person before, Klaus was really eccentric now that he thought about it. -"I uh, wanted to apologize for me and my boyfriend's attitude yesterday and I thought maybe we could have lunch together as a peace treaty between us."-he said, holding up the food meekly.
Klaus eyed it for a moment, nose twitching as he mentally debated what he wanted to do.-"no thanks, I'm not hungry."-he said, turning his nose up and strutting right past him and out the door.
He was stunned silent, sparing a glance at Ben, who only shrugged his shoulders in reply.-"Well, there's your answer, he said no."
Dave couldn't believe it, had he really made that bad of an impression yesterday? Forlornly he tucked his tail and made his exit, getting into the elevator, silently standing right next to Klaus. -"Well, this is awkward."-the man bemused, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and sticking one in his mouth. He pulled out his cherry red lighter next just as the doors opened up to the first floor.
Dave followed him out into the courtyard, where he took a seat right by the koi pond. Dave felt a familiar ache in his stomach, reminding him of when he used to sit here all on his own.
"Please don't tell me that's your lunch?"-he asked, eyeing the cigarette that hung off his ruby painted lips.
Klaus grinned sharply in reply, pulling a drag from it before exhaling. -"Of course not, I usually have two more for lunch."
He sounded like he was joking, but Dave had the sinking feeling that he was being all too honest, not to mention that Dylan, strangely, had been right. Didn't make him feel any better though, Klaus was a thin guy, it might work for his whole aesthetic, but a look didn't need to come at the detriment of your health.
"No, no no, not when I'm here, look I got you some really good, really fancy food to pay you back for yesterday and you're going to eat it right here with me."-he ordered, his years as a high school JROTC captain coming into play as he barked out his instructions.
To his surprise, Klaus actually listened, not looking happy about it, but actually starting to eat and eventually enjoy the food.
"See, I knew you were hungry."-he chidded, stuffing a big bite into his mouth. Klaus side eyed him, but smirked all the same, taking his own small little bird bites in contrast to him.
"Yeah, well if you would have let me finish my cigarette, I would have been fine."-he answered back, tucking a red strand of hair behind his left ear, and Dave followed the movement with transfixed eyes, silently wishing he could get the right side for him next.
From there, they got lost in conversation, eating and laughing at each other's equally crude sense of humor, the moment feeling so natural and easy between them.
"DYLAN."."DYLAN"."DYLAN"-his phone announced loudly, Dave startling and nearly dropping all of his food off his lap, if It wasn't for Klaus' quick movements, landing his hand right into his half eaten shrimp pasta. The two of them exchanged looks, then burst out laughing at the worst possible way to save his food.
"Heh-hello"-he answered, voice still breathless and light with laughter.
"Look. Up."-was Dylan's curt answer, Dave doing just that to see a figure in the building above them, a phone to his ear and a stern expression on his face.
He never realized he had an office right there, which explains a lot of things actually. -"oh, uh, hi babe."-he said weakly, waving a hand up at him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"-Dylan asked, not sounding one bit pleased.
Dave was confused, didn't he tell him to do whatever he needed to feel better about the way he treated Klaus. -"ummm, having a peace treaty lunch with Klaus?"
"Well, wrap it up, cause you just made me look like a joke in front of my colleagues, they think you're cheating on me."-he explained tightly, Dave going wide eyed and quickly standing up. Klaus watched him with a worried expression as he caught the plate of pasta for a second time.
"Shit! That was not my intention babe, I'm coming up there right now I'll clear everything up!"-he promised, saying goodbye and hanging up the phone. -"Klaus, I'm so sorry to cut this short, but me and Dylan are kind of a big deal around here and it's pretty fucked up if I just leave him there to try and clear things up with his friends all by himself." - he tried to explain, no matter if he left or stayed, he felt like an asshole no matter what.
Klaus sighed and closed both of their food up, Dave feeling like shit cause he had just started to eat and he had half the mind to think that maybe it was a little bit deeper of a problem for him. -"it's fine Dave, he's your boyfriend and I'm just the nerdy goth guy you felt bad for, I don't really expect you to choose me over him, hell, you didn't even need to do all this to begin with."
Dave felt a response coming off his tongue, but then his phone started to ring again and he saw Dylan still standing there at the window. Then he looked back and Klaus had dumped their food in the trash bin and was already lighting up another cigarette.-"go."-he said around it, motioning for him to leave.
Dave groaned and stomped off, maybe it was Klaus that was the asshole.
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That night, after Dave did all the damage control as he could for Dylan, the two of them returned to his condo, and had some of the best makeup sex of their entire relationship and things were good again. He and Dylan were still the cutest couple at Five Swans, and everyone still discussed them like celebrities and Dave was no doubt living his dream life.
So then, why was he back at the IT cave for the third time? Well if you asked him, he would say it was because he had a clumsy moment and spilled his coffee all over his keyboard, but if you asked Lila, she would say he was a horny twit that purposefully knocked his coffee over so he could have a reason to go see Klaus again.
-"Is Klaus here?"-he asked, sticky keyboard in hand, still dripping with his vanilla latte.
Victor looked at him with raised eyebrows, -"I'm supposed to say no and direct you to Ben's office, but we really weren't expecting you this soon, so I think this will be funny."-he said dryly, inclining his head for Dave to follow him in.
Inside, Klaus was once again wearing the VR headset, stood up on the leather couch, and seemed to be swinging an invisible sword around. The best part though, Klaus had a flowy back lace dress on, his hair tied in a high ponytail and Dave just was not ready for it.
"Eat shit, you hydra bitch!"-klaus yelled, losing his balance on the couch and Dave not even thinking as he swooped in to catch him before he hit the floor.
Klaus smiled slyly, giggling as he snuggled his head into Dave's chest, probably feeling the way his heart rabbeted something mighty at their proximity. -"oooh, Ben my hero."-he crooned dramatically, before furrowing his brows. -"hmm, you weren't kidding, you really have been working out."
Dave nodded, "yeah, perks of a home gym."
Klaus jumped and ripped his goggles off, -"aww, dammit!"-he groaned, turning a seething look to Victor.-"What the hell man? We literally just talked about this yesterday!"
Victor shrugged,-"the way I see it, if you're not actually working, then I have no reason to turn anyone who needs your help down."
Klaus rolled his eyes, squaring his shoulders up as he looked Dave up and down, -"yeah, well I don't like him, so that should count for something!"
Dave felt his chest ache at the declaration, but he wasn't nearly as thin skinned as he once was.-"I really do need your help though, see look."-he held up his keyboard again, smiling bright with hope.
Klaus looked at it, face critical as he took in its coffee soaked disposition. -"what the hell did you do?"-he asked, looking appalled at the treatment of his computer appliance. -"this is a four hundred dollar keyboard, how did this happen!"
Dave felt his mouth go dry at that, was it really?-"I, uh, spilled my coffee."-he explained, realizing he didn't really think this through all that well.
Klaus shook his head,-"and after all the work I did to install the damn thing, you know, I'm not nearly as busy as I am when you're around."
Dave just smiled and shrugged, hoping klaus wouldn't give his superiors a report on this incident. -"c-can you replace it?"-he asked, following Klaus into his office.
"Well, considering the fact that I just replaced one for you a couple days ago, I'd like to say no, I've met my quota for replacing keyboards."-he answered, rummaging around his desk, before pulling open a dewar and taking out a bright pink keyboard.-"okay, so I can't give you any of the new ones cause I have to record and report the units we take out of there and our boss in particular won't be happy I can't just fix your sticky keys with the snap of my fingers, so you're going to have to use one of my old ones in the meantime while I get this one cleaned up."
Dave was silent, eyeing the bright pink spectacle in his hand, the color draining from his face.-"you don't have anything else?"-he tired, but Klaus only shook his head.
"Unless you wanna take mine and I'll use this one, but it's up to you."-he said, hooking his thumb over his shoulder at the one currently on his desk, it was a red and black one that lit up a radioactive green whenever it was typed on, definitely a custom design that he didn't trust himself with.
Dave sighed and hung his head, -"I'll take the pink one."
_______________________________________
A couple hours later, while Dave was transfixed to his computer, typing away at his new keyboard, he hardly heard the approaching footsteps of his boyfriend until the man leaned right behind his shoulder. -"what the hell is that?"-he asked, Dave startling out of his skin.
"Dylan, you scared the shit out of me."-he breathed, hand clutching his heart.
"Yeah, I'm feeling pretty scared right now too, pretty sure when I dropped you off this morning, your keyboard wasn't Miami pink."-he replied, face still screwed up in disgust.
Dave bit the inside of his cheek, once again regretting his thoroughly unthought out plan from this morning. -"well, you see, I sorta-"
"The stupid bugger knocked his coffee all over the old one and had to beg the IT guys for help again."-lila chimed in, playful smirk at full force as she watched Dylan become the single most disappointed person in the whole building.
"David, since when are you so clumsy?"-he asked, looking like a dad who just found out his son lost his lunch money.
"Accidents happen Dylan, but don't worry, cause this is only a replacement till Klaus fixes my old one."-he explained, before biting his tongue and cursing his freudian slip.
"Of course it's Klaus that's helping you, cause there's not possibly any other IT guy down there, right?"-he lamented, sarcasms dripping from his tongue.
Dave sighed, but nodded his head,-"sort of, there's only three of them, and that Ben guy always seems to be working on one project or another, and Victor says he's more of a mechanical type, so really that does just leave Klaus to pick up all the other odd jobs they get."
Dylan tried to come up with a counter argument, but Dave had a point, technically it really was just Klaus down there, he just didn't have a good feeling about the guy, not to mention he was an absolute weirdo.-"okay Dave, let's hope this is the last technical issue you'll be having for a little while, I don't like you going down to see those freaky neck beards so much."
Both Lila and Bette squaked at that, -"whoah, whoah, hay, them's some fine ass men down there."
"I've had wet dreams about all three of them."-Bette announced, everyone pausing to stare at her.
"You got the spirit hun, but TMI."-lila told her, Bette silently nodding in agreement and returning to her desk.
Dylan breathed out an exasperated breath,"alrighty, I'm done with this conversation, let's get some lunch babe. "
Lila watched on as the two men walked away hand in hand, a sly smile on her face.-"there goes the companies favorite double D's, everyone wants them, everyone wants to be them."-she narrated wistfully, before snorting out a laugh.-"yeah right, poor Dave is soaking up all that ego from Mr Yale graduate over there, they deserve a little something to kick both of them down a peg."
"I'm into pegging."-Bette whispered, eyes big and intent on Lila.
"Yeah, same."-she nodded easily, then frowning.-"What the hell did Klaus do to you?"
Bette flushed, but with a tiny smile on her lips.-"He makes me feel more like myself."
_______________________________________
The next day, Dave was a little distracted, everytime he typed something out on his keyboard, he couldn't help but to think of Klaus. His piercing eyes and his stupid cute butt in those leather pants he loved so much or the way he said exactly what he was thinking and how it always left him in stiches. He wished they could have finished their lunch together that day. Maybe they would have actually been friends by now. Granted, they were definitely on a frenemies basis at the moment, Dave didn't doubt he could upgrade his position soon. Why wouldn't he, he was literally such a likable guy, with a good job and a hot boyfriend.
Shit, maybe it was Dylan that was getting in the way.
"Dave!"-a voice called out excitedly, a pale hand planting a colorful flyer on his desk.
He whirled around in his chair, coming face to face with just the person he had been lost in thought about, then he had to do a double take, cause a whole lot was off about him.
His hair was pulled neatly back in a tight bun, a black button up, just hardly buttoned enough to hide his chest, a number of tattoos on his collar bones on display, his pants a breezy looking pair of black palazzos and some pointy looking shoes on his feet that gave him at least three inches. The worst part though, he had no makeup on, like at all, his face was bare. Beautiful as it was, it just didn't look like him.
"Who the hell are you and where's my Klaus!?"-he asked panicked, hoping this wasn't going to be Klaus' new image.
Klaus snorted out a laugh, hands on his hips as he did some little movements with his hips, clearly enjoying the pants. -"well, if only I knew this was all it would take to scare you, but yeah, long story short, I lost a bet and have to dress professionally for like a week, but that's not what I came here to show you."-he said, pointing to the flyer on his desk.
Dave picked it up and looked it over, -"a Halloween company ball, slash fundraiser."
Klaus had a big smile on his face,-"it's my idea, Big boss said if I got over half of the company's signatures on a petition, he'd let me do it!"
Dave smiled, it was cute and sounded kinda fun actually, he bet Halloween was klaus' favorite holiday. -"Really, that's great! What's the fundraiser for?"
"For a coding and technology program Ben teaches part time at, it's for teens in the foster system, to make sure they have valuable skills and won't end up homeless when they age out of the system like we did."-he replied, just as excitedly, like he hadn't just exposed some bombshell information on him.
Dave was caught off guard, his heart hurting for a teen klaus.-"you were homeless?"-he breathed out, kinda wanting to give Klaus a big hug.
He shook his head,-"It was ages ago and that is not what we're talking about, I'm gonna email you tomorrow, so sign my petition and help me keep some kids off the streets."
Dave nodded, cause of course he would, then his smile fell as he watched the elevator doors open up and out came Dylan. Klaus tipped his head in confusion at his change in demeanor, but then he twisted around to look behind himself.
"Oh perfect timing, you were next on my list!"-klaus grinned, waving his hand in the air to flag Dylan down.
"What's going on here?"-he asked, eyes wide as he took in Klaus' appearance.-"hello, who might you be?"-he said, holding his hand out for Klaus.
Klaus looked at it, then completely disregarded it, flashing Dylan a manic smile instead, "No one important, but you know what is, this Halloween ball, slash fundraiser. I'm sending the entire company a petition and if I get over half of everyone's signatures, it will be a reality this month."-he explained, shoving a flyer in Dylan's hands.
Dylan hummed, looking over the flyer, then back at Klaus,-"well not much my thing, but anything for a pretty face."-he winked, Dave and all the girls going wide eyed at the blatant flirting. He really didn't know it was Klaus.
"And the kids."-klaus added sternly, a little off put with the guy's advances.
"Oh yes, for the kids as well."-he nodded and that was all Klaus needed, before practically sprinting to the elevator.
Dylan turned around, realizing he had an audience. He flushed, clearing his throat awkwardly.
"What the fuck Dylan!?"-Dave screeched, actually feeling kinda pissed with what he just watched, but he wasn't sure if it was because Dylan was flirting with Klaus, or that Klaus was getting flirted with.
Dylan looked rightfully remorseful.-"I'm so sorry Dave, I don't know what got into me, I'd never seen that man here before and he's just, unreasonably pretty."
Dave huffed, well he knew that, Klaus was illegally attractive in all forms, but -"Dylan that was-"
"My best friend, how dare you!"-lila cut him off-,
"and he's seeing somebody right now, so lay off, plus we wouldn't want the company golden couple to fall apart now. It would devastate everyone."
Dylan looked even more upset at that, -"oh my God, your right, Dave, babe I am so sorry you saw a weak moment in me, it wasn't right. I promise I will make this up to you."-he said, eyes pleading.
Dave was still unsettled and kinda hoping Lila was also lying about the 'Klaus seeing someone' thing, but he guessed it didn't matter, cause he was seeing somebody too. Only now though, he was wondering if he should be after all.
_______________________________________
That night, Dylan pulled out all the stops, dinner and a movie, a surprise bouquet and chocolates, and Dylan even let him top for the first time. Dave couldn't believe it, it was amazing and really cemented how honestly remorseful he really was. He wanted to stay angry just a little longer, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized he couldn't be mad at him for something he had already been guilty of.
Maybe Klaus really was the problem, not purposefully, Dave just needed to get his head out of his ass and his eyes and heart where they really belonged.
"Ah, damn it!'-Dylan groaned, slowly sinking down on his donut shaped pillow.
Dave came to sit on the couch next to him, a smirk on his face that he was desperately trying to hide.
"Yeah, har har, next round I'll make sure this will be you. last night was a very special occasion, one likely to never happen again."-he replied, a wince on his face the whole time. Dave almost felt bad for him, but as the designated bottom of their relationship, he just couldn't really bring himself to.
"Oh hun, if only you could."-he quipped back, earning a hard glare from his boyfriend.
Dylan sighed and nodded his head,-"alright, challenge accepted."-was all he said, Dave feeling a happy zing of anticipation.
_______________________________________
That day at work, Dave got an email, from a [email protected]. opening it up, it was a phone video of a familier man in their office, yelling and causing quite a bit of commotion, the most concerning part though, was that he was banging and kicking at klaus' office door. Dave had never stood up so fast, his desk shook, garnering the attention of both his cubicle neighbors, but they hardly had a chance to ask what was going on before he was speeding to the elevator.
Rushing down the stairs, he was just in time before Bailey had klaus' door pried open. -"HAY!"-he boomed, Bailey whipping around with wide eyes to see him there.
"D-dave?"-he stuttered, not sure to continue his rampage or try and plead his case. For one, Dave was one of his quote un-quote friends at work, they always ate lunch together and sometimes went out for drinks on Fridays, but on the other hand, Dylan was his boss.
"The hell are you doing!"-he asked, furious to have found him terrorizing the IT guys.
"That, that he, she, THING, in there ruined my laptop!"-he barked back, pointing to a laptop on the office's coffee table. Dave didn't even bother looking at it, cause he was quickly charging Bailey and backing him up against a wall, sheeting as he looked down his nose.
"call Klaus a 'thing' one more time and I will pop your head off your shoulders."-he told him cooly, not a hitch in his voice betraying his god honest threat.
"You'll get fired."-Bailey shot back, as if that held any weight over him.
"You'll be dead."-Dave responded, just as sure as him.
"Fucking get off of me."-he squirmed and shook out of his grasp, quickly grabbing his laptop and rushing out of the IT office. -"Dylan will be hearing about this!"-he yelled out on his exit.
Dave shook his head, not at all worried about that, cause they clearly had video evidence of him starting the whole mess.
Slowly, the door creaked open, an exhausted Victor slumping out of the office, followed by a very teary eyed Klaus, face blotchy and bleeding. His nose was bleeding and his lip was split. Dave hadn't known punches had been thrown. -"He did that!?"-he growled, eyes glued to Klaus' injuries.
He turned to go up after him, his mind white with rage, but a pair of arms were quickly thrown around his waist, and a wet sob was smothered into his back. He deflated, that would be taken care of later, he needed to help Klaus here and now.
Turning around, he scooped Klaus into his arms, squeezing him tight, then slowly guiding him to sit on the leather couch. Klaus took no issue with practically crawling into his lap and curling up on himself, like it was almost a habit to make himself as small as possible during high emotions. Dave just combed a gentle hand down his back, he had a younger sister, so it was second nature to him to be a grounding force for someone who clearly had the ground shaken out from underneath them.
"What happened?"-he asked Victor. He was still beyond pissed, wanting to rage and kick the shit out of Bailey, but he needed to get the story straight before he eventually took the responsible action of reporting all of this.
Victor sighed, eyes sad and glassy as he glances at klaus.-"well, from the beginning, it started when that dickhead requested Klaus help to update the software on his computer a couple weeks ago, then things snowballed when I figured out Klaus was being sexually harassed. We tried to report it, but apparently he had a friend in HR that scrapped the whole case-"
"So I hacked his camera to get it on video and I got more than enough evidence, but in turn he figured out what I did and lost his shit, demanding I put his laptop back the way it was."-klaus finished, voice hoarse and congested.
Without prompting, Dave pulled a hanky from his back pocket, holding it to klaus' nose, Klaus immediately blowing into it and sounding a little better the next he spoke.
"To be fair, he would have just gotten a citation, now I have a week's worth of all the cringey shit he does in his office, I might have gotten slapped around for it, but he won't be so tough when Mr Swan sees what we got on him."-he chuckled, before wincing as Dave got to work cleaning the blood from his face.
