Polo and Dreameh's VERY short RP. For real this time. (Mature)

"That's sad." Dane replied, following Sloan back to the kitchen, "I was thinking, next time I was horny, that I'd take my clothes off for you. But if you'd prefer I perved on him... That's perfectly fine."
"Oh, shut up!" Sloan scolded, grinning. He picked up the wooden spoon he'd used to stir the pancake batter, and flicked it playfully at Dane. Unfortunately, his 'attack' missed - because at that moment, Dane darted forward, and peered over his shoulder at the pancake bubbling away in the pan.
"Is that chocolate? Mate, I promise I will never look at another shirtless guy if you tell me that's chocolate."
"It's chocolate." He answered, turning his head to peck Dane's cheek.
"What sort of stupid fool makes pancakes without chocolate? It's not right, I tell you."
He grabbed the pan by its handle, and flipped the pancake expertly - sending it flying into the air for a moment, then catching it in the pan again.
Yeah, he was showing off a bit - but he had a right to. Making pancakes was one of the few things he was actually good at.
A few minutes later, Sloan had about ten pancakes stacked on a pair of plates - five on each - and he put the rest of the pancake mixture into the fridge to cook at a later stage.
He grabbed a small bottle of Nutella from the counter, slapped it into Dane's hand, then offered him his plate of pancakes.
"Thank me later." He said with a cocky grin, picking up his own plate, and heading into the living room.
He flopped down on the couch, grabbed the remote, and changed the channel. If he heard any more crappy pop music, he was scared his head would explode.

When Sloan promised it was chocolate, Dane honestly looked like the happiest man alive. His boyfriend had made him pancakes... With chocolate. What else did he need?
"What sort of stupid fool makes pancakes without chocolate? It's not right, I tell you."
Dane bit his lower lip, deciding not to mention he'd never had a chocolate pancake before, and accepted the peck on the cheek shyly. He took a step back and watched in amazement as the pancake was flipped skillfully in the air and caught in the pan, where it cooked and fried again, making soft sizzling sounds as it did.
Dane gaped at it, his mouth dropped into a small 'O' and stared at his boyfriend with honest exhiliration.
"You're bloody amazing." He murmured, then stared hungrily at the food, all the way until it was cooked.

The minute he was given the food and Nutella, he attempted to pick up one of the pancakes and shove it in his mouth, but it was too hot, so he dropped it back on the plate in a frown of disappointment, grabbed a fork, and helped himself to the Nutella instead.
"I've never loved you so much in my life." He grinned, and sat loudly on the sofa next to Sloan, happily tucking into his pancakes.
They were delicious.
In fact, they were so delicious he didn't talk until he'd eaten all five of them, and used up half a tub of Nutella just to top on them.
"Please don't put screamo on." He mumbled, licking the melted chocolate from his fingers. "Screamo scares me." He leant over to his boyfriend and pecked him gratefully on the cheek.
"Thank you."

Dane sat down next to Sloan, and said with a grin, "I've never loved you so much in my life." Then tucked into his pancakes. Sloan smirked at him, and watched the enjoyment on his face for a moment - then shook his head fondly, and helped himself to one of his own pancakes. They ate in companionable silence for a while - but then Dane finished his breakfast, and broke the spell.
"Please don't put screamo on." Sloan frowned, glancing toward his boyfriend. "Screamo scares me."
He stared at Dane for a moment, rather taken aback, and unsure whether to be hurt or insulted. Either way, he certainly was not pleased... He had rather hoped that Dane would come around to liking his style of music while he was in America. That was one of the reasons he'd given him that CD. Suddenly, Sloan found himself wondering if Dane had even listened to it, or if he was just saying that...
He was starting to feel slightly irritated - but thankfully, Dane pacified him with a murmured word of thanks and a kiss on the cheek, so Sloan just shrugged and decided to let it go.
It was unfortunate that Dane didn't like 'his music', considering how important it was to him - but in the end, it didn't really matter. He would never change Dane, after all.
Still, if he'd just give it a chance...
"Y'know, screamo's not that bad." Sloan said casually, popping another bite of pancake into his mouth.
Okay, so maybe I'm not going to let it go...
"I mean, it's not all Satan and pentagrams. If you listened to the lyrics, you'd see that a lot of the time it's actually pretty deep sh*t. It's certainly more meaningful than," Sloan paused a moment, then sang mockingly in a high-pitched voice, "Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me maybe!"
He wrinkled his nose in disgust at how ridiculous he sounded, and added with a chuckle, "You'd think some song about a crazy stalker bitch would be more scary."

"Y'know, screamo's not that bad." Dane looked up, unaware he'd started a conversation, but interested nonetheless.
"I never said it was bad... I just-"
"I mean, it's not all Satan and pentagrams. If you listened to the lyrics, you'd see that a lot of the time it's actually pretty deep sh*t."
Dane thought for a moment. He'd listened to the screamo on the CD, of course. But he'd much preferred the - how do they put it? - 'softer' songs that had been offered to him. Of course, there were songs he liked that had screamo in them, but he could understand what they were saying. He didn't see the point in a song if you couldn't understand what they were saying in the moment, really.
He turned to his boyfriend, to find him singing a rather good mockery of the song they'd just been listening to, his voice all high and squeaky. Dane chuckled at the impression.
After the last comment, Dane say back in his seat.
"Listening to the lyrics would all be good, if you could tell what they were saying. Most of the time, all I hear is," He made a beak with his hand and opened it by his ear, "rawrrrrr."
He sighed, then began picking away at the crumbs on his plate. "I don't mind stuff with screamo in them, you know, like Breaking benjamin for example. Some of the songs you gave me were really good, even if they sounded angry. But I could tell what they were saying. Still..." He smiled, dumped his plate on the coffee table and rested his head on Sloan's shoulder. "All to each own's taste. You have to admit, as bad as that song was, it was pretty catchy." He looked up with a grin, eyes twinkling.

