Breaking Through Limits (Larry Stylinson)

Chapter 6

"You have to be kidding me. There's no way I'm taking a shower with you. No...fucking...way." Harry shook his head, staring at his new partner in disbelief. It had been a long day between his first target range session when he finally accepted that he was stuck with Tomlinson, like it or not, until the moment they both came back to their quarters and began to get ready for bed. Harry was worn out from all the emotion and tension he'd been through as much as the horrible case of jet lag he was still suffering from. All he wanted to do was take a shower — alone— and fall into bed. Again, alone. But it didn't look like he was going to get to do either of those things. At least not alone.

"You can and you will take a shower with me or you won't take a shower at all and you'll stink. And let me tell you, Newbie, I don't let anyone sleep in my bed who stinks."

"Doesn't bother me." Harry crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "So I won't take a shower and I'll sleep on the floor. Suits me fine."

Tomlinson gave an exaggerated sigh and sank down on the side of the bed. "You must have a death wish. I can't believe they gave me another partner who..."

"Who what?" Harry demanded but the tall cadet only shook his head.

"Nothing. Look, Styles," he said, looking up, his dark face weary. "I know you think I just want to strip you naked and molest you but I promise you that is not my intention."

"What other intention can you have?" Harry demanded. "I saw the way those guys looked at each other in the lounge and I got what they do. And I don't care what that asshole Landrews says, I'm not like that. So there's no way in hell I'm getting naked with you in an enclosed space."

"Fine. Then I guess you don't want to fly a Needle after all."

"What?" Harry stared at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Are you telling me we have to be in the Needle together..."

"Naked," Tomlinson finished for him. "Nude. Bare. Exposed. Unclothed. Stripped. Undressed-"

"I get it, I get it." Harry held up a hand to stop his partner's sarcastic tirade. God, it seemed like the minute he thought he knew the situation he was up against, things changed and got even worse. Only it wasn't a situation he was going to be up against, he reminded himself, it was Tomlinson. Or rather, Tomlinson was going to be up against him. Nude.

"Sorry." Tomlinson reclined on the bed gracefully. He didn't look or sound the least bit sorry to Harry. "Look," he said. "Usually cadets have a good six months to get used to the idea of being strapped into the Needle with their partner naked as the day they were born. You, unfortunately, don't have that luxury. You have exactly one month to wrap your head around it. Less than a month now."

"Look, Tomlinson, I just can't...I mean, I don't..." Harry heard desperation in his own voice and it made him angry. He shouldn't have to be dealing with this kind of shit, damn it!

"You can and you will." Tomlinson stood up suddenly. "Now strip, Newbie. Or I'm going to strip you myself."