Archive of Our Own ^beta

  Hermann Einstein is not a victim. Nor an accessory to a crime. Anyone who gets to know him will understand this. The problem is few people seldom do. All they see is a reluctant deviant, a soft-faced little foreigner reliant on a cruel and controlling murderer, only alive because Johnathan wants him to be.

   They are also able to see just exactly what they are, with the way Hermann clings to his arm, the way that Johnathan looks at him when they talk, how they take single-bed rooms when they stay at hotels on the run. Hermann does not mind what people think, he could care less how people see him. Most days, he thinks that Johnathan is more self-conscious than he is.
    Truly, only Johnathan Brewster, his Johnny, knows him. He's the only person who's ever really wanted to, anyways. And Johnathan knows that Hermann is his equal, and every bit the criminal he is. Sure, he's obviously the much more mild-mannered of the two, he's always polite, even sweet, to everyone they come into contact with, even to those that will look down the barrel of his pistol minutes later. He takes no pleasure in killing, unlike Johnathan, but that doesn't mean he won't do it. To him, it's a nasty chore, an occupational hazard of being Johnathan Brewster's partner (in crime and more). He has a few hard limits on who he won't kill or assist in killing, and he sticks to them. He knows he can't stop Johnathan once he's got his mind made up, but that doesn't trouble him too often, they agree on most things of that nature. To him it shows that despite it all they're still human. Violent, flawed humans, but still humans with beating hearts.

The drive from Chicago to Brooklyn is a long one, and one that goes from tense and fearful to ultimately tiring and unsustainable. When they arrive to they house they are both at their worst. Johnathan is tenser, more angry than usual, and he doesn't blame him. They've got a body on their hands and Johnathan's face needs to be changed and they're both cramped and tired and hungry. Herman is nervous and whiny, and although that is beginning to weigh on Johnathan's nerves, he can't blame him either. The poor man hasn't slept in almost three days. Says he can't, he's too nervous, won't be able to until they're safe. The aunts almost turn them away, his brother shows up,  and the night is far from the sleep they expected, with Johnathan nearly getting dragged off to prison again, but Einstein is able to convince the cops at the station that this is a case of mistaken identity and someway, somehow, they buy it. "It wasn't hard, they weren't very bright, then again, cops never are, are they?" And Johnathan smiles at him, puts his hand over Hermann's, and asks him to drive back to the Brewster house.

The aunts are surprised to see them again, but they concede that they did say that they could stay the night, and they did never specify what night, and Einstein is such a polite young man that they allow them to spend the rest if the day and the night at the house.

For most of the day they sleep. There's an entire ward upstairs in the laboratory, each bed sizable and sturdy, and they're both so tired they hardly are able to to remove their jackets and shoes before collapsing into bed. There's barely time to, as they're both half asleep as soon as they're between the covers, but Johnathan pulls him close, finally able to feel the warm weight of the smaller man against his chest. Finally safe enough to hold him."Hermann." "Hm?" He's nearly asleep but he perks up when he hears Johnathan call him by his first name, a rare occurrence that's slowly becoming more common. "Thank you. For breaking me out, I mean." Hermann smiles up at him, doe-eyed, head still resting on his chest and Johnathan feels something inside him melt. "Ja, of course. I wouldn't have ever left you there." "You could've gotten yourself in trouble, you know." "I know." "It was incredibly risky to do that, you know." "I know."
"I love you, you know." Hermann smiles, embracing him. "I love you too, Johnny. "

They sleep until dinner, waking up in time for each of them to wash up, shower and make themselves presentable. The rest has put them both in better spirits, and they talk as the get dressed. "I wonder if I can get them to let us stay. We could have a nice little setup here. Your talents shouldn't be solely wasