{You break down my defenses, you are my only weakness

[myheadisaprison]

PSL with auricular_acuity

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[youcouldbeagod]

With Hartley's arms around him, Paco feels like he can breathe again and his arms slide around him to tug him closer too, holding just a little tighter than he normally might in his sudden rush of relief.

"You...you're not going to make me send you home, are you?" his voice is softer and smaller than it usually sounds. The idea terrifies him, if he's honest, but...he did basically just seek permission to temporarily have an affair or a fling or whatever someone wanted to label it with his boyfriend's doppelgänger. It'd hardly be out of line for Hart to leave if he wanted.

[auricular_acuity]

If Paco had given some indication that he preferred this already-rich and not-fucked-up version of Hartley, then that would be exactly the suggestion. Not because Hartley wanted to go... but because it's still hard for him to believe someone would prefer him.

But Paco certainly dispelled most of his uncertainty. He kisses Paco again, soft and sweet.

"On the contrary, I'll show you that I'm superior to that bad copy, and make you keep me around," he says, fiercely.

[youcouldbeagod]

Paco sinks against him as he finally lets the relief completely flood him and make him go nearly boneless, the panic finally truly subsiding. He pulls away slowly to look at Hart as the kiss ends. "I... I--" he knows what he wants to say, but he can't seem to make himself say it.

His gaze drops and he pulls a little further away but he's still in Hartley's hold, "I already know you're superior..." he says softly, reaching up to card his fingers through Hartley's hair. "and I already do wanna keep you. That's not changing." Ever, if he had anything to say about it.

[auricular_acuity]

God it feels good to be appreciated. Hartley nods and drops his head down to rest on Paco's shoulder with a sigh of relief. It's really up to Paco if he stays here, after all.

"You want some pancakes?" he asks hopefully, though he's reluctant to let go.

[youcouldbeagod]

He presses his lips against Hart's temple and lingers there for a long moment before smiling slislightly at the question, "Yeah, let's eat."

Finally, he untangles himself from Hartley, albeit reluctantly, so they can sit down and eat breakfast.

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley is just as reluctant, but he's also hungry and cold pancakes are awful, so he gives his boyfriend a peck on the cheek and then sits down and pours a generous amount of syrup onto the pancakes.

He didn't go all out - that would have involved organic real maple syrup, freshly squeezed orange juice and the whole nine yards and he just can't afford that right now - but it's a good breakfast. He's satisfied with what he's accomplished, but he continues to be distracted. Even though he feels comforted that Paco isn't going to just abandon him for the other Hartley, and that he'll get to see the whole thing, there's still a tightness in his stomach.

"So..." he said finally, as he's mopping up the last of the syrup with his last slice of pancake. "Where are you meeting him?"

[youcouldbeagod]

Even though he's pretty sure he's assauged most of the initial panic, there's still a sharp edge of tension hanging around as they munch on the tasty breakfast Hsrtley had made. Paco purposefully ignores it for as long as he can.

Ah, there it is.

"A club called The Odyssey," he answers easily, leaning back in his chair as he pushes the empty plate away. "It's horrible, I apologize for the dubstep assault on your ears now," he rolls his eyes. He can't picture his Hart in a club like that but that may be other one's point. Less likely to run into people that know him in a place like that. "Supposed to be there at ten, so..." he shrugs, "I figure I'll get there sometime after ten thirty." No need to be too eager, after all.

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley nods. In fact, he is well-acquainted with the club from his days sneaking around and exploring his sexuality. He hates the music, but it was an anonymous place to go where no one knew who he was.

He rises and starts to gather the plates but when he comes around to Paco's side of the table, he puts his plate down instead and wraps his arms around the other man from behind. "You can kiss him," he says into his ear. "But don't enjoy it too much."

[youcouldbeagod]

Paco leans into Hartley's hold on him, smirking slightly, "Mmm, I won't." he turns his head and nips lightly at his boyfriend's earlobe. "Promise." he mumbles softly against his skin.

