Chapter One

Harry

The pain in my arms was overwhelming and I knew I wouldn’t last another second, never mind another two minutes.

“Aaggh!” I groaned loudly, dropping the mother of all weights to the ground. Seriously, who in their right minds could stand holding those bastard things for five minutes?

“Harry, you would have lasted the last two – pain is all in the mind!”

“Shut the fuck up, Ethan. The pain wasn’t in your mind when you got shot in London, was it? Oh no, we all heard about your pain then, didn’t we?!”

I knew it was a low-blow seeing as how he had actually gotten his stupid ass shot by jumping in front of me; I should have been the one shot! It would have only been a flesh wound and I wouldn’t have been such a baby about it.

“There’s a difference between getting shot in the arm and lifting some light weights,” Ethan grunted in response, glaring at me.

“Light?!”

I threw my arms in the air in frustration, causing another moan to omit from me by the action, and turned to get my water.

The gym was empty so we had the run of the place. Only Level A agents were allowed to use the gym after hours. Our Level B status had been upgraded two years ago, thanks to my work in Madrid with a mobster that had too much money. I just allowed Ethan to take half of the glory.

He hated it when I said that – “I’m the one who actually caught him while you were too busy chatting up the Spanish models during his getaway!” was what he would say.

Such an exaggerator! I had it all under control!

“Hey, watch me, will you? I don’t want to be crushed to death while you daydream about God knows what.”

I turned around to see Ethan try and tackle a weight much scarier looking than the ones I’d been dealing with.

“You’re crazy,” I shook my head, flicking some water at him. He couldn’t stop the smile from crossing his face but immediately returned to that stoic look of his.

“Quit fooling around and watch me. We’re due a case and we need to be in top physical shape, Harry. We can’t slack off just because we’re Level A’s now!”

“You’re so boring when you talk about that shit, let’s just head up to the common room and beat Georgie’s ass at darts!” I started heading towards the exit, splashing my water over my head to cool down. I didn’t get far.

“Get back here right now, Taylor.”

I scoffed but stayed where I was, turning to face him. “You’re not the boss of me, Moore. You can do what you like, but I’m going upstairs. I’m missing all of the fun!” I sulked, crossing my arms like a four year old.

“I thought we made a pact when we first started this. How many times do I have to remind you of that?” he retorted in annoyance, standing up and walking towards me.

I rolled my eyes. That stupid pact was the bane of my existence. This was his second time reminding me of it today; I needed reminding a lot.

Ethan and I met during training for this agency. I had flown over from London and he was a born and bred Californian. He had kept to himself while I was the class clown. I didn’t know why I took a liking to him so much, but I kept persisting and annoying him until he finally allowed me to be his friend.

Once training was over, we were known informally as a duo. During a rare drunken night – rare on Ethan’s part, anyway – we decided that we would stick together. We would be each other’s wing man in every aspect and would remain a team for the duration of our careers. We worked better together than apart.

People were still surprised at our friendship – we were like complete opposites. I was the only person Ethan really talked to. I mean, he wasn’t a weirdo and literally didn’t speak to one other person. He just didn’t speak to anyone else unless absolutely necessary.

“People annoy me,” he had said one night when I kept asking him what his deal was.

I could be very persistent when I wanted to be.

“But Ethan,” I replied to him, returning my mind to the present, “I’m probably in better physical shape than you now so that means that I don’t have to exercise as much! It’s not my fault you’re getting fat!” I knew that I had never been physically fitter than Ethan a day in my life, but I was clutching at straws here! I hated the gym. I was more of a weapons man.

“If you’re fitter than me, let’s see who can hold that weight the longest, then,” he smirked, knowing he’d caught me. I liked it when he played with me though; it beat his mysterious seriousness, anyway.

I kind of liked that he was quiet and mysterious, though. It was sexy.

Jesus. I didn’t just think that. Girls with boobs. Girls with boobs.

I breathed a sigh of relief when my mind filled with Jessica Alba in pink underwear. Oh, Jessica... When will you realise that we were made for each other?

“I’m guessing that’s a no, then?” Ethan scoffed, lying back once more and positioning his hands on the monster of a weight.

I didn’t reply and just grunted, walking back to stand behind him. He wouldn’t be of much use to me if he dropped the weight on his throat and suffocated to death.

Once he was finished I was in an even fouler mood. He’d made that look so effortless; it was reminding me of how much I needed to catch up on. Ethan was right about one thing; we were due a mission and I wasn’t as ready as I could be.

I’d never let Ethan know he was right, though. That would just ruin all of the fun!

“I wonder how many times Georgie has lost to Kim by now?” I pondered as Ethan and I walked down the hallway of our apartment block. We were all subdivided into blocks based on our rankings. The A block was full of Grade A agents, B block of Grade B, and so on.

“I couldn’t tell you,” Ethan replied, rolling his eyes. He acted like he was above our childishness but I saw his shoulders shaking whenever George – or Georgie, as I liked to call him – pinned me to the ground and tickled me to death.

Of course, I only allowed him to gain control of me like that to make him feel better; I could easily overpower him. I was just trying to boost his confidence...

“I bet Kim has him eating out of the palm of her hand, and Georgie’s trying to hold in soft, soft sobs at being beaten at darts by a girl. He really should be used to it at this sta –” I was cut of abruptly mid-sentence by the scruff of my neck being grabbed and dragged backwards. Oh shit.

“What’s that, Taylor? Soft, soft what?”

I looked at Ethan for help, but he was just smirking, trying to stifle his laughter. I glared at him. Taking a bullet is no problem but helping me out with Georgie is just too much, apparently!

“Georgie, let me go – I don’t want to hurt you!” I threatened, knowing that Georgie’s black belt was going to be a slight problem. Only a slight problem, though.