"As impressed as I am with your ingenuity, I would have liked to have been told from the beginning when this all started."-he said, wishing Klaus had trusted him a little more, he had the connections and the brawn to keep him safe.
Klaus rolled his eyes,-"that guy has been bothering me since I started working here, it was only recently that he started to get brave. I think around when we started hanging out actually."-he concluded, shoulders shrugging in indifference.
Dave didn't know if that made him angrier, or feel like shit that he sort of had a hand in causing this, it must have shown on his face, cause he felt a cold finger try and smooth out his frown lines. -"don't worry about it Dave, this isn't the first time I've been tossed around by a jealous prick."
Dave only frowned harder.
"I don't think that's helping Klaus"-Victor snorted, the two of them acting surprisingly light hearted for the aftermath of the kind of situation they were in. Literally locked behind a door to keep from a violent abuser.
"I'm guessing it's not the first time for either of you?"-he commented, arms unconsciously winding tighter around Klaus.
"We all grew up in the foster system, after that, for some of us, it took sometime to unlearn a number of codependent habits and kick that good'ol thirst for danger that made all the numbness go away."-klaus recited, sounding so old and haunted.
"He's in here!"-a voice announced, before the door banged open and Ben marched in followed by two security guards.
They all stopped at the scene that greeted them.
-"nevermind, he's gone."-he sighed, shrugging his shoulders to the security guards.
"Damnit, really thought I was gonna get some action today!"-the smaller guard snapped, reholstering her taser and turning around in a huff. -"Come on Hazel, we deserve a treat for all those stairs we had to run down."
The bigger guard perked up, eyes wide with excitement.-"yessss, donuts!"
_______________________________________
After a lengthy conversation and all the proof they needed to incriminate Bailey, Dylan had no issue giving the psycho the boot, the guy finally showing his true colors and blurting out one slur after the other, practically turning into a cartoon character as he promised his revenge on them. Dave was just glad a guy like that was out of the building if a little freaked out that he had been there to begin with, sitting amongst them in total disguise of who he really was. Was that a sociopath or psychopath? After that though, he certainly was a little less sure of his friends; who was genuine and who was just playing a part? Sometimes, he even found himself questioning Dylan of all people, he could be a moody guy at times.
"If you think I'm anything like that lunatic, then I'm going to suggest couples counseling for us, cause we've dated a whole year, Dave, don't you think the mask would have dropped by then?"-Dylan, said deadpan, very much displeased with this particular concern of his. Dave was honestly surprised he even felt comfortable enough to share it with him, but he guessed that just meant he and Dylan were a lot closer than he first thought.
"I mean, yeah that makes sense, and I know it's probably true, but that whole thing with Bailey and just how quickly he switched to this whole other person, when I was so sure I really knew him…."-he paused, realizing just how fucked up he was over that whole ordeal, not to mention the time he spent with Klaus after it, the deep hurt and acceptance in his eyes. The blood streaming down his nose and the bruises he still wore today, it made his stomach churn every time he saw them. More should have been done to protect him, it felt like the whole building just didn't really care about those IT guys, holed away entire floors down from everyone else. He wasn't sure if they liked it like that, but he kinda hated that they seemed to be so separated from the rest of the building.
"Dave?"-Dylan asked, softer this time with actual worry on his eyes as he brought a gentle thumb to his eye, swiping away a falling tear.
"He hurt my friends, he called us such awful names to our faces, and I'm scared he's actually going to try something again and I just have no idea who he's going to go after. I want to protect everyone, but….."-he took in a shuddering breath,-"I'm scared too."-he admitted, leaning in to the warmth of Dylan's hand, breaking down just a little more as he pulled him into a hug, his hand moving to grasp a hand full of his hair as he pressed a kiss to his head.
"Nobody is going to hurt you or us, I promise you baby, that man is a sad sick piece of shit and I or the company won't let anything happen to you or everyone else that works at Five Swans."-he whispered into his hair, Dave for once feeling safe after all the shit that went down with Bailey.
______________________________________
A week went by, not a word from Bailey and the original drama that made the rounds in the office died down. Dave's encounters with the IT guys were minimal, not that he was avoiding them or Klaus for that matter, just that he didn't need any tech help as of late and things with Dylan were going good, he didn't know how to say it, but he almost felt like the incident made their bond a little stronger, he had definitely been glued to his boyfriend's side for a good minute. It was like he was experiencing their honeymoon phase all over again.
It was a cool Thursday when he got the email. This time, coming all the way from the top. It was very rare he got an email from the big boss, but it seemed like Mr Swan had emailed the whole company. Klaus' Halloween fundraiser had been granted, he got enough signatures and the event was next Saturday, a costume ball with a prize raffle and employee auction. He read through it with wide eyes, no idea if he was genuinely excited for this, or wondering if he should find a way to call out from it. It was on a Saturday though, so it was optional right?
Lila leaned back in her chair, scooting out from her desk with a smirk.