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley bends and kisses Paco on the side of his neck, then sucks until he raises a red mark.

"I believe you," he murmurs, tightening his grip. "I love you."

[youcouldbeagod]

His eyes slip closed and moans softly, tilting his head to give Hartley more access. He'd really rather stay here all day, and all night. Especially if he's going to be so handsy.

Those words make his eyes fly open and his heart thud quicker in his chest. He'd tried earlier but the words died before he could actually get them out. He can't say it now any more than he could then, but... maybe he can get it across another way.

He reaches up and tangled his fingers in Hartley's hair, tugging him down and shifting in his arms, pulling his closer to kiss him, hard and deep and a little desperate.

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley hadn't meant to say it, but once the words are out of his mouth, he's glad he did. He knows he can't expect Paco to just immediately return the sentiment - though there's a little disappointment when he doesn't.

Still, the reaction is all positive, and Hartley sighs in pleasure as Paco kisses him hard and even a little desperately. He returns the kiss with just as much interest, arms tightening around the other man.

"Good," he murmurs against his lips. "Now don't forget it, because I know I won't."

[youcouldbeagod]

Luckily, his boyfriend is good with nonverbal communication, or maybe he just knows him really well. Either way, he seems to read the message loud and clear and Paco is glad for it

"I won't " he assures him, trying not to grin like a lovestruck idiot--and failing.

"Come here," If he's going to feel like a nerd, he's gonna at least pretend it's about something nerd-worthy. He slips out of the chair and wraps his fingers around Hartley's, tugging him along with him into the living room. He drops his hand and disappears to the hall closet, returning with a set of glasses that almost match his own goggles, just with a few tweaks like the solid single visor view-piece and they're a little clunkier, meant more to function than style. There's also a earpiece that hooks off of one side that Paco's own goggles don't have.

"You will be able to hear and see everything I do." He holds the visor out to him. "Dante said it was really weird at first, but it's pretty handy."

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley comes along obediently when Paco tugs him, but when he lets go, he takes a seat and waits uncertainly, wondering what Paco wants to do.

Then Paco returns with an interesting looking visor. He cocks his head and reaches to take the piece. He looks it over and then fits it over his eyes, sticking the earpiece into his ear. "You have a matching device?" he asks, exploring the item to try to figure out how to turn it on.

[youcouldbeagod]

"No," He answers, catching Hartley's hand and moving it to certain buttons on one side of the device muttering 'power', 'volume', 'zoom in and out'. "it connects to the frequency my goggles are set to, picks it up for a good distance. I need to make sure it'll work from here." He steps back for a second. "Wanna test it?" He grins, even if Hartley can't actually see that just now with the visor over his eyes.

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley nodded. "It's related to your powers?" he asked, breathless with curiosity. "Yes, let's test it."

[youcouldbeagod]

"Sort of," He'd happily answer all the questions Hart had later, but he wants to be sure this thing will work like he wants. If it loses signal before he gets to the club, it's useless and Hartley's stuck sitting here waiting while he's gone tonight.

He fusses with his goggles for a moment and when he's done, the screen on the inside of the visor clicks on. "You can hear me, but I can't hear you, which..." He squints in annoyance at his own failing, "I should fix, I don't know why I haven't, but anyway--" he shakes his head, "just call me if it gives you a blank screen."

He doesn't waste any more time as long as Hartley doesn't have any other questions. Once they're set, he slips out of the apartment and heads toward the club he'll be going to later. The whole time, Hartley sees the streets, the buildings and shops, hears the buzz of idle chatter and car engines humming on the street as he walks. The signal never wavers.

He makes his way back to the apartment once he's satisfied with the limit testing. He's got a grin a mile wide as he walks back into the apartment. Paco tips the visor up off of Hartley's face and kisses him. "This is gonna be perfect."

[auricular_acuity]

It really is an amazing experience. It's more intimate than if Paco was just wearing a camera, somehow, though Hartley cna't put his finger on how.