“You hurt me?! You may beat me at the dart board but when it comes to pain, I inflict and you take! Now, I believe I heard you call me that fucking name again. What have I told you Harold about calling me Georgie?”

I could tell he was trying to keep his voice steady from the laughter. He had me trapped; my arms were pinned to my back by his, restricting any movement. My legs were free, though.

Stamping my foot down hard on top of his, he groaned in surprise and that was enough of a distraction to allow me to pry my arms away and spin around, running as fast as I could.

Ethan moved out of my way, shaking his head in humour as I ran.

“I believe you said that Georgie was the perfect name for you because it allowed the queer little bubble inside of you to burst with happiness and rainbows!” I shouted over my shoulder as I ran.

People who were in the common room of our block all came out at my shouting and laughed. Georgie and I had a history of playful run ins that usually involved me running for my life.

I looked back, roaring with laughter as Georgie charged after me. He may have been slightly stronger than me, but I was faster.

After another twenty minutes, he finally gave up and shook his head. I was standing at the end of a corridor of apartments; always one step ahead of him. Or twenty, in this circumstance.

“One of these days, Taylor – I’ll catch you one of these days!” he shouted down the hallways to me, chuckling despite his determination to look mean and menacing. Aw, I couldn’t imagine Georgie as mean or menacing – he was too much like a cuddly toy.

I knew even as I thought this that that sentence was absurd. Georgie was huge, the tallest and biggest guy I knew. He had an exotic look about him with a shaved head. His muscles were even slightly bigger than Ethan’s. But Ethan could still probably beat him in a fist fight. However, despite his height and muscles, it was his personality that made George become Georgie.

Ethan and I had trained with him and he was one of the nicest guys I knew. Any plans he had made to reform himself and make himself as scary as he looked over the years completely backfired once I started teasing. It was what made my life fun.

I walked back to my apartment that I shared with Ethan, absolutely exhausted from my time at the gym and trying to outrun Georgie.

Every apartment had two bedrooms and one bathroom. It was a no-brainer that Ethan and I would stay together.

“He didn’t catch you, then,” Ethan commented as I walked in. He was lounging on our couch in our living room/kitchen with a boring looking book in his hand. His brown hair was still wet from the shower he must have taken and the hoody he was wearing adorned the logo of the agency we worked for. He still managed to look unbelievable, though.

“Of course he didn’t,” I snorted, ignoring my last thought and pulling my t-shirt off over my head, “I could outrun a cheetah!”

Ethan chuckled, raising his eyes to mine. He eyed my bare chest momentarily before dropping his eyes to the book again. Ethan got weird whenever I undressed in front of him; he liked to set boundaries. I, unfortunately, liked to ignore any boundaries he set.

“What are you reading?” I asked, walking to the couch and almost sitting on top of him. He always got annoyed when I ‘didn’t respect his personal boundaries’, as he so cruelly put it.

“Catch-22. It’s actually a really good read if you want to borr –”

“Yeah, yeah, I don’t care. Anyway, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” I interrupted, pushing myself against him so he was slowly being pushed off of the couch.

“You won’t have any plans tomorrow if you don’t stop; the hospital ward will be your plans for a couple of weeks,” he used his ‘I’m going to kill you in a single punch’ voice that most enemies have caved at. I, however, had heard it too many times to even register it.

“Aw, you’re never any fun!” I complained loudly, scoffing, “We should just do something outrageous! We haven’t done anything outrageous in ages!”

“That’s generally because your version of ‘outrageous’ often ends up with you getting a verbal warning for misconduct and me having to carry you home!”

I smiled to myself, my eyes becoming dreamy. “Isn’t alcohol wonderful?”

Ethan just laughed dryly and stood up, giving me the whole couch to stretch out on. “No, not when it comes to you. You barely have limits when you’re sober; once you drink, limits become a foreign thing to you!”

“That’s the best part of all, my dear friend. Anyway, seriously. Tomorrow night we should throw a party – invite all of the guys and of course, the ladies,” I waggled my eyebrows suggestively but Ethan didn’t look impressed.

“No.”

“But –”

“No.”

“Aw Ethan, pl –”

“No.”

“You haven’t had a girl in your room in almost a year! I know because my room is two feet away from yours! Surely even you crave some lady attention,” this was the last argument I had.

I expected Ethan to have another sensible, boring comment to make such as ‘no’, but instead, he just dropped his eyes from mine and stared at the wall.

“I – I –... I’m going to bed. End of conversation.” He spun on his heel and stalked to his room, shutting the door behind him.

He had been acting weirder and weirder these past few months. I was worried about him not expressing his feelings enough; I was an emotional guy and I liked to talk about things. Ethan was the opposite. Even I couldn’t tell what’s been bothering him these past few months.

I shook my head in annoyance at the lack of partying we would be doing tomorrow night and his abrupt, uncalled for exit. He never even said goodnight to me.

He knows how much I liked parting phrases.

I would make him pay for that tomorrow by allowing the weights to fall and crush his neck, deeming him paralysed or dead.

Or maybe just flick some of my bottled water at him. Whatever works.

This is my newest boyxboy story and I realllllllllly hope you like it! Harry and Ethan are very different to my two other boys, Damon and Shane. I've also completely changed the setting and circumstances so this should be really fun to write and - hopefully - read!

What do you think of Harry and Ethan? I will be alternating between point of view's in each chapter so we get a glimpse into both of their heads!

Let me know anyway and please please PLEEEASE vote and comment if you liked this!! (Especially comment - I looooove reading your comments!)

Okay thanks byeeeeeeee

-O

The picture on the right is of Harry <3 Too much cuteness <3