"I hear Klaus is one of the participants in the employee auction, highest bidder gets a paid dinner and activity of the winners choice."-she said casually, Dave's heart freezing in his chest, then rabbiting at breakneck speed. He was frozen as his mind whirled with exactly what he wanted to do with Klaus, dinner at the spookiest restaurant in town, La mortrum, he found it weeks ago when he fell down a Google rabbit hole of all the places he just might see Klaus hanging out at. La Mourtum was a mix between a dungeon and a haunted Victorian mansion, with an extensive horror themed menu. After that, he'd take Klaus to the latest horror showing at their local indie theater, where every Sunday they played one cult classic after the other. Dave has a feeling Klaus' favorite had to be nasfuuatue.
"I also hear he's become quite popular after the whole Bailey ordeal, can't say he won't be the first one to get bought out."-she added, Dave nearly snapped his neck with how fast he looked at her.
There was no way, no one even knew the IT guys existed, least of all would Klaus be a favorite of anyone.
"I'd pay top dollar to have that man just sit on my face."-Bette announced, face peeking over her cubicle with an unnerving ferocity in her eyes.
"Don't you mean you want to sit on his face?"-Dave asked, against his better judgment.
Bette shook her head.
Dave was perplexed, glancing over at Lila for clarification.
She shrugged,-"let her eat the man's ass."
Dave sighed, a whole new sense of stress building in his shoulders as he took all this information in. -"I'm….gonna go check on the IT guys."-he said, slowly standing from his desk.
"Oh no you're not, you're gonna go and try to convince Klaus to get out of the auction."-lila jumped to action, grabbing him by his sleeve.
"No I'm not, I just need to see them."-he responded, trying to pull out of her grip, but she was surprisingly strong.
"I don't believe you, if you ruin this for us I will make your life here hell."
"Yeah, I'll destroy you!"-Bette echoed, a stapler held warningly in her hand.
"Geez, I'm serious guys, I need their help with something."-he tried to reason, actually starting to get a little scared.
"All your shit works, what could you possibly need them for?"-lila challenged, pointing to his absolutely pristine set up, his key board having been finally fixed from its previous latte bath. He looked at it and could admit he did miss the Mami pink one, really giving his desk space a splash of color.
"Uh..my keyboard is broken."-he said, picking it up.
"No it's not, you just got that."-Bette responded, face in a permanent pout.
"Yeah it is."-he told her, before bringing the keyboard down on his knee and snapping it in half.
Both of them watched him in stunned silence, not trying to stop him anymore as he took his keyboard pieces and walked to the elevator.
"Okay, that was kinda hot."-lila said, an appreciative look on her face.
"I want him to do that to my spine."-Bette breathed out, smiling like a madwoman.
___________________________________
Coming down the stairs, Dave didn't even bother knocking on the door anymore, just walking right in and being greeted by Victor who was sprawled out on this couch, face focused on a phone game before he put it down.
"Haven't seen you in a while, Klaus got you a thank you gift, by the way, he just kept forgetting to deliver it."-he said, pointing to a vase of wilting blood red roses, with a fluffy stuffed dog sat next to them.
Dave wandered over, wishing he had gotten these sooner, he guessed that's what he deserved for not making time to see Klaus the whole week. -"I'm sure they were beautiful."-he chuckled, grabbing the small dog and stuffing it into his back pocket to keep with him.-"I appreciate it though, just sorry I couldn't come get it sooner."
Victor nodded, before cutting to the chase. -"so, how can I help you?"-he asked.
Dave paused, then remembered what he came down here for.-"uh, keyboard is busted again, is Klaus here?"-he answered, holding up the two pieces for Victor to see.
"I'm not even gonna ask."-he shook his head,-"but uh, actually, Klaus isn't here today, and neither is Ben, so I'm gonna have to make an attempt."
Dave frowned, his stomach sinking at that,-"why, where are they?"
Victor shrugged, obviously not wanting to go into detail.-"they're both fine, so don't worry about it, so just follow me, I have a key card for the computer room."
"Victor, where's Klaus."-he asked again, not wanting to make this be a whole scene, but he did not like being left in the dark, especially regarding his friend.
"I told you, he's fine so don't worry, Klaus will tell you when he's ready."-was all victor said, continuing to deflect his question.
Dave breathed in a deep breath, before mentally apologizing, and taking a step forward and grabbing Victor under the arms like a child, holding him against the wall.
"What the fuck man! Put me down!"-he yelled, kicking and squirming, but Dave's size and strength was at least twice that of the victors.
"Where's Klaus?"-he asked again.
"Put me down!"
"I will if you tell me where Klaus is?"-he countered.
"I'm gonna fuck you up bitch!"-Victor sheethed, Dave not able to control his chuckle.
"After you tell me where Klaus is?"-he said.
"I'm not a child!"
"I know, but you're roughly the size of one and I can do this all day."-he responded, hating he was definitely being an asshole, but really he'd do what he needed to make sure Klaus actually was okay.
"Put him down, Victor might be small, but you using your size against him is still infelitizing him."-a voice said from the doorway, Dave and Victor turning their heads to see Ben entering the office.
Dave finally let Victor down, slowly coming face to face with Ben. -"where's Klaus?"-he asked for the hundredth time.
"Hospital."-he answered easily.
Dave felt his blood run cold. -"why?"
"He's under observation."
"For what?"
"A medical condition he has, now are you satisfied?"-Ben ground out, eyes hard as he silently dared Dave to ask another question.
Dave held his tongue, jaw ticking as he nodded his head, -"not really, but I guess I've done enough."-he said, turning an apologetic glance to victor.-"sorry man."
"Eat shit."-is all he said, before going back to his phone game on the couch.
He looked back to Ben, motioning to his broken keyboard on the floor. -"I still need a new one of those."
Ben sighed, pulling out his own key card,-"it's coming out of your paycheck."
Dave winced,-"this will be the last one I swear."
______________________________________
That night, Dave was restless. So many more questions he couldn't ask Ben. -"how was Klaus doing? What medical condition? Was it fatal? When will Klaus be back?"
After an hour and a half of tossing and turning, he threw his covers off, for once in his own apartment, which almost felt unfamiliar with how much time he spent at Dylan's place, but he had told his boyfriend that he wanted to spend the night in his own home and Dylan couldn't really pitch a fuss, he was still paying rent for it and the majority of his things were still here. But really, he just didn't want to go to bed in Dylan's arms, not all the while thinking completely of Klaus.
Turning on the lamp, he took a seat on his couch and reached for the box he kept under the coffee table, it had been a while but he knew he still had some left. With a relieved sigh, he pulled out his bong and lighter, the bowl still full. It was with practiced ease that he lit it up and pulled in a good hit, blowing it out and leaning more comfortably into the couch as his thoughts slowed just enough for him to sort them out. Logically he knew this thing he had for Klaus was wired, or…complex. He liked him, he liked him more than he should and it didn't help that he was also undoubtedly attracted to him. At first he just figured he had a goth fetish, but even out of the makeup and clothing, he still found Klaus to be this ethereal creature that made him weak in the knees. Above that though, above the aesthetic attraction, he was also experiencing actual affection for Klaus, but was it friendly? He liked to think so, but then the thought of him going on an all expenses paid date with anyone but him and..….he didn't like it. Now though, he was worried and left in the dark about some mysterious condition that had Klaus in the hospital today.
He just wanted to know more, to know Klaus from every angle. What he looked like in the mornings, what he ate for breakfast, if he was a side sleeper or laid flat on his back like a corpse. He wanted to know what brand of hair dye he used, if he had stuffed animals on his bed or songs he danced to when he thought no one was looking. The more he thought about it, the more he needed to know. He wanted to know everything, to be a part of that everything. Friendship didn't feel like enough, but he didn't think he loved Klaus, not like he loved Dylan. So then why was he wanting more?
He should be talking to Dylan about this, or a therapist, but he was ashamed to be feeling like this, to want more when Dylan was already everything he could ever ask for. He was a strong, good natured, and well off man that genuinely liked him. Even when he was a skinny dweeb just starting out in the company, Dylan gave him a chance, and he really honestly cared, Dave knew that much. Dylan was safe and clean, and what he needed right now, whereas Klaus was abrupt, messy, and a dangerous jumble of wires he could easily get caught up in.
"God."-he said, hooded eyes looking upwards, -"I'm sorry that I'm gay, and smoking weed right now, but if you could just give me a sign, I'd appreciate that."-he said, holding still for a couple minutes just to see if anything would actually happen.
-"thought so."-he chuckled, putting his bong and lighter away before getting up and going back to bed.
_______________________________________
The next morning, Dave woke up to a text message from Dylan.
-"we need to talk."-it said.
Dave felt a lump grow in his throat.
He ran a hand through his hair, chest tight as his eyes prickled. -"Jesus fuck, he's going to break up with me."-he looked back up to the sky,-"I was high, I wasn't being serious, no one asked you to intervene!"
All he got was silence in response.
A couple hours later, Dave found himself at Dylan's apartment, sat awkwardly on his couch, feeling like it was his first time there again.
Dylan came around with a couple mugs of tea, setting them down on the coffee table before taking a seat next to him.
Dave felt his ribcage rattle as his heart beat against it, he didn't think he was ready for this.
"So..I've been thinking..'-Dylan began, eyes soft and voice even softer.
Dave squeezed his own shut, silently bracing for impact.
"I think it would be a good idea to maybe try opening up our relationship."-he finished, Dave snapping his head in his direction, eyes wide as dinner plates now.
"What! Why!?"-he blurted, then snapped his mouth shut, face going red at his loss of control.
Dylan only sighed, eyes rolling skyward in annoyance. -"Because Dave, you obviously have a thing for that IT guy, Klaus, and I don't exactly wanna break up when you've been faithful thus far. So I'm giving you the opportunity to get it out of your system, and who knows, maybe I'll have some fun of my own while you figure yourself out."
Dave furrowed his brows, face critical as he thought it over. An open relationship, he never thought of that, never really thought it would be his thing, but he guessed it was worth a try. It solved his problem perfectly. -"your really okay with that?'-he asked.