"Listening to the lyrics would all be good, if you could tell what they were saying. Most of the time, all I hear is... 'rawrrrrr'."
Sloan chuckled at this, shaking his head. "Okay." He admitted, "Fair point."
"I don't mind stuff with screamo in them, you know, like Breaking benjamin for example. Some of the songs you gave me were really good, even if they sounded angry. But I could tell what they were saying."
Sloan raised an eyebrow at this, and glanced back at Dane, looking faintly impressed. He had kind of assumed Dane was classing all hard rock music as 'screamo'. That was what most people tended to do if they didn't know any better. He didn't know Dane could differentiate between styles of rock... Honestly, it made him rather proud of his boyfriend - and suddenly his annoyance with Dane morphed back into affection.
"Aaaaw," He cooed, raking his fingers fondly through Dane's short hair, "I've got a boyfriend who likes Breaking Benjamin. That's the dream."
He grinned, and nuzzled Dane's neck affectionately - which was a gesture he was pretty sure he'd picked up from Dane in the first place.
He ignored what his boyfriend was saying, and was about to start kissing his neck, when suddenly Dane's words caught his attention.
"...You have to admit, as bad as that song was, it was pretty catchy."
He groaned as he met Dane's sparkly grin, and pulled away, wrinkling his nose in repulsion.
"Kill me now." He responded dramatically - although he did not deny it. That song was catchy... Especially when Dane was singing it.
He sighed heavily, and laid his ideas of kissing Dane to rest for the time being. Instead he turned back to his pancakes, and polished off the last few bites.

Sloan's reaction only made Dane grin further, and despite Sloan's little muttering, Dane could tell his boyfriend enjoyed it. It was like the Crazy Frog tune, everyone hated it but then again, everyonne knew exactly how it goes.
"That was delicious." He smiled, taking Sloan's plate and stacking it on top of his own. "You were right, you do make f*cking brilliant pancakes."

They spent all morning lounging around, Dane didn't get changed until half 11 came, and he had to put on some clothes that would be socially acceptable to wear in public. He dressed into some jeans and a pain shirt, washed his face, cleaned his teeth and flattened his hair - he'd created quite a bed-head despite the length, and was looking more like a hedgehog with his spikey hairdo.
"This morning's gone too fast." He groaned, picking up his flat cap, although it was a short walk to the cafe. "I still feel like I only just got out of bed."
He slipped on his cap and grabbed his jacket, then turned to Sloan. "Want to come with me? You can stay for as long a you like there, it's rarely busy. Besides... It's a lonely walk down the road." He pulled a pityful face, pouting his lower lip pathetically. "I'll see f I can get you a discount. But just as a warning..." He narrowed his eyes. "Touch me inappropriately, anywhere, and the free muffins I bring home will be mind, and mine alone."
He wandered to the door and turned back round, raising his eyebrows. "So, you coming?"

When Sloan saw Dane starting to get ready, he yawned and began looking out some clothes for himself. He hadn't actually been 'out' in ages, so the clothes he was looking for had ended up buried at the bottom of his drawers.
Still, he soon found them, and then vanished into the bathroom to take a quick shower and get ready to go out.
He felt a lot better once he was clean, with his hair casually styled, and dressed all in black, as usual.
He emerged to find Dane donning his usual cap, and then his boyfriend turned to face him.
"Want to come with me? You can stay for as long a you like there, it's rarely busy. Besides... It's a lonely walk down the road."
"'Course I'll come." Sloan replied with a shrug, "I'm dressed, ain't I?"
"I'll see f I can get you a discount. But just as a warning... Touch me inappropriately, anywhere, and the free muffins I bring home will be mind, and mine alone."
"I resent that accusation!" Sloan exclaimed indignantly, "When have I ever touched you inappropriately?!"
Y'know, apart from pretty much every day...
"In public, anyway." He amended, shrugging.
"Come along."
He patted Dane's cap, flashed a friendly wink, and pushed him to the door.
Since it was a short walk, he decided not to take the Jeep - and just walked happily beside his boyfriend, quietly whistling the tune of his favourite song. ((That would be 'You're going down' by Sick Puppies. XD ))

((Very appropriate. XD))

Dane raised an eyebrow. When had Sloan not touched him inappropriately?
He repositioned his cap - Sloan had pushed it down over his eyes - and walked out the door onto the street. He then turned back to Sloan, reaching his hand out and opened his palm, offering for Sloan to take it.
"No one's looking." He murmured, his lips tweaking a smile. Then, shrugging, he took the man's hand and they started walking down the road.

They arrived at the cafe early, and Dane's boss was never a picky one about times, so he waited outside the building by the picnic tables, back against the brick wall, one foot pressed up just above the ground.
"It's a nice place, this." He murmured, eyes scanning the houses that were lined up on the other side of the road. "Peaceful."
As if it knew he'd said this, a chestnut brown german shepherd galloped across the road, long tongue flapping over one side of it's mouth, and ran up to greet him. He straightened up.
"Dodger?"
The shepherd danced by his feet, rubbing it's long fur against Dane's jeans, licking his hands gleefully. It really was happy to see him.
"What're you doing here, mate?"
The dog ignored him, rubbing it's head against his hand, accepting the affectionate sctratch behind it's ears. Dane petted him comfortably, like he was greeting an old friend, but something about the presence of this dog made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
Dodger was Theo's dog.
He looked up, scanning the road again, to see a dark figure in a country coat - much different to his usual farrier clothing - jogging gown the road. He was shouting Dodger gruffly, angrily, but it was fake anger to make himself sound in charge than anything else. Dodger never was the sort to fall to his master straight away.
Theo ran to the gate that split the road from the picnic area of the cafe, whistling Dodger to come to him. Instead, the German Shepherd just sat on Dane's foot, his dark ears pricked but he wasn't really listening.
When Theo saw Dane, he almost smiled. But then he saw Sloan, and he froze.
Dane wasn't sure what had gone on between the two, but a faint bruise was still lingering on Theo's face, and the way his body stiffened at the sight of Dane's boyfriend said that Sloan had done more than just threaten Theo a bit.
"Dane." He grunted, his dark eyes flicking from Dane, to Sloan. He paused for a moment, as if daring himself to step closer to the two. "I... I need to talk to you." He glared at Sloan. "In private."

