1 . Name: Heartstarter @ 2012-02-20 21:43

Author's Note: Ooops. I was in the middle of the next part of SAWMAaS, and this came out instead. I'm not even sorry. I debated between using Engie's canon name or not, and in the end I decided that Dell was just too adorable of a name not to use.

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A clink and a hiss heralded the opening of his second BLU Streak, and Dell raised the bottle to his lips with a grin. Nothing else could quite get the grit and dust out of his mouth after a battle like that, and he could already feel the rigors of the day dissipating as the alcohol slid coolly down his throat. Beside him, Solly sipped at his drink quietly, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. But that suited the Texan just fine, and he set his beer aside to pick up a pencil instead, scribbling out a few ideas he’d worked out earlier in the field.

Like so many nights before, it was just the two of them in his workshop. He had offered to let the brash military man pick the night’s music, and he’d lingered, unsure, before settling on the “most manly looking one” - luckily, Johnny Cash was the engineer’s personal favourite, and he laughed, setting the needle to the record. He wasn’t quite sure when he’d started allowing the soldier into his space, but he had, and found that if he looked past all the posturing and grumbling, he could be a fairly amiable. After a time, they’d even settled into an easy kind of friendship, enjoying each others company as they shared the contents of his cooler and the only seat in the room.

Normally, the music simply served as white noise. Dell knew the words to every song on every record he owned, and the soldier couldn’t be bothered to worry about sissy men singing about their feelings and lost dogs. But that night was different. Somewhere between the third and fourth verses of “I Walk the Line”, Solly turned to face the engineer, with the oddest expression Dell had ever seen. He’d been so quiet, listening to the song with the same intensity that ruled every action he took, that if it hadn’t been for the weight and warmth his shoulder leaning against his own, he would have forgotten the other man was there.

He expected Solly to say something then, but he didn’t, and Dell shifted uncomfortably on the work bench as he felt those unseen eyes boring into his soul. For all his apparent instability, he was an intuitive man, and the engineer was sure in that moment that every dirty little secret he kept tucked under his hardhat had somehow been revealed. Reflexively, he sat up as straight as he could to compensate for the height difference between them and squared his shoulders. He had just enough of a pleasant little buzz to want to keep it that way. But instead of a lecture, the soldier simply asked him a question, barely loud enough to be heard over the music and the soft hum of equipment in the background.

“Am I a man, Engie?”

The fact that the man’s voice was less than a quarter of its usual decibel floored him plenty, but the question itself nearly knocked him out of his seat. Everything that Solly did firmly identified him as a man, and he had the features to match, with his broad chest, firm musculature, and booming voice. There was also the fact that communal showers hid very little, even if he hadn’t been looking. And if he disregarded his physical traits, he could still say without hesitation that he was definitely a man. A ridiculous one, at times, with his over-the-top training regimen and self-imposed regulations, but he was an asset to the team that the engineer was happy to have around.

Dell deliberated over his response, not wanting to be misunderstood. Once, when he was younger, others had seen his laconic approach as a sign that he wasn’t as intelligent as his insanely high test scores would later prove. But Solly never seemed to mind. He was always more patient with the engineer than anyone else. Not that he’d admit to making an exception, or that Dell would pretend to enjoy being made one. Regardless, he did just that, and the Texan appreciated it more than he knew.

“Th’ way I see it, Solly…yeah, yer a man alright. A right fine one, too. Ya do good out there, an’ yer a good friend,” he managed after a few minutes, patting his shoulder and chuckling nervously.

That wasn’t what the soldier wanted to hear. He shook his head, the straps dangling from his helmet swaying slowly. “Negatory. Those characteristics define a good soldier. I know I’m a good soldier. I’m asking you if you see me as a man, Engie…a man, like yourself….”

Solly trailed off, as if he wanted to say more but didn’t have the words. Dell didn’t have the words, either. What was there to say? Rubbing the back of his neck, he grinned uneasily, looking up at the other man through the thick lenses of his goggles and praising whatever force in the universe that had compelled him to keep them on. “Well, shucks, I…I don’t think you’re like me, naw, way better…but the way I see it, those things make ya a good man, too. It ain’t all about fightin’ an’ muscles, y’know? It’s more on the inside, comes from the heart.”