Dylan chuckled, hand moving to cup his jaw.-"this isn't my first rodeo, I've had many open relationships in the past, as long as we communicate and keep each other as priorities, I'm not worried. I trust you Dave, and I know you trust me, that's why I know this will work. However long it takes to get over your little IT crush."
Dave paused, his tongue burning to refute that it was just some little crush, but then he remembered this was his boyfriend he was talking to and he was technically correct. His thing for Klaus was basically just a crush. Which meant he could easily get over it just like Dylan was saying, but even still, the thought of that put a bitter taste in his mouth. It must have showed on his face, cause Dylan was sighing again, running a hand through his jet black hair.
"I mean, ultimately it is up to you Dave, I'm only doing this cause I really want things to work out between us. I know these things happen even in committed relationships, so I'm hoping a little flexibility might be good for us in the long run."-he shrugged, actually looking kinda nervous, maybe even insecure and instantly Dave was thrown for a loop. He'd never seen Dylan look anything less than his usual confident self. This was a first, and he just didn't have the heart to allow that expression to stay on his face.
"Okay, I'll try it."-he said, a warm smile on his face, trying to be as reassuring as possible. It really was a good idea and it actually just might work.
Dylan brightened up, -"really? Great, okay first, we have to start with ground rules."
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That following Monday, Dave said goodbye to Dylan with a kiss as he dropped him off on his floor. Feeling the eyes of his colleagues on him as he walked to his cubicle and slumped down into his chair with a long sigh.
-"well, somebody is chipper this morning."-lila commented dryly, leaned on the arm of her chair with her chin resting in her palm.
Dave sucked in and released an even longer winded sigh, his head rolling on his desk chair to pin Lila with a dead eyed stare.-"Me and Dylan are in an open relationship now."-he stated, the girls instantly gaping in disbelief.
"No fucking way!'-lila barked, mouth hanging open in the biggest shit eating grin. -"that's good news isn't it?"
Dave shrugged, eyes averted from the she devils that were no doubt going to have a field day with him. -"I guess, but honestly everything just feels more complicated than it was to begin with."
Lila pursed her lips,-"mmmmhmm, I'm sure it does, but I think you're missing the point here."
"And that point would be?"-he asked.
"You need to embrace the confusion and chaos, you got a hall pass, go ravish you're darling creature of the night!"-Bette interjected, her eyes alight with a fiery fevore.
"Did you just call Klaus a creature of the night?"-he asked, not sure if he should laugh or let Klaus know he's being categorized like this.
"Yes, I did and I'm not wrong, we play M3 every Saturday night, he's a twilight elemental and I'm a battle nymph."-she explained, a big smile on her face.
Lila rolled her eyes,-"she hasn't stopped bragging since she first got invited, I was invited too, but I'm really not into all that weird fantasy role play stuff."
Dave paused, all of this the first time he was hearing about it.-"Okay, first of all what the hell is M3 and why the hell wasn't I invited?!"
"M3 stands for magic, mushrooms and monsters, and you weren't invited cause you were honeymooning with Dylan at the time."-lila answered, shoulders shrugging.
Dave had a bad taste in his mouth at that, the two of them would have never met Klaus in the first place if it wasn't for him, and now they were having family game night or whatever. -"Okay, whatever, I don't care."
"Care about what?"-a voice asked from above him, Dave startling and turning around to face non other than Klaus, the IT tech back in his usual garb of all blacks and splashes of neons, this time he was wearing a pair of contacts that completely blacked out his eyes, giving him a demonic look. Dave could feel his stomach abrupting into butterflies, his tongue too big for his mouth as he just sat there and took Klaus in.
"Well, I only came up here cause Bette left her scarf at my place yesterday,-"Klaus said, handing over said scarf, then turning around to face Dave, blacked out eyes peering deep into his soul.-"if you ever fuck with my little brother like you did last time, I will put such a disgusting, violent bloodline curse on you, you'll have to castrate you're self just to attempt to make it go away, am I understood?"
Dave swallowed around the lump growing in his throat, head slowly nodding as he felt his lower abdomen pool with warmth, he took no time to not so subtly cross his legs and fold his hands over his lap. If anyone took notice, they saved him the embarrassment and didn't say a word.
Klaus smiled, big and toothy, popping up with a flourish, -"awesome, so glad you we have that settled, now if you excuse me, I have a Halloween ball to plan, tah-tah now, babes."
It was a good five minutes after Klaus got into the elevator and descended back to his IT laire, when Lila huffed an exaggerated breath.-"you're fucking pathetic."
Dave stayed silent, his ears going pink and as awkwardly adjusted himself in his chair.
"Dave likes it when Klaus is mean to him."-Bette commented, a sly smirk on her face.
Dave went even redder,-"no……yes…….I don't care!"-he stammered, before jumping from his chair and speed walking to the nearest bathroom.
Bette and Lila snorting in Laughter in his wake.-"oh poor, poor Davey boy, I think his new found freedom has made his little crush a thousand times worse."
Bette nodded in agreement, -"yeah, I guess it's easier to want something when you know you can't have it."
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