For a while, Sloan sat peacefully beside Dane, still humming cheerfully to himself - but then they were distracted as a dog suddenly ran over to them. Sloan frowned at it, thinking that it seemed vaguely familiar. Apparently he was right, because Dane greeted the dog like an old friend.
But he still didn't realize whose it was, until he saw the figure approaching.
The moment he heard Theo's voice, he was on his feet.
As the man walked over, Sloan drew himself slowly up to his full height, and his fists clenched, causing the spiked leather band around his arm to cut into his skin as his muscles tensed. At first, Sloan kept his cool - though his eyes shot daggers as he watched the other man.
But then Theo said Dane's name, and Sloan saw red.
"I... I need to talk to you. In private." Theo said to Dane, sparing a glare for Sloan, who began to grind his teeth in frustration, chest swelling as he sucked in an angry breath.
"Dane," He said quietly, glancing over his shoulder at his boyfriend, "Go inside."
He managed to force some kindness into his expression, but his gaze was stern.
Suddenly, he couldn't contain himself any longer.
Without waiting for Dane, he strode up to Theo, raising his chin in an aggressive fashion.
"You've got some nerve." He growled, "I thought I told you to stay the f*ck away from us?" His cruel eyes darted over Theo's face, "You gotta be stupid as f*ck to forget. Looks like I pounded it into you pretty good last time."
His eyes narrowed, and Sloan's threatening stance seemed far more intimidating when complimented by his usual goth-style outfit.
Besides, he still had a rather convenient song stuck in his head...
It's been a long time coming, but the table's turned around, 'cause one of us is going, yeah one of us is going down...

When Dane caught sight of the look on Sloan's face, he knew trouble was brewing. He shot his boyfriend a worried glance, praying for him not to start anything. Dane was never one for fights, and the thought of watching someone he loved and someone he thought he could trust beatin the Hell out of each other made him feel sick to his stomach.
"You've got some nerve. I thought I told you to stay the f*ck away from us? You gotta be stupid as f*ck to forget. Looks like I pounded it into you pretty good last time."
Theo looked down and clenched his jaw. He didn't look as confident as he had before he and Sloan had that 'chat'.
"It's funny..." He growled, not looking at either Dane nor Sloan, but the dog sat between them. "I don't actually recall talking to you."
He narrowed his cold eyes at Sloan, then turned back to Dane. "It won't take a minute."
Dane watched him for a moment, then turned to his boyfriend pleadingly. "Sloan... Don't start anything. Please. This is my workplace. I could get fired if either of you get hurt, or damage anything."
"Besides..." Theo continued, not having herd what Dane had said. "Is a man not allowed to take his dog for a walk without being threatened? And I don't take orders from anyone." He eyed Sloan up and down, then stiffly took a step forward. "I live here. I wouldn't move just for the sake of you, so don't flatter yourself, mate. Dane?" He turned to Dane, raising his eyebrows. "Can I talk to you, or not?"

Sloan was dangerously close to sending a fist into Theo's face, when Dane's quiet voice distracted him.
"Sloan... Don't start anything. Please. This is my workplace. I could get fired if either of you get hurt, or damage anything."
"We're not in the f*cking place!" Sloan snapped, wheeling around, "This is the street, and I've been in enough bar fights to know that out here you're free to kick the crap out of whoever you damn well please!"
He felt a stab of guilt for snapping at Dane - but thankfully, he was still too angry to dwell on it. His pulse was pounding in his ears, and his fists were shaking with the obvious desire of smacking Theo's stupid face in.
Theo, apparently, was either unaware of this, or stupid as f*ck, because he went on poking the bear, despite the fact that Sloan was clearly near his boiling point.
"Is a man not allowed to take his dog for a walk without being threatened? And I don't take orders from anyone. I live here. I wouldn't move just for the sake of you, so don't flatter yourself, mate.
He was literally about to snap, when Theo turned back to Dane, and added, "Can I talk to you, or not?"
"That would be f*cking NOT!" Sloan raged, grabbing Theo by the collar, and stepping forward with a deadly glare, "You will take orders from me if you know what's good for you, asshole, because I've beat the crap out of you before, and I swear I'll f*cking do it again. So unless you want a nice broken nose to go with that eye - and that sh*t don't heal pretty - get the F*CK out of here!"
He stepped threateningly closer, so his chest was nearly pressed against Theo's, with just Sloan's fist at his collar to separate them.
Sloan was proud of himself. He didn't usually keep his cool this well.

Theo showed no resistance when he was grabbed my the collar, as he was expecting it. He'd kind of hoped Dane would be on his own, but Dane didn't seem to go anywhere on his own anymore, and luck hadn't been on Theo's side the last few days.
But Sloan couldn't hit him, because he had a plan.
He ignored all of the man's threats because they were only white noise to him. He didn't care wht Sloan wanted to do to him, or what he might do to him, because with Dane there he didn't have the right to touch him, and Dane had already protested against any violence, even if his reason was somewhat pathetic.
"You know..." He grumbled, squearing his shoulders as much as he could when he was being lifted onto his tiptoes by his collar, and clenched his jaw. "It doesn't matter what you say, you don't have the right to decide who Dane talks to." He glared at Sloan, not bothering to make a move, because in this one situation, he didn't want to look like the bad guy, and hitting Sloan would turn him into one.
"I won't leave unless he says himself that he doesn't want to talk to me." His eyes flicked to Dane, and he raised a quetioning eyebrow.
Dane stared at him for a while, deciding whether it was worth it, then dropped a gentle hand on Sloan's shoulder. "Two minutes." He looked at Theo, and repeated firmly. "Two minutes. Any more, and you'll make me late."
Theo nodded. "That's all I need." He said, raising his hands in defeat."
"Sloan, let him go." Dane ordered, resting his hands on Sloan's tightly clenched fists. "Please."
((Sorry, just presuming he was let go, here. ))
Theo stepped well away, sorted out the creases on his collar, and jerked a thumb to the other end of some high hedges that sat around the wall by the road, well above eye level. Dane nodded, slightly hesitantly, and walked with Theo around, past the picnic tables to the other side of the wall.
Just before they arrived, Theo looked over his shoulder, and one corner of his mouth lifted into a smug grin.
'Tough luck, buddy boy. He's mine.'

