Conquest Ch. 02

Sighing Tyler got up heading for the bathroom. He paused as a sharp ring filled the air. He didn't recognise the melody, turning back he looked at the empty table. Laura had her phone with her in the kitchen and that wasn't his ringtone.

Tyler crouched down pawing blindly until his hands enclosed a cold rectangle. Bringing it up Tyler's mouth dried as he let Dylan's call to Thomas go to voicemail.

*****

A steady pulsation throbbed through Thomas's temples, he rested his forehead against the cold glass of the train window. The train was fairly empty, there weren't many people on the train with such nice weather.

The silence of the carriage was disturbed with the tannoy announcing Thomas's stop. As he dismounted the platform Thomas threw his hands over his eyes making a temporary visor. He could only concentrate on getting home, there was nothing else to give to any other thought. Thomas gritted his teeth as he walked closer home trying ever harder to think of nothing else. Not yet.

A crack of birdsong jolted Thomas as he slid his key into the lock and stumbled into the hallway. Thomas kicked the door shut followed by a sheet of darkness that quenched the light. Opening his eyes Thomas watched spheres of white contort and twist as they pirouetted across the ceiling. Scrunching his eyes Thomas willed the phosphenes away whilst he gripped the bannister as he made his way to the shower

Simultaneously kicking off his jeans and pulling his shirt off Thomas turned the showerhead on full blast whilst waiting in front of the glass doors. Invited by tendrils of steam Thomas gasped as the streams of heat enveloped his head as he stepped in

Staying beneath the water Thomas focused on the burning sensation building in his lungs. Eventually breaking away Thomas swivelled on the spot gasping for air. The world spun as Thomas splayed his hands outwards to steady himself on the tiles; the water bit into his shoulder blades causing a deep exhale of breath

Slices of the previous night shifted into focus. The softness of Tyler's neck as they left the bar, the strength of his hands moving across his arms and the heat of his kisses. Thomas shivered violently as he exerted pressure through his arms onto the tiles. Trying to push the memories from his mind Thomas took deep gulps of breath.

He remembered Tyler's hand tracing his chest and the delightful squeezes of his nipple. Thomas slammed the water to cold as he felt himself growing hard

Why couldn't he stop thinking about last night?

Thomas flinched at the biting cold droplets but held his ground. He bit his lip as the shock of the temperature change overwhelmed his senses. Shutting the valve, he stood motionless as he recovered from the icy assault

Barely having stepped out Thomas cursed as his doorbell rung, drying himself frantically with the nearest towel he cursed as he nearly slipped

"One minute, I'll be right down!"

The doorbell continued to ring as Thomas thundered down the stairs, as he pulled the latch he chided

"Alright, alright no need to knock the door down!"

"Sorry Mr Aggy just trying to check you weren't dead, guess you should reply to your calls."

Dylan leaned against the doorway with both arms folded, he wore silver framed aviators which made it impossible to see his eyes

"Jesus, you look rough, what happened to you last night?"

Dylan took off his sunglasses and walked inside, Thomas avoided his gaze looking down at the floor. He didn't know how to answer Dylan's question and threw together a generic reply

"Got bladdered, came home. That's it."

Thomas walked towards the kitchen but stopped and frowned, he turned to look at Dylan as he remembered a certain someone called Shaun

"Hold on a minute, you can't come in all high and mighty when you went home with a guy last night."

As Thomas realised the hypocrisy of his statement he prayed Dylan wouldn't notice his reddening cheeks. Dylan maintained his composure for as long as possible before finally breaking into a massive grin

"You got time for a coffee? This is gonna take while."

Thomas waved him in motioning for Dylan to take a seat in the living room

"Just gotta get dressed but I'll be down shortly to hear all about your steamy night"

In spite of everything Thomas couldn't help but wink and smile; he'd been successful so the night wasn't totally a... disaster? Was disaster the right adjective? A frown returned to his face as he took the steps two by two.

- - - - -

Dylan launched himself on the sofa grabbing hold of the TV controller as he landed. He picked a random channel and lay flat staring at the smooth white ceiling. He laughed as he remembered his evening and bit his lip as excitement shook him. Choregraphed laughter emanated from the TV and the sound weaved in with Thomas's footsteps as he came down the stairs.

"So then, how was your night? Please do kiss and tell"

The wink from Thomas set a brief flutter off in Dylan's chest before he swiftly quelled it

"I'm a gentleman thank you very much, we don't kiss and tell"

Dylan casually swivelled his head to face the TV deliberately ignoring his friends shit eating grin; he turned the volume up and sunk deeper still into the sofa

"Hey I've always wanted to know how to bak..."

Dylan yelped in surprise as a cushion repeatedly smacked his head

"Listen here you're gonna tell me all about your night"

Thomas laughed as he ignored Dylan's pleas to stop

"Alright, alright get off me or I'll get you done for assault!"

Taking a moment to recover Dylan didn't even try and fight the grin forming across his face. He thought back to last night going home with Shaun. He shivered slightly as he relived the rush of euphoria as they kissed in the taxi home and the excitement he had felt

"Shaun's great, we went back to his. I never in a million years thought I'd do something like this. Spontaneous? Me? Who would've thought it? It's just so crazy if you think about it! I went home with a random guy. In retrospect that wasn't a very smart idea he could've been a serial killer for all I knew but I'm so glad I did because it was awesome and..."

Thomas sat and patiently listened as the stream of consciousness spewed from Dylan, he was clearly excited and sounded like he had a great night. Thomas thought back to his evening but the fog from alcohol gripped his mind and images distorted as if a vortex warped his thoughts. Thomas hadn't noticed Dylan suddenly sliding next to him and pointing at his neck

"Excuse me. Last night was supposed to be me having fun but what are these?

Dylan jabbed at the deep purple stains on Thomas's neck causing him to recoil. Thomas's eyes widened as he pawed as his neck

"What, no it's nothing. It's just a few marks I probably haven't scrubbed it off properly"

Thomas furiously shook his head as he remembered the heat of Tyler's lips sucking on his neck

"Yeah and pigs can fly, who did you get with last night? Don't tell me it was one of those girls in the corner!"

"No seriously it isn't anything"

Thomas rubbed the violet ovals in vain hoping the evidence would magically disappear. He looked at Dylan who sat with his arms crossed waiting expectantly for the specifics of his evening

"Look I'm not feeling too good can we meet up later?"

Dylan opened his mouth to protest but Thomas quickly shut him down

"I'm nursing a nasty hangover and I want to hear how your night went with Shaun, seriously I do but I just want to be in a better state of mind. Then I'll tell you what happened with me afterwards, deal?"

Thomas grimaced slightly at the prospect of lying to his friend but there was no way Dylan, or anyone for that matter, could find out what had happened last night. Thomas winced as he wondered why it'd be such a bad thing if Dylan knew

Because you're not gay you twat

Thomas let out a sigh of relief when Dylan threw up his hands is mock defeat

"Alright, sorry to jump on you. I was just excited; I'm meeting Shaun later actually for a coffee so I'll have to see you tomorrow in labs"

Dylan extracted himself from the plump sofa and headed towards the door

"Also it'd be nice if you answered your phone so you'd know I was coming. I did try to give you a heads up"

Thomas frowned, his phone hadn't rung

"Wait when did you ring? My phone didn't go off"

"I messaged you then called when you didn't reply. It's probably on silent laying around unless you've left it somewhere"

Dylan gave Thomas a quick wink before he shut the front door with a quiet thud.

*****

The cyan skies gave way to a cascade of grey clouds snatching colour as they rolled across the blue canvas. Tyler watched the first smatter of rain hit the window as he scrubbed plates and cups. The weather had turned in a matter of hours and the first traces of summer were well and truly gone. Laura kissed him on the cheek as she grabbed the umbrella from the bucket by the fridge

"I've gotta get to work, trust it to chuck it down when I need to leave. Message me if you want Ty, I've always got time for you"

Tyler rested his head against her shoulder enjoying the smells of honeysuckle and berries he was so familiar with now

"Cheers Laura, I'm meeting Shaun later anyway so I won't wallow don't worry"

Laura gave Tyler's arm a quick squeeze before she left. Tyler sighed and begun to rinse the soap off the crockery. The rain had increased in intensity and there was a constant drumming against the glass; Tyler wiped his hands dry after chucking the items on the drying rack. He walked to his room and took off his shirt throwing it in his laundry pile. Picking up tops from the floor he stopped when he came across his jeans. He screwed his eyes shut and rested his head against his dresser. Tyler willed himself to pull himself together, it was one night of fun and that was it. This was pathetic, he'd been knocked down by a straight guy he'd seduced doing a runner as soon as he had a chance. A bitter laugh escaped his lips at the ridiculousness of the situation as he threw his clothes together and stuffed them in the washing machine.