A slight scowl spread over his face then, and something in the pit of the engineer’s belly had flip-flopped like a landed catfish. It should have scared him, with the way it eerily resembled the same look he gave his enemies before ruthlessly mowing them down, and he inched backwards just in case – he knew good and well just how volatile the soldier could be. True to form, he’d pressed his attack, scooting forward to close the tiny gap. Dell could feel his breath as it washed over him, hot and heavy with each word.

“Ha! You think I have a heart, rodeo clown? You think a real man even cares about hearts? The only thing a heart is good for is BEING TORN BLEEDING FROM THE ENEMY’S CHEST WITH YOUR BARE HANDS!” Solly growled, gripping the collar of the engineer’s work shirt tightly. His lips curled over his teeth in a menacing snarl.

Dell wasn’t convinced - he knew the soldier was pressing him for some kind of approval. “I think ya do, Solly. Buried under that uniform an’ swagger. Now, most people prolly can’t see it. Most people think yer plum nuts. I just ain’t most people,” he said quietly, and the soldier’s shoulders had relaxed. He couldn’t really tell if that was a good sign or a bad one. “I happen ta think you can be a man, an’ a good soldier, an’ have a heart, too…but I’ll be damned if I know why yer askin’ me. It ain’t up to me ta judge-“

A firm, seeking mouth crashing fervently against his own was the last thing he expected. Teeth clacked against his own awkwardly, and he struggled to pull away, flailing a fist at the soldier’s chest and only managing to bang hardhat against helmet with a resounding clang. Men didn’t just go around kissing other men, at least not where he was from, and he couldn’t begin to count the times he’d heard Solly spouting off his usual rants about hippies and free love. Something wasn’t adding up. Dell wanted to break away and run, but there was something in that desperate kiss that pulled at him, and he returned it, gentling him with the hesitant press of his own lips. With a sigh, the soldier released his collar and trailed his hands down the engineer’s back, kneading and massaging their way down until one cupped around the curve of his rear to give it a surreptitious squeeze.

“What in tar- quit that!” With an indignant huff, Dell pushed him back. “Dammit, Solly, th’ hell you think yer doin’?!”

“Figuring out if I’m still a man to you if I do something like this!” the soldier snapped back, arms still wrapped around the Texan to keep him still. But they weren’t necessary, as he furrowed his brows under his hardhat and frowned, the reasoning behind Solly’s strange questions and actions suddenly coming together like an equation he’d been struggling to solve. Slowly, his face turned redder than his father’s old pick-up truck, and he opened his mouth several times to respond, throat working uselessly.

“…do ya think somethin’ like this makes ya less of a man?” he murmured after a full minute of debating with himself.

Solly looked confused, and clung to the back of the engineer’s shirt with a frustrated grunt. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I knew the answer to that, private cowboy,” he said through gritted teeth. Every muscle in his body seemed tense enough to snap, and Dell reached out to stroke his cheek softly. Lord help him, he knew just how that felt.

“Lemme put it this way, then. Do ya think I’m less of one?”

The soldier tilted his head to one side as the realization dawned on him. “…you? Engie…no, I don’t think less of you. You’re an irreplaceable member of this team and a fine fighting man. I have come to appreciate your company greatly.”

Dell relaxed slightly, laying one arm over the other man’s broad shoulder. “Then there’s your answer right there, son. Ain’t nothin’ about whatever ‘this’ is that makes ya stop bein’ a man. But I’m still waitin’ for ya ta tell me why you decided ta kiss me instead one of the other boys.”

He’d never seen the other man fidget before, and it took all he had to stifle a chuckle.

“None of the other men were suitable for this exercise,” Solly said, as matter-of-factly as he could manage. “You call yourself my friend, and I respect you. You and I are often alone after lights out, and you trust me in your workshop. And…well…Ifindyouveryattractive.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of the engineer’s lips. “Y’know, y’coulda just said so. You ain’t so bad on the eyes yerself,” he drawled, with just a bit more twang than usual, as he leaned forward to kiss the soldier again. Solly’s response was eager, and Dell sighed quietly, parting his lips for the other man’s probing tongue and stifling the groan that threatened to tumble from them. After such a long dry spell, it was nice just to be that close to another living, breathing being. That it was the soldier instead of anyone else was an added perk - he hadn’t deluded himself into even briefly entertaining the thought of doing anything like this with him , but there was nothing in him complaining about it, either. Even if he hadn’t pined or longed or touched himself every night dreaming of him didn’t make it any less thrilling to be held in those strong arms.

As the moments had passed, he’d found it impossible to keep his hardhat on, with the heat radiating between himself and the man seemingly intent on kissing he positively breathless. Freeing one hand, he slid it off, and let his goggles follow not long after. He’d paused then, and he’d tried to turn his head, almost embarrassed, only to be stopped by the finger crooked under his chin. “Don’t look away,” the soldier said earnestly, and he couldn’t, then, as Solly reached to lay his own helmet aside. It was more revealing than catching glimpses of him in the shower had been, and Dell realized then just how serious Solly was about whatever it was that was going on between the two of them. He wanted something, and the engineer couldn’t deny that he felt the same as those eyes met his own.

The shedding of respective headgear started a chain reaction that couldn’t be stopped. Solly’s fingers, rough and clumsy, pulled off more than a few buttons as he tugged the Texan’s shirt over his head, and the clasps of his overalls clicked lightly against the wooden workbench. A blue dress jacket and undershirt joined the rapidly growing pile of clothing. Dell took everything in, slowly caressing the soldier’s bare chest and running his fingers through the thick thatch of wiry hair. Even his smell was intoxicating, leather and tobacco and gunpowder mingling with his own unique musky tang. The engineer paused for a moment, breathing that scent in deeply, and in a burst of wantonness, he dragged his tongue slowly over each collarbone in turn.

The sound that the soldier made then was downright primal, a hissing growl from somewhere deep down in his chest, and he shivered, responding with his own needy groan and pulling him down for another kiss. Solly’s hands were everywhere, and he pawed right back at him, drawing a low and husky chuckle from him as he leaned back against his drafting table. “If I didn’t know better, cowboy, I’d say you’re pretty eager to go for a little ride,” came the purr in his ear, and Dell bucked against him with a broad grin, flashing his teeth and boldly reaching to return the goosing he’d received earlier. The look on the soldier’s face was priceless.

“I don’t think you wanna test me on that one, Solly,” the engineer murmured, groaning lowly as Solly bent to nip at the sensitive skin of his neck. Something in him had lit up like the Fourth of July, and Dell wasn’t about to leave it alone, rolling his hips down to grind slowly against him, gritting his teeth as the entire length of the soldier’s aching erection pressed against his own. He could feel every inch, thick and hot, just begging to be let free. Luckily for him, he was enough of a gentleman to oblige.

Running thick yet agile fingers over the ridge of his abs and down his belly, Dell snatched the soldier’s belt, unbuckling it and looking up to watch his expression . Pressed and starched fatigue pants were pushed aside and down over the military man’s hips with a calm efficiency that made Solly twitch in anticipation. All he could do was watch, licking his lips nervously and clenching his jaw as the engineer dipped one hand into his regulation white briefs to grasp him none-too-gently, squeezing just below the tip as he pulled him out and into view. The soldier bucked into his grip as he thumbed roughly over the tip, spreading the droplets of clear fluid gathered there down the throbbing vein and stroking back up firmly.

“Tsk…ya ain’t been polishin’ yer gun proper, have ya?” Dell teased, watching him squirm as he pumped him steadily, one calloused palm sliding down low enough to cup his swollen balls. That pulled another odd, ragged little gasp from him and he’d just shaken his head, the rise and fall of his chest erratic.

“I guess I’ve been neglecting my- hnnngh…equipment,” the soldier breathed, and the tone, so different from his usual commanding air, had gone straight to Dell’s own neglected length and he bit down on his own lower lip hard enough to draw blood. It really shouldn’t have been that arousing, but he could say the same for the whole situation he found himself in. Half-naked, hard as a rock, with an equally hard soldier rocking against his hand and making the hottest sounds he’d ever heard another man make. Resisting the urge to reach down and grab himself, he gestured to the toolbox sitting open by the bench.

“Well, ya came to the right man, then, son. Just so happens that maintainin’ ‘equipment’ is mah specialty,” he explained, wriggling out of his overalls and simple cotton boxers, letting them drop around his ankles. “Second drawer, there’s a little somethin’ ta help this along…why don’t ya be a sweetheart an’ hand it to me?”

It didn’t take Solly long to pull out the small tube of lubricant, and though he raised one eyebrow, he said nothing as he pressed it into the engineer’s waiting hand. It was easy enough to pass off as a necessity in his line of work, but he’d never used it for his machines before, preferring something smoother and more industrial-grade. Yet he had simply responded to the soldier’s quizzical silence with a shrug and a grin, as he leaned back further against the sturdy drafting table, smearing chalk and graphite onto his bare back. He’d have to re-draw a couple of plans, but it was worth it.

Meeting Solly’s gaze evenly, he unscrewed the cap and squeezed a liberal amount over his fingers, smearing it evenly. It may have been his first rodeo not riding solo, but he knew what to do, as he’d allowed himself this small pleasure before, when he’d been secure in the knowledge that he was alone and the workshop door was firmly locked and bolted. The soldier’s eyes drifted down slowly, locking on those busy fingers as Dell reached down, slipping lower and lower to slip into the crevice of his ass, brushing over his entrance and preparing himself smoothly. It was almost cute to see him so nervous, he thought to himself…he could almost forget that the other man was a merciless killer on the battlefield, as a strong hand wrapped around him and stroked firmly, lips seeking his and tongue sweeping over the tiny droplet of blood still clinging there.

Before he let himself get too close to the edge, Dell pushed the soldier’s hand away, and directed him into position. Not that he needed much directing as he nudged himself between the engineer’s legs,. As the Texan nodded his silent permission, he pushed inside, too fast and too slow all at once, and neither of them could say it was the best thing at first. Dell buried his face against Solly’s neck, and the soldier kissed his cheek clumsily, holding him close. But the more he moved, the better it felt, and the engineer was soon rocking with him, the table creaking softly under his weight. He pressed against the other man, feeling his rough skin slide against his own, and he held on tight, throwing his head back and playfully kicking his heels against the tight curve of his rear to spur him on.

Everything seemed to blur together after that. Kissing, biting, squeezing, and stroking, it all left his body humming like a well-tuned sentry, sensitive nerves flaring to life with each deep thrust. He wasn’t really sure who was claiming who, with all the marks they’d have had to hide the next day - the angry purple hickey on his shoulder, the tooth prints on the soldier’s neck, the thick red scratches he’d left down Solly’s back from his thick, blunt nails. But one thing was sure as the sunrise to he, and that was the simple fact that somehow, it was exactly what he had been needing, as he jerked himself to a shuddering, moaning release and the soldier joined him not a second later, gritting out a strangled cry that may or may not have passed for “Engie!”. He wasn’t sure, but the engineer found it endearing all the same.

Though he hadn’t expected it, Dell had to admit that the cuddling afterwards was a pleasant surprise. They shared a smoke, enjoying the taste of Solly’s heady cigar on their respective tongues, and washed it down with the rest of their beer while Dell rested his head comfortably on the soldier’s hairy chest.

“From now on, I’ll be expecting you to help me maintain my equipment every night, private,” he rumbled, and Dell laughed, smirking up at him.

“Is that an order, there, general?”

Solly smiled, actually smiled, and simply nodded. The engineer whistled lowly, and set his bottle aside with another hearty chuckle.

“Hooo-wee…guess I can’t argue with that’n.”

Laying there on his drafting table, the Texan still wasn’t really sure what direction their little “thing” was going in, if it even was a “thing”. But the soldier was warm beside him, and somehow, the cozy, amiable air between them hadn’t changed. That was all that really mattered, and anything else, well, it could wait until tomorrow to get figured out. He had less practical problems to solve.