Sloan had to open his mouth just to breathe through the anger that Theo's 'good guy' attitude instilled in him, and he drew back a fist, just as Theo looked over at Dane, and said, "I won't leave unless he says himself that he doesn't want to talk to me."
"Of course he f*cking-"
Sloan broke off, when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Two minutes."
Sloan cast Dane a shocked, incredulous glance - unable to believe that he could actually give this asshole the benefit of the doubt. "Dane-"
"Sloan, let him go. Please."
He looked at Dane, eyes searching his boyfriend's face in frustration, and with a disbelieving grunt, he reluctantly released Theo - then clenched his jaw, and turned his back on the pair.
He was angry. Not just with Theo, but with Dane, too. He had thought that his boyfriend knew him... He had thought Dane cared - but obviously, he was wrong on one of those counts.
Because if Dane knew him at all, then he would know what torture it would be for Sloan to watch him walk off with the man that had caused him such harm.
Dane should understand by now how important he was, and how possessive Sloan was of him.
Those two minutes... They would kill him, because he wouldn't trust Theo for even a heartbeat.
Boiling frustration seemed to claw at his insides, and Sloan sat heavily down at one of the picnic tables, glaring intently at his watch. A second over two minutes, and he was going in.

The minute they were around the corner, Dane rested against the wall with his arms crossed expectantly over his chest. This had better be good... And if Theo tried anything, Dane would scream. Theo knew that. He couln't seriously be stupid enough to try anything with Sloan so close, anyway.
"Well?" He asked, slightly nervous. He'd not even seen Theo since he'd tried that thing on him a few nights ago, and Dane still hadn't gotten over it. He doubted he even would.
Theo poked his head around to make sure Sloan wasn't following them, then looked back to Dane with innocent eyes. "Right, I'm just going to come out and say this... I'm sorry."
Dane raised his eyebrows. Was that it?
"I shouldn't have done what I did to you."
"No, you shouldn't have."
"I shouldn't have got you drunk. Man, I didn't take your Dad into account, I forgot how important that was to you. I know 'sorry' doesn't quite fit, but I'm... Ididn't know what I was doing-"
"You knew exactly what you were doing." Dane growled. "You were nearly sober."
The cocked his head regardingly. "Yeah... But vodka does that to you. Messes with your mind..."
"Right. Like you totally hadn't planned all that to happen." Dane shook his head in disgust. "You're unbelievable. Stop trying to take the blame from yourself, I know wht alcohol can do. It's why I don't f*cking drink it. But you knew exactly what you were doing that night and nothing you say can change that. Now, are you done?"
Theo was stumped for words. After a few minutes of staring at each other, Dane turned to go.
Theo grabbed his shirt and shoved him back at the wall, causing the hedges to shake from both sides. Dane watched Theo with a sudden fear in his eyes, He'd never been pulled around like that. It was almost like Sloan had pulled Dane around...
He swallowed his fear. If Theo tried anything, all Dane had to do was scream.
"Kiss me."
What?
"I need to figure something out. Just... Kiss me."
Dane stared at him incredulously. Was he hearing this right? "No."
"Please."
Dane backed away from him, shaking his head. He jerked his thumb behind him angrily. "My boyfriend is stood just there and you're asking me to kiss you?"
"He won't need to know. Look, it won't mean anything, Dane, It's... Science."
"Science?!" Dane held back the urge to slap him. "Like the other night was science? Forget it." he turned away. "Try your 'science' on another guinea pig."
"Dane-"
"I was 'uncertain' for a long time." Dane snapped, wheeling back round to meet him. "I didn't go around trying to rape people."
"I didn't-..." Theo rolled his eyes. "Dane, I gave you a bit of alcohol, then I tried to pleasure you. That isn't r-... Jesus, mate. Why can't you just kiss me once? I'll leave you alone, I swear."
"Because I love Sloan." Dane muttered, feelingpathetically defensive now.
"Yeah," Theo growled. "And the rest."
That was it. Dane swiped him across the face with the back of his hand, then turned to leave. But Theo grabbed his hand and pulled him back, his other hand pressed against his stinging cheek. The slap obviously hadn't clouded his judgement. Dane shoved his hand away and shouted angrily, "Get off me!"
"Fine!" Theo raised his free arm in defeat. "I just want a decent goodbye." Dane glared at him, at his opened arm, as if he actually expected Dane to just run into them and hug him. He curled his lip in disgust.
"Fine..." Theo echoed, sulking like a child, and slipped past Dane back towards the seating area, brushing a hand secretively across Dane's back pocket in the process. "Just let me get my dog."

Theo didn't approach Sloan, as he'd put up with enough shame for one day. He simply whistled Dodger, shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking down the road. But not after he'd given Sloan a cheeky, hidden little wink from behind his collar.

Dane wandered back round to his boyfriend, angry to an intensity that he'd never experienced before. He'd never had reason to hate someoe so much to slap them in the face in that way, like he actually had the intention to do more than just wake them up. But his anger wasn't like Sloan's. His was a quiet anger tat meant he barely shouted, bar the one time, and it scared him how much his vision clouded over at the thought of ever seeing Theo again.
Cry. He was that angry, he wanted to cry.
"I'm sorry... You were right about him." Dane muttered, rubbing his palm protectively with a slight wince. "I just hope he never comes back again."
He hoped. But somehow, he doubted it.

When Theo walked past him, Sloan glared at the man with a hawk's gaze - and he caught the wink.
He was on his feet in a flash, seething with fury, but before he had a chance to release it, he heard Dane approach him.
"I'm sorry... You were right about him." Dane muttered, "I just hope he never comes back again."
There were lots of things he wanted to say. 'I told you so', perhaps. Or even a more supportive, 'it's okay, it's over now'.
But instead, Sloan said the only thing that his furious lips seemed able to form.
"F*ck you!" He snapped, flashing an angry glare over his shoulder.
Without even turning to face Dane, he stormed after Theo, angrier than ever now, because he felt horrible for taking his anger out on Dane.
When he saw Theo ahead of him, Sloan broke into a run, lips pulling back in a snarl. Without missing a beat, he tackled the man from behind, and knocked him to the ground.
I don't know what the f*ck you did, Theo... He thought furiously to himself, But to make Dane look like that, I'm pretty sure I'd want to kill you if I did.
He felt the angry throbbing of his own heart reflected back to him from Theo's back, and he braced one hand on the ground, and one knee on Theo's back - pinning him down. Then he leaned forward, and whispered into the man's ear.
"You like that, Theo?" He sneered, "'Cause if you're struggling with your sexuality, mate, I'm more than happy to help you make up your mind. I could rape you so f*cking hard that you'll crap yourself every time you look at a man."
He dug his knee more sharply into Theo's back.
"I could do it right here, in the middle of the f*cking street. It shouldn't matter, right? After all, we all know that when a guy says 'No', he really means 'Yes'..." He purred this comment into Theo's ear, his lips forming a threateningly flirtatious smirk.
He slipped a hand down to Theo's belt - and he was actually about to go through with his threat, before what he was about to do actually hit him, and he pulled away in repulsion - shoving Theo roughly over onto his back, so he could look into his cowardly face.
With an inhuman growl, Sloan seized him by the throat.
"I honest to God hate you so f*cking much that beating the crap out of you turns me on a little." He snarled, "Seriously," He went on casually, sending a fist smacking harshly into Theo's face without even a pause, "It feels so good, I might even make a habit of it."
Now the other fist into Theo's other cheekbone.
"What time d'you get off work? Maybe I'll pay you a visit on Monday - smack you around a little, see if I can't work up a sweat?"
He jabbed his knee into Theo's chest, and fell silent for a while as boiling fury stayed his tongue. He sent punch after punch into Theo's face, until his arm was numb, and he could barely make out the man's mangled features through the bloody mess he had become. Either Sloan had knocked him out a while ago, or Theo was just playing dead - because he no longer felt any resistance as he pounded the pathetic thing.
He didn't notice any of the cars drive by - until at last, one with a siren arrived, and he felt a hand jerk him up by the collar.
"Let me the f*ck go!" He yelled, "That bitch ain't dead yet!"
"Calm down!" An authoritative voice behind him snapped, and Sloan felt his arms yanked roughly behind his back, and thrust into cuffs. He growled furiously.
"You're under arrest." The voice told him firmly, "Anything you say can and will be-"
"Can it!" Sloan raged, "I won't-"
"Shut up, Terse." The voice replied wearily, sounding more casual now. Sloan glanced over his shoulder, and saw the face of David Stafford, a police officer that he had come to form something of a rapport with during one of his nights in a holding cell. It had become something of a joke between the two of them; how often Dave had to drag a drunk Sloan off some poor oaf who had dared pick a fight with him.
Sloan sighed heavily, and let his tense shoulders relax at last.
"You got a bit carried away this time." Dave commented, watching as the paramedics that had arrived with him loaded Theo into an ambulance. "You're not gonna get off so light. They might even charge you with attempted murder." He commented conversationally.
"I wasn't gonna kill him..." Sloan muttered sulkily.
"Really? Because when I arrived, I'm pretty sure you told me to let you go because 'that bitch ain't dead yet'. Am I right?"
Sloan shot him a sideways glance.
"Of course," Dave went on, glancing around in an innocent fashion, "That could well have been the voice in my head. Now come on, let's take you downtown and throw you in the slammer again."
Grumbling to himself, Sloan followed Dave, and allowed himself to be shoved into the back of the police car, and driven to the nearest prison.
He was thrown into a holding cell, and left to mope around sulkily for a while.
There were a number of other criminals in there - and at first, they ignored Sloan. Soon enough, however, Sloan grew tired, and claimed a spot on the dirty bench in the cell. This, apparently, was enough to pick a fight.
Luckily for Sloan, it was the biggest, meanest looking bloke of the bunch who challenged him first, and after that poor sod got his ass handed to him, the rest kept well away from Sloan - who ended up having the bench completely to himself, while the other criminals went about their business on the opposite end of the cell, and tried to ignore him.
Sloan was probably the only one who got any sleep that night.

The next morning, Dave came back, and told Sloan that he could leave as soon as he made bail. When he asked who he should call regarding this, however, Sloan refused to give him a number. He was still a little annoyed with Dane - but more than that, he was angry with himself for how he had treated his boyfriend. Either way, he didn't want to see Dane - certainly not in this situation.

Luckily, Dave was used to Sloan's difficult attitude - so he just grabbed the man's cellphone out of his bag of possessions, and hit speed dial one.
When a male voice answered on the other end of the line, Dave put on his official voice and said, "Good day, sir. My name is Officer David Stafford, and I'm calling on behalf of the Police Department. I believe you know a man called Sloan Terse?"
He glanced toward the cell, raising an eyebrow slightly.
He hoped for Sloan's sake that, whoever this guy was, he would be able to bail Sloan out.

It was Dane's boss who called the police.
Dane had been stood, helplessly watching from the sidelines as Sloan beat the living daylights out of Theo's face, so much until it was nothing but a red mess splattered all over the pavement. Dodger was barking so viciously I honestly thought he was going to rip Sloan's arm off, but thankfully he didn't have that part of German Shepherd in him, so he just sat and barked. Sloan, in his blind fury, ignored the dog and kept flinging his fists at Theo's body.
Dane tried to stop him, but what could he do? He'd never seen Sloan this angry before, and he'd already tried to shout to his boyfriend, attempted to pull him away, but the look in Sloan's eyes scared him. Besides, the way Sloan had looked at him when he'd tried to talk, the way he'd snapped at him like he honestly hated him, made Dane honestly scared to approach him. When his boss finally came out of the café to see what was going on, she decided herself to call the police, just so she was sure they were safe.
Dane only properly came over when the ambulance had arrived, mostly because he didn't trust Dodger not to run away, and asked the paramedics of Theo was still alive. They assured him he was, but they'd have to check him out for any internal damage back at the hospital.
Dane stood in the middle of the road, holding Dodger's collar, as the ambulance drove one way, and the police car went the other.