He cursed as he glanced at the clock on the wall. Pulling on a fresh shirt and shoes Tyler grabbed his wallet and headed for the front door. He paused and looked back to the phone on the coffee table. He quickly slipped it into his pocket as he glanced at the clock, Shaun was going to eat him alive for being so late. He'd hand the phone to Dylan when he came to join them later. Tyler realised his mistake as soon as he pushed open the building's main door and gasped as sheets of water enveloped him. Breaking into a swift run Tyler barely made it to his bus. His phone buzzed in his hand

Did you get hit by a car or are you late? Again?

Before he had a chance to reply another text came in

If you were hit by car can I have your shirts? It'd be a shame for them to go to waste on a dead man

Tyler rolled his eyes as he pressed the button to get off. The rain showed no signs of abating, if anything it had gotten heavier. Bracing himself Tyler sprinted to the coffee shop scanning the room for Shaun as he entered. A shout went up and Tyler turned to the source of the noise, Shaun was sitting in the corner with two cups of coffee on the table

"I was beginning to plan how I was gonna lug all those shirts home with me"

Shaun shifted along opening a space on the bench

"Sorry I didn't catch the memo about having a bath before we got here"

Grumbling Tyler took a sip of his coffee focusing on the warming heat. Shaun waved at the waitress and she brought over the blueberry muffins he had ordered

"Thanks for the coffee, appreciate it man"

Taking a bite Tyler savoured the rush of blueberry syrup bursting on his tongue. The two sat for a short minute to let each other settle in. The coffee shop bustled around them as customers rushed in seeking shelter from the relentless rain outside. Tyler decided to break the silence first

"How was your night last night?"

Shaun paused mid-sip and smiled

"Great would be an understatement. Purely PG 13 I'm afraid, nothing risqué or obscene. Dylan was just so easy to talk to, it felt like I'd known him forever"

"Oh come on that's a lie and you know it, nothing risqué my arse."

Shaun's lips twitched before he threw up his hands in mock defeat

"Fine, fine, so there might've been a bit of kissing, really good kissing mind you, but we just spent the night getting to know each other. Nice and steady you know?"

There was a sudden crash of glass breaking as it hit the floor and a round of applause went up

"That's good to hear, surprised he's made such an impression on you."

"I didn't expect it! I really don't know what came over me but I thought why the hell not and went for it. He goes UCL too! Surprised I haven't seen him around"

At the mention of their university Tyler perked up

"Stroke of luck I guess eh? You wouldn't happen to know about his friend do you, I mean if Tom does too?"

Shaun's eyes narrowed and a coy smile broke out on his face

"Oh so Mr grey eyes has a name does he?"

Traces of crimson flushed Tyler's cheeks as he looked away. The waiter had begun clearing the ceramic with a dust pan and brush on the other side of the cafe.

"You know I thought I was bad but going for a younger lad!"

Tyler's eyes widened as he processed this new information

"What? He looked our age if not older!"

Shaun flashed Tyler a triumphant grin

"Aha so you don't even deny bedding him; watch when I tell Dylan all about this. He's meeting us here"

Tyler lunged forward and gripped Shaun's wrist

"No, you can't!"

Shaun's eyes widened as he realised he had hit something deeper than he had intended. Tyler's words poured out

"Don't tell Dylan. He doesn't know Thomas is... Thomas might... That's not the point but you don't tell anyone about what happened"

Tyler let Shaun's wrist go and cast his eyes down. He'd no idea where that outburst came from, but he needed Shaun to understand the delicacy of the situation

"Christ Ty of course I won't I was just teasing. Mate are you alright? Where did that come from?"

Streaks of sunlight illuminated Tyler's golden hair; looking outside he saw that the rain had ceased and the shop begun to empty. Tyler sat and wondered what he'd say. He couldn't, he wouldn't, hide anything from Shaun. Closing his eyes he started

"Last night I took Thomas home with me. He was a bit drunk, yeah it was kinda my fault but he was still with it. We got with each other and it was fine you know? Actually it was better than fine, but that's beside the point. He'd scrammed by this morning like he couldn't wait to escape."