He watches Paco explore the city for a while, and then return. He's grinning as well, though not quite as excitedly as Paco. He's pleased to see him, though, and he kisses him back with pleasure.

"It's a great plan," he agrees. "It worked perfectly." He gives Paco another squeeze. "I've got an idea. If I can get to a library with some good wifi, maybe we don't need to wait. We can just watch him tonight, and then send him to my world, and waltz right in tomorrow."

[youcouldbeagod]

He places one knee on the couch to steady himself before simply straddling Hartley's lap, pushing the visor completely away and setting it aside. He pushes his fingers through his boyfriend's hair, kissing him again as he pushes him back against the couch.

"You think it'll be enough?" Rather than anything else, he sounds excited about the idea, almost hopeful. He wants Hart to have enough time to get the subtleties and mannerisms of his double down so nothing happens when he's faced with the people that disowned him in his own world. He wonders how different the Rathaway's here are, and if Hart has really considered what seeing them is gonna do to him. Paco has, because he thinks twenty steps ahead at all times, but he hasn't brought it up because it didn't seem necessary. Maybe it is now.

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley groans eagerly and settles back, holding Paco close. "When you met him, did he seem really different from me?" he asks curiously. If Paco thinks he's pushing too fast, then he'll pull back, but he is eager to get this done before something goes wrong. They're already very vulnerable, with two Hartley's in town - it's very possible someone will notice.

[youcouldbeagod]

"Not really... but there might be subtle things a ten minute meeting couldn't catch." He kisses him again, soft and gentle in a way he only is with Hartley. "Besides his mannerisms and habits...there's a lot to consider." he reaches up to brush his fingertips over one side of Hartley's face. "Like your parents." He rolls his lips together as he lets those words actually sink in for a moment. "Are you sure you're ready to deal with them? Face to face?"

[auricular_acuity]

Hartley arched a brow. "You're only planning on hanging out with him for ten minutes?" He had thought he'd have all evening. He doesn't disagree with Paco at all.

The question about his parents made his expression pull down unhappily. He draws a breath and sighs, his gaze sliding away and a muscle jumping in his jaw. "There was a time I wanted to ruin them for what they did for me... but I realized that that kind of thing wasn't doing anything to make my life better. Now all I want is to make them regret throwing me away by surpassing them, and building a company even better than Rathaway Industries. Now I can do both. For that, I'll play nice with my parents."

[youcouldbeagod]

"What? Oh--" He shakes his head, "no, I meant before, when I ran into him. He didn't seem that different, but...it was too short of a time to notice a lot."

For the shortest, fleeting moment, there's a striking similarity between Paco and the doppelganger Hartley used to know-- a look that's as close to deer-in-headlights as Paco has probably ever been, like he wonders if he over-stepped and said too much. He knows it's a nerve he shouldn't touch, but it had to be brought up.

"Maybe they're different here." It's not much, but it's the closest to a comforting statement he can offer. He just doesn't like the way it almost shut him down to even think about them, the light that the thought of his parents drained from him. Paco would do a lot to keep him safe, keep him happy, and if his parents were a problem... he could remove the problem, quite easily, especially if it seemed like something Hartley wanted.

[auricular_acuity]

"Oh yeah, right, of course," Hartley said, feeling silly. He had just asked that, after all. But it did tell him something. Paco hadn't noticed a massive difference so far. "We'll learn more while you're with him tonight. But it's encouraging that he didn't seem that different immediately."

It was easier to think about his doppelganger than his parents. He was going to have to live in the closet, of course - he couldn't risk otherwise. "Maybe they are, but it doesn't matter," he said softly. "I can't tell them who I really am and risk them being the same. So we'll operate under the assumption that they're the same."

[youcouldbeagod]

"It's definitely comforting. And a need for less work in the long run." Which was a fortunate piece of luck for him, really.

Paco nods a little, "Okay, fair enough." He'd leave it at that, he doesn't want to keep talking about things that upset him. So instead, he tangles his fingers in Hartley's hair and kisses him to get his mind off of it.