He'd been let off early to go home and sort Dodger out for a temporary home at a kennel, and to wait for any phone calls from the police department. He was too scared to go on his own, because he'd never been there before, and the thought of going into a place with load of scary jailers and policemen creeped him out a bit.
He called Sloan's phone several times, although he didn't exactly know why. They took possessions off them when they took them to jail, didn't they? In case they have any weapons?
Somehow, Dane couldn't imagine Sloan carrying a weapon.
He ate his tea in silence, not like he had much choice, and slept in Sloan's bed – as if being able to smell the man's smell would let him pretend for a night that his boyfriend hadn't been locked in jail.
He promised himself the next day he'd call the local jail and ask about his boyfriend. But later the next morning, he was beaten to it.
“Sloan!” He gasped when he answered his phone, expecting to hear his boyfriend's voice through the speaker, but the voice ended up being someone he didn't recognise. This made his heart stop.
“Um... Yeah.” He blushed. He'd never had to talk to a police officer before. “Yeah, I do. I'm his... Friend. A good friend.”
He paused to calm his heart beat, attempting to keep his cool, but he eventually lost it. He couldn't help it, he needed to hear Sloan's voice.
“Is he alright? Where is he? When's he coming out? Please tell me it's nothing serious... He's had anger issues before as far as I know, but he's ever beat someone that badly. I know him, he's not a bad guy, he's-... Theo – the other guy – must have provoked him somehow. I didn't see anything but Sloan wouldn't have just pounced on him like that...”
He paused for breath and raked a hand through his short hair, closed his eyes, and continued.
“Is he alright? Can I talk to him?”

Dave grunted and held the phone away from his ear slightly as Dane assaulted him with a wave of questions. Only once the man at the other end of the line had finally quietened down did Dave attempt to answer.
"He's fine." He said, glancing briefly toward the cell, "We'll release him as soon as he's made bail. He got off pretty light this time..."
Dave paused, and glanced toward Sloan again - finding the man scowling at him this time.
"I would let you talk to him, but I doubt he'll take too kindly to it - you may be better off just coming down here to get him. His cellmates would certainly appreciate it..." A hint of amusement crept into Dave's voice - but then he quickly cleared his throat, and reverted to his official attitude.
"Anyway, we'll be holding him here until we hear from you. Good day."
With that, he hung up, and went back to his paperwork.
Dave hadn't been part of the police force long, and he was still struggling to get used to being in a position of power. He was generally an easygoing, friendly sort of guy - so he found it difficult to command the authority he knew he should.

Sloan, meanwhile, was glaring lazily at Dave. He knew that the officer had probably figured out a way to contact somebody - probably Dane, since his was pretty much the most dialed number on Sloan's phone - but he found he didn't really mind. He wasn't ashamed of beating Theo up, after all. In fact he was rather proud - but he was a little embarrassed by the prospect of his boyfriend having to pick him up from jail, just after he'd vowed to himself that he would turn over a new leaf...
Still - this whole thing was Theo's fault, anyway, so it didn't matter.

Dane stared at the phone as it was hung up, wondering what the officer meant. Was that it? He went to the prison, picked up Sloan, and took him home? Was it that simple?
He slipped the phone back in his pocket and wiped the imaginary sweat from his forehead. Right. He had a job to do.

He drove to the prison in Sloan's Jeep - whether his boyfriend would be bothered by this, Dane didn't care, as long as he bloody well got there - and he was secretly feeling somewhat nervous for the meeting. The last thing Sloan had said to him was 'f*ck you', and he certainly hadn't been joking when he said it. Sloan would have let him know if he had.
Besids... All this with Theo and Sloan getting arrested was partially Dane's fault. It was his responsibility to fix it.
He came with his checkbook - which had solemnly been collecting dust for the last few years, since he barely used it - in case he had to pay Sloan out of there, and nervously entered the prison.
The woman at the reception desk, a very masculine one with a faint beard and a hideous wart on her chin, led him to a waiting room which he stayed in for what felt like hours, until someone came to see him.
An officer walked down the coridoor, a hunched Sloan walking by his side, and without even bothering about physical contact rules, Dane ran up and flung his arms around his boyfriend, as if he'd not seen him in months, never mind twenty-four hours.
He said nothing for a while, until he finally pulled away and spent a moment checking Sloan over. His face seemed fine, Theo hadn't struck him anywhere - he'd probably be dead if he had - and he looked like he'd slept the night. Perhaps not all the night, but he didn't look as much like a zombie as Dane first feared.
He turned to the Officer, slipping his hands in his pockets. "So, what happens now? I'm a little new to this, as you can tell..." He laughed awkwardly then looked down at his feet shyly. Obviously, he didn't belong there.

At around midday, Dave came to fetch Sloan from his cell, and take him to a waiting room. The other inmates seemed glad to see the back of him, which gave Sloan an odd sense of satisfaction as he walked away.
The moment they entered the waiting room, Dane darted toward him like a rocket, and Sloan grunted in surprise when his boyfriend collided suddenly with his chest.
He had expected Dane to still be annoyed with him, and he had to admit that he was touched by how pleased the man seemed to see him. Still, he was also very aware of Dave's eyes on him - so he patted Dane's back awkwardly, and then set him at an arm's length.
"I've caused you trouble again." He said with an apologetic smile, "Sorry."

Dane turned to Dave, then, and asked, "So, what happens now? I'm a little new to this, as you can tell..." He laughed, and Dave responded with a reassuring smile.
"Well-"
"You bail me out, and then we go home." Sloan filled in, glancing briefly toward Dave, "Right?"
"Right." The officer answered, "Until next time, that is."
"Of course." Sloan nodded, "But next time let me kill the motherf*cker first."
Dave cuffed him in the back of the head, glaring scoldingly at him for saying something like that when he was already in jail, and this shut Sloan up for a while.
He was left to wait while Dave took Dane into another room, and handled the bail - then they came back, and Sloan stood up expectantly.
Dave opened the door to see them out, and as he was leaving, Sloan glanced back and said, "Keep my spot in the cell for me, would you?"
"I always do." The officer replied, smirking slightly.
Sloan offered a brief smile, then turned back to Dane, and subtly took his hand as they walked away.
"Thanks for coming to get me." He said quietly, glancing softly down at his boyfriend, "I'm sorry I flew off the handle."