Shaun watched the grimace on Tyler's face as he clearly replayed the moment in his mind

"So you got with a guy and he legged it in the morning? Yeah sure that's gotta hurt your ego but it's nothing to get worked up about!"

Tyler shook his head vigorously

"No you don't get it. I don't think Thomas had ever been with a guy before me."

His eyes darted to the shop entrance

"I didn't make him do anything he didn't want to but I don't think he took it too well when he woke up this morning"

Nodding slowly Shaun began to understand Tyler's erratic behaviour. His brows furrowed as he unravelled the puzzle further

"Okay, so you snagged a straight guy. So what? You've done it before!"

Tyler opened his mouth to speak then decided against it. He ran his left index finger along the rim of his coffee cup following the circumference

"Don't tell me you've got the hots for this guy that bad. You've only been with him for the night!"

Tyler avoided the look of incredulity he knew Shaun was giving him. Yeah, alright it was fucking stupid and it got worse the more he thought about it. He was so naïve it was painful. The two were so wrapped in conversation that they didn't even notice Dylan had sat in the seat opposite the table

"You've got the hots for who?"

Dylan stared at the pair curiously as they snapped their heads towards him. Clearly he had stumbled into a conversation he wasn't meant to hear but he hadn't meant to. Shaun took a quick look at Tyler than spoke

"Don't worry about it, Tyler's just wallowing here for no good reason. You remember each other right?"

Stretching out his hand Dylan shook Tyler's as they gave each other a brief smile of acknowledgement. Tyler rose and put his hands in his pocket

"Alright that's me off, don't want to intrude"

Tyler's hands fidgeted in his jean pockets

"Uhm I'll leave you two to it. Shaun I'll see you in lectures tomorrow, it was nice seeing you again Dylan."

With his hand still wrapped round Thomas's phone, Tyler left as Dylan and Shaun begun to laugh

*****

Dylan measured 0.005 moles of trans-stilbene and dissolved it in 5 cm³ of chloroform in a round bottom flask. He handed it to Tyler who added 1 mole of bromine he had premeasured and put it in a clamp in a water bath on the stirrer plate. Turning the switch on Tyler set the temperature to 90 °C and slipped a magnetic stirrer bar into the flask.

He reached out for the reflux equipment Dylan handed him

"I think now's the perfect time to tell me about your night"

Thomas smiled as Dylan rolled his eyes. He was determined to keep normality in his life and despite everything that had happened he was genuinely curious to find out how Dylan's night had gone

"We went back to Shaun's and watched a few films. He was so easy to talk to really down to earth you know?"

Thomas attached the quick fit apparatus and checked the seal between pipes. Satisfied they were correctly fitted he turned cold water knob at the back of the fume hood and watched as water filled the reflux column.

"I don't know what's gotten into me going back to a total stranger's place like that!"

Thomas smiled as he watched the edges of Dylan's mouth widen into a smile, he doubted Dylan knew he was doing it, but it seemed this Shaun guy made Dylan simply go giddy

"Yeah I have to admit, it was surprising to see you go off with him. I was half expecting you to leg it when we walked in."

Dylan pulled the nearest stool to him and sat down with his lab book open. According to his research the solution they had prepared would change colour after a few minutes of reflux. Thomas closed the screen of the fume hood and walked back to the countertops to lean

"It's like a proper whirlwind, last week you didn't even want to go check the bar out and now look at you!"

Dylan rolled his eyes and went back to observing his notes. The lab demonstrator came by to check their progress and nodded approvingly at their solution.

"All right." The lab demonstrator paused and looked at Thomas and Dylan's name badges. "Thomas, have you thought about which solvent you'll be using for the recrystallisation?"

Thomas paused trying to recall theory from his lectures

"Uh, probably the ethanol or chloroform?"

The demonstrator paused again. She looked Thomas up and down before asking her question

"Why? What you trying to achieve?"

Thomas stood with his mouth open as he floundered, Dylan spoke up

"We don't know which particular solvents yet but we have a good idea of the conditions we need."

The demonstrator tilted her head as a cue for Dylan to continue

"The ideal solvent can either be cold or hot, for the former the product should have zero solubility in solvent and vice versa for the latter. That way we're then able to capture what we need and then recrystalise it."

Smiling the demonstrator nodded and walked away searching for the next pair to interrogate. Thomas turned round propped out his elbows on the worktop surface letting out a sigh. He scratched at his neck with his gloved hands.