Undercover

Andy forced himself to get out of bed before Austin did every morning that next week, he'd be working by the time he walked out. Every morning he looked surprised. It was the only way Andy could apologise, and he got the feeling Austin understood actions better than words anyway.

"You don't need to keep getting up at like four am."

"I need to do something. I treated you...I was...an ass the other day. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause-"

"Your boss tell you to play nice?" Austin's gaze and set of his jaw were steady and cold.

"No, actually I haven't been in touch with them besides texting to say nothing's happened. I'm just sorry. And you're right - I don't know what happened to put you in that situation. So I'll try to be less judgemental from now on." Austin nodded slowly, relaxing slightly.

"And I guess I could do the same...you're not half as pathetic as you look." Andy swatted him with his gloves and Austin laughed.

"No, no I'm serious. Both barns are nearly finished now and that's thanks to you. So, truce?" Andy grinned as they shook hands.

"Truce. Now, I'm wondering if that offer of going for beers is still open?" Austin smiled and started climbing up the scaffolding.

"Let's see how much you get done today."

That evening they walked to the village. There was no footpath and the road was narrow and winding so they walked along the edge of a field. The fragrances of hundreds of plants fizzed inside Andy's nostrils and the noise of bees and crickets filled his ears. It was calming. But Austin in fitted jeans and a dark blue shirt that both hugged everything in all the right places was doing nothing but winding him up. And he hated himself for it. It made his skin crawl.

"SHIT!" Andy leapt backwards with a cry, crashed straight into Austin and then had to jump away from him too, Austin stood stock still in shock for a moment before laughing loudly when he saw the creature that had provoked such a reaction from him.

"You're scared of snakes?"

"I hate them. Get rid of it. Get rid of it." Andy gestured in a shooing motion to Austin, just making him laugh more.

"No...she's just a milk snake. She's not gonna hurt you."

"Yeah, that's what you think, then it'll bite my leg off when my back's turned- what the HELL are you doing?!" Austin gently picked up the creature - which didn't seem to mind at all - and cooed at it ridiculously.

"You're an asshole - NO! Don't bring it anywhere near me! No, Austin! Leave me alone!!" Austin pretended to chase after him but then stopped and laughed at him.

"See? She's really friendly - you can have these as pets. They're really slow and they don't bite, and even if they did - they're not venomous."

"I don't care it's still disgusting."

"Don't be nasty - a woman scorned and all that." Austin laughed at Andy, clearly enjoying his torment of the younger man.

"Come here."

"What?"

"Come here, closer, closer. Come on." Andy gritted his teeth and got closer to the animal, determined not to give Austin any more ammunition for teasing him.

"Touch her."

"What?! No!"

"Just run a finger on her back - I've got her head. They're not slimy, they're silky." Andy gingerly reached out and then retracted his hand several times as Austin waited patiently, watching him silently, then he finally did it, feeling the brightly coloured scales before pulling back and shrugging.

"'Kay so they're not slimy..still scary." Austin raised his eyebrows and looked at Andy with a small smile on his face.

"Just hold her, please?"

"No."

"Come o-"

"No. Absolutely not. I will never hold a snake as long as I live."

So, of course, he ended up holding the snake. He stood stock still in fear as it slithered over his hands while Austin took a picture of him, then put it down on the ground and shuddered his way into the village - with Austin teasing him the entire time.

"There's got to be something you're scared of." Andy said indignantly when Austin had finally exhausted all avenues of picking on him.

"There is."

"We'll go on then, I've had to deal with you teasing me for about an hour - it's your turn."

"Ok......umm...." Austin looked down at his beer thoughtfully. Five minutes passed.

"Oh come on! Seriously?" Austin shrugged.

"There's gotta be something."

"I'm not scared of things like animals or...heights. Or the dark. I'm scared of people."

"People?"

"Yeah. I'm scared of letting people in. I'm scared of people hurting me...because they always do. People are the worst things to have around you. But without them....you get....lonely." Andy's heart ached at the serious admission. He was shocked Austin had revealed such a huge secret, but he was also surprised.

"I'm..surprised by that."

"In what way?"

"I thought you'd be scared of water or something. I never thought you'd say that..." Austin just met his eyes, waiting patiently for him to process what he'd heard.

"Why?"

"Because you're so...." Andy waved a hand.
"So...I don't know...fearless I guess. You're so...brave." Austin's expression didn't change, and Andy shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny, taking a large gulp of beer from his glass to detract from the situation.

"Commendation indeed, given your low opinion of me." Andy sighed, leaning back in the seat. His fourth beer had gotten to him somewhat.

"I don't have a low opinion of you anymore. I just...I don't know you. So I can't say either way. It's....sooo frustrating." Austin smirked.

"What?"

"You're a lightweight."

"Am not."

"Yes you are." Andy rolled his eyes.

"What made you so scared of people?" Austin's eyes bore into his, flicked between them as if he was trying to determine his motive for the question. There was none.

"I...had bad parents. I had bad friends. I had bad relationships with people. Then the ultimate incident...and...yeah." Andy nodded sadly.

"Bad relationships with...people? Are you playing the pronoun game?" Austin smirked and shook his head, tipping his glass back to get at the dregs, Andy couldn't take his eyes off the way his throat moved.

"Want another? I'll get you another one." Austin stood up to avoid the question and Andy gasped theatrically.

"You are playing the pronoun game! Austin Carlile!" Austin gestured for him to keep his slightly tipsy voice down but laughed nonetheless.

"So do tell. Come on..." Austin shook his head.

"Why should I?"

"Oh just...humour me."

"Ok...I've had relationships with women..and with men. And men and women simultaneously."

"Of course you have." Andy muttered into his beer.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I- I...uh- nothing."

"You made me tell you what I'm into. Tell me what you meant."

"I meant that...you're...you know, it's hard to explain-" Austin cut him off with a stare and Andy mentally kicked himself for beginning the journey down such an awkward road.

"I mean it's not surprising that you've been with lots of people...cause you're...quite y'know....nice when you want to be. And you're not bad looking-" The humour on Austin's face panicked him and he backtracked - only making it worse:

"No- that's not what I mean. I mean you're good looking- no, I mean you're...oh-"

"Thank you. So what about you?"

"Me?" Andy shakily gulped at his beer to hide his cheeks, relieved that Austin had interrupted his awkward babbling.

"What's your...preference?"

"Uh- women." Austin nodded.

"Well....it uh- used to be. Last few years I've only been with guys. I don't usually talk about it though."

"Me either." They glanced at one another, Andy feeling incredibly awkward, Austin indifferent on the surface - and laughed it off.

As they walked back, Austin, for the first time, felt uncomfortable in the silence rather than relieved. Andy had been different that evening - stuttering and awkward instead of his usual reserved, slightly cold demeanour. It threw everything off balance, and Austin, unlike Andy, wasn't going to bother denying the tension that had appeared since his accident. He couldn't stop looking at the other man, especially when he was being awkward, and taking in the details. His eyes were spectacular. Skin beyond tempting, Austin increasingly found himself longing to reach out and touch it, feel it, mark it.

Andy cursed as he caught his arm on a broken branch. Austin took hold of it to inspect, and Andy started rambling about how superficial it was, and how it was nothing to worry about. Austin didn't even listen. All he could do was think about how soft Andy's pale skin was. How it was made even paler next to the blood, and how peculiar it was that he found it so attractive, given that all his previous pursuits had been tanned, outdoorsy people.

"It doesn't uh...look too bad." Andy looked up at him and for a moment, there was something there, a feeling, a look, an energy - Austin couldn't quite put his finger on it. But as soon as it exploded in the air, it was gone, and Andy was marching off towards the house.

The next morning, Andy awoke to a painful need for friction between his legs. A sudden, uncontrollable need to release some of his sexual energy before it drove him mad. He climbed out of bed and glanced out the window. Austin was sat at the table, already working on something. Andy tried not to watch him. He failed.

Austin nodded towards the pot of coffee when Andy walked gingerly outside, looking suspiciously sheepish.
"What did you do?"

"What?!" Andy exclaimed. Definitely suspicious.

"What have you done? You look...guilty, or something. If you've broken something it's no biggie. The only things I care about are right here." He gestured to the dogs lying by his feet.

"Oh, no. No- no, I haven't broken anything or done anything. I'm fine. You ok?"

"Yep. How's the arm?"

"Oh it was nothing. Thanks. Anyway - I'm gonna go carry on?"

"Actually, I was hoping you could help me with this today." Andy swallowed as Austin rose from the bench and begun walking away calmly, trying desperately not to notice the line of his shoulders and arms and long legs.

"So, basically I need to fix this shed to keep the equestrian equipment in. But it's got construction issues - and rather than have another building fall on me, I figured I could ask you to hold up bits for me while I fix them back together." Andy swallowed, noddy grimly.

As it turned out, being stuck all day in a very small, very humid environment with a very sweaty Austin all day wasn't as torturous as Andy thought it would be. It was worse, far, far worse. And it was only eleven am. Andy was standing on a ladder in the corner of the room, holding up a cross-section with both hands. Austin was trying to drill screws into the wood to reinforce it, but to do that, he had to fit into the tiny gap between Andy, and the walls. Andy tried to calm his heartbeat as Austin put a hand on his side to steady himself. He must've been able to feel his racing pulse through his damp shirt.

"There, done."

"Oh good." Andy scurried down from the ladder, only to have to think of a quick explanation for his odd behaviour when Austin raised an eyebrow at him.

"I meant because...um...my arms were getting tired in that position for so long." Austin shrugged and nodded, seemingly accepting his answer.

"Ok...I think I can do this bit myself...give you a break." Andy passed Austin the wooden beam that would act as a kind of pillar for extra support in the centre of the room, and stepped back. Austin was in the process of drilling in the screws when a piece of metal above him suddenly came loose from all the activity.

"Can you get that?! Quick!" Andy rushed in and held it up, trying to quieten and slow his breathing as Austin was forced to step so close he was almost treading on his toes. Andy bit the inside of his cheeks as Austin's breath hit his cheek. The tanned collar bone and chest clad in a thin, damp vest was directly in front of Andy, and he almost groaned with the effort of trying not to enjoy it.

"All done." Austin mumbled, slowly letting his hands drop and looking down at Andy. It was just like the previous night, the same feeling. The same tense, electrified atmosphere. Andy swallowed and looked away.

"I...uh- thanks..."