Dane was surprised how simple it was, but then again he was relieved. There was nothing worse than feeling stupid in a place where everyone knew what they were doing. He wasn't pleased with Sloan's retorts, either, but one tap around the head fromt he officer and Sloan shut up.
Dane went into a small consultation room to sort out his boyfriend's bail, and once he'd chipped into the money Dart had earned for him in the couple of months Sloan had been away, the amount ended up not being muh of a problem, despite how poor Dane was compared to normal people.
So he and his boyfriend walked out of the prison with a silent hope that he'd never have to go back anytim in the future, and Dane squeezed Sloan's hand affectionately.
"You don't need to apologise." Dane assurred him as they reached the Jeep. "I don't know what Theo did, but he must have done something to piss you off, besides existing." He smiled slightly, although he knew he shouldn't have done whilst still knowing Theo was in hospital. The doctors had told him Theo had been in a stable condition, and he awoke earlier that morning. His face would be pretty bruised for a while and he was being treated for a broken jaw and nose, so he'd be in hospital for quite a while.
Thankfully, he probably wouldn't be talking for weeks, either.
"Are you alright?" He asked, unlocking the Jeep and sitting in the driver's seat. "You seem it... I'm just wondering. You hear all these stories bout guys in jail who get bullied or pushed around... It must have been crap in there."

"I don't know what he did either." Sloan replied shamelessly, "But he must have done something to piss you off, and that's good enough for me. Besides, I was still pissed from last time..." He trailed off with a snarl, then forcibly relaxed his muscles as he felt himself tensing up with anger again.
Deep down, he did know why he hated Theo so much... And it wasn't just for what he'd done to Dane.
It was because he and Theo were basically the same person.
Of course he'd never admit that - but he could see it clearly in everything Theo did, and it irked him more than he could ever explain.
He was glad Dave had locked him up. Otherwise, he was pretty sure Theo would be dead.
"Are you alright?" Dane asked as they reached the Jeep, and Sloan glanced up in surprise, shaking off his thoughts.
"You seem it... I'm just wondering. You hear all these stories bout guys in jail who get bullied or pushed around... It must have been crap in there."
Sloan considered this a moment, then shrugged casually and replied, "It's not so bad. I guess you could say I'm used to it... And besides, it doesn't take long for those f*ckers to work out not to give me trouble." He smirked slightly to himself, and shook his head in amusement.
"It's ironic, really. They lock me up for beating the crap out of somebody, then throw me into a cell with a bunch of other hotheads, and leave us to pound the stuffing out of each other."
He shrugged, then pulled Dane absentmindedly out of the Jeep, and sent him around to the passenger side.
He hopped into the driver's seat himself, then turned back to his boyfriend.
"I'll refund you for the bail, by the way. Can't have you paying for my mistakes..."
He trailed off, flexing his sore fingers for a moment before he took the wheel.
"And the 'mistake' I'm talking about was getting locked up, not beating the crap out of Theo. I don't regret that at all... In fact, I'd do it again. And I probably will."
He fell silent with an irritable huff, twisting the key roughly in the ignition, then reversing the Jeep out onto the road.
F*ck you, Theo. Next time, I swear I'll f*cking kill you.

Dane raised his eyebrows. What did Sloan mean, he was 'used to it'?
Then he remembered, Soan used to have a thing about getting drunk a lot, and that probably came with beating other people up. Dane had seen Sloan when he'd hit the fat man at the Indian restaurant, and when he'd beaten Theo up. He never hesitated if he thought the individual deserved it, and that wasn't the work of an Ameteur.
Dane then felt himself being dragged out the car and stared at the man incredulously. What was he doing? But when Sloan sat back in the driver's seat and shoed Dane towards the other end of the car, he understood.
Obviously, it was Sloan's turn to drive.
Rolling his eyes in amusement, Dane sat in the passenger seat and put on his seat belt, just as Sloan started talking again. "I'll refund you for the bail, by the way. Can't have you paying for my mistakes..."
Dane opened his mouth to object, but Sloan corrected himself.
"And the 'mistake' I'm talking about was getting locked up, not beating the crap out of Theo. I don't regret that at all... In fact, I'd do it again. And I probably will."
"Please don't." Dane glowered at him, kicking off his shoes casually. "I think he's already established he's lost this one. You broke his nose and his jaw, mate. He's suffered enough."
Dane was smirking again, though he knew he shouldn't be.
"He won't be smiling for a while, let alone talking. Besides which..."Dane folded his hands behind his head and pushed his seat back slightly, giving him more upper body room. "And don't worry about paying me back. I took the money from Dart's saving, so technically you bailed your own ass out of there."
He looked at his boyfriend with on eyebrow raised, then lifted one side of his mouth in a tiny smirk. His hand floted away from the back of his head and ruffled Sloan's hair lovingly. "Good to have you back, mate."

They got back not too long after, and when the Jeep was parked outside Sloan's house Dane slipped back on his shoes and climbed out. "Oh, and I saved you some cookies from yesterday, although I know that'd probably count as rewarding you for bad behaviour. Still..." He grinned, then wandered over to Sloan and grabbed his head, kissing it roughly.
"you deserve it, and I hear prison food's crap."

"Suffered enough my ass..." Sloan grumbled to himself, but he decided not to share this thought with Dane. It was no surprise that Dane had a more forgiving nature than he did.
Still, he was glad to hear about Theo's broken bones. Maybe this time he would learn to heed Sloan's warnings...

Soon enough, they were driving back home, Sloan feeling somewhat more cheerful after Dane had ruffled his hair. He was glad to know that his boyfriend wasn't angry with him, although he was still slightly annoyed with himself... For swearing at Dane, that is - not for beating the crap out of Theo.
Sloan was jerked out of his thoughts when they arrived at the house. He parked the Jeep outside, climbed out, and stretched dramatically as he waited for Dane, who appeared at his side in an instant.
"Oh, and I saved you some cookies from yesterday, although I know that'd probably count as rewarding you for bad behaviour. Still..." He said with a grin, pulling Sloan's head into a kiss, "you deserve it, and I hear prison food's crap."
He pulled out of Dane's grasp, then grinned and pounced on his boyfriend lovingly, scrubbing his short hair viciously with his knuckles.
"Thanks mate!" He said with a grin, keeping an arm slung around Dane's shoulders as he walked him to the door, "But I wouldn't know. I've never been in prison long enough for them to feed me - touch wood - but if it's anything like hospital food, then I don't want to know." He shuddered dramatically, then shoved Dane into the house, before following and locking the door behind him.
He lingered there a moment with his back to Dane, then turned around and offered a slightly sheepish smile.
"I'm sorry I swore at you." He said seriously, rubbing the back of his head in an awkward fashion, "I really should have been more supportive, but I was pretty angry..." He paused a moment, then added, "With Theo, and you."
He nodded toward the couch, sitting down, and patting the cushion beside him for Dane.
"Usually I'd just keep this sort of thing to myself, but you surprised me when you pushed me aside like that, mate." He frowned slightly, and added seriously, "I thought you'd understand how much it would hurt me to see you scurry off to have a chat with Theo after what he did to you last time. You may not have realized this Dane, but I'm pretty protective of the people I care about." He offered a subtle smile, and shrugged helplessly.
He couldn't help being overprotective. After what he'd been through as a child, he was just too paranoid not to be...
"I'm not saying you did anything wrong," He amended, laying a reassuring hand on Dane's shoulder, "I just worry about you, and it hurts when you push me away when I'm trying to protect you... Even if I do go a bit too far."

Dane yelped as he was yanked into a headlock and flailed his hands at Sloan's arms, trying to tackle him away. When he was finally released he slapped Sloan's hands a few times with a frown, like a girl in a cat-fight and glared at his boyfriend, before grinning and wrapping his arms around him again.
He had to admit, he liked their relationship. They both knew when to stop at the right time, and when to make a joke.
"But I wouldn't know. I've never been in prison long enough for them to feed me - touch wood - but if it's anything like hospital food, then I don't want to know."
"Yeah," Dane chuckled, jogging into the house as he was pushed. "Don't speak too soon."
He sat down on the soa, kicked off his shoes and sprawled himself untidily over the large cushions. The stress on his shoulders that had been haunting him all night, and the majority of the day before could finally be released, and he found himsel smiling without any restraint, and it felt good.
He'd missed his boyfriend, and he was glad he was glad to see him, especially after the look he'd given him the previous day.
"I'm sorry I swore at you."
Dane flicked his hand, as if waving the statement away. It wasn't the swearing that had scared him, it was the look Sloan had given him. But it didn't atter, it was over now.
"I really should have been more supportive, but I was pretty angry...With Theo," Dane snorted. He'd already noticed that. "[i]And you." His head snapped up, and he watched the man with anxious eyes, both apologetic and guilty. Sloan hadn't shown any anger towards him yet... He hadn't realised how much of an impact he'd made. A bad one, this time.
And so he listened to the explanation given to him, and soon enough he found it difficult to look at his boyfriend. He hadn't meant to 'push Slon away'... That wasn't what he'd meant at all! He'd just... Wanted to hear Theo out, because he wondered that something worth risking getting your face pelted for had to be pretty important, right?
But the way Sloan put it, Dane sounded like quite the asshole. He hadn't meant to 'scurry off' either. Geez.. They'd only gone to the other side of a wall!
"I'm not saying you did anything wrong," Yes you are, Dane thought, looking down guiltily, as he didn't even notice the hand on his shoulder. "I just worry about you, and it hurts when you push me away when I'm trying to protect you... Even if I do go a bit too far."
"I'm sorry..." Dae mumbled, slowly curling up into his 'hedgehog' position again, bringing his legs up to his chest and pressing his head between his knees. "I... I didn't realise it looked that way. God..." He scrunched his eyes closed. "I'm an idiot."
He sat like that for several moments, trying to put his thoughts together, until he unlined his hands behind his head and looked up again.
"I'm really sorry... I just thought that- That if something that was worth getting punched in the face and threatened again, it had to be pretty important. Even Theo isn't stupid enough to pick a fight with someone like you. But, instead," He frowned at his hands. "I gave him more chances than he deserved. I just fell for his ''innocent' act again, didn't I?"
He looked back up at Sloan, completely apologetic.
"You were right, I shouldn't trust people so easily... But I- I can't help it. I can't understand why people would act this way."
He looked down again and rested his head sideways on the sofa cushion, slumping his shoulders in utter defeat.
He paused for a minute, frowning at himself, and shifted his seat a few times. Was there something under the cushion, or something he was sat on that he hadn't noticed?
Pulling a face, he reached into the back pocket of his trousers and pulled out a small,crumpled piece of paper. Where the hell had that come from?
Opening it out, he peered at the scribbled writing. The words 'CALL ME' were scrawled on the top with a mobile number. Dane knew whose it was straight away..
"The asshole!" He roared, scrunching it up in his palm. "He must have put it in my back pocket when he went passed me! I thought I felt something on my arse!"
He tossed the small, white ball onto the carpet furiously and held his head in his hands. "I can't f*cking believe this."

Sloan shrugged off Dane's apology, and wrapped an arm warmly around him when he curled up into his hedgehog stance. He hadn't meant to make his boyfriend feel guilty... He was just trying to explain himself - but it seemed he'd done a bad job of that, because Dane looked pretty upset.
After a moment, he went on to explain further, and when he finally looked up, Sloan smiled reassuringly in response.
"You were right, I shouldn't trust people so easily... But I- I can't help it. I can't understand why people would act this way."
"It's okay." Sloan shrugged, "That trusting quality of yours is one of the things I love most about you. I just sometimes wish it only applied to me..." He rolled his eyes at his selfishness, and chuckled to himself - but before he could say anything more, Dane started shifting around, and Sloan moved away to give him space, frowning questioningly.
Dane dug a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket, then scrunched it up with an angry roar the likes of which Sloan had never heard him make before.
"The asshole!" Sloan jumped in surprise, eyes widening as he stared disbelievingly at Dane.
"He must have put it in my back pocket when he went passed me! I thought I felt something on my arse! I can't f*cking believe this."
Sloan watched the crumpled piece of paper bearing Theo's number bounce to the ground, and his jaw tightened angrily. He forced himself to look away, and turned to Dane - wrapping his arms warmly around his boyfriend's curled-up form.
"It's okay, mate." He soothed, "I'll beat him to death next time." He patted Dane affectionately on the head, and smiled in a teasing fashion - even though he was only half joking.
"Just forget about it, alright? It's over now - and if he has any sort of brain in that stupid f*cking head of his, he'll never pull something like this again. If he does, I won't take it easy on him."
He squeezed Dane tighter, and pressed his forehead gently against his boyfriend's temple.
For a moment, he couldn't help but marvel at how soft he could be when he was around Dane - compared to the relative monster he had been in the jail. It was remarkable, really...
"What are you so upset about?" He murmured softly, "Talk to me... I can help you, if you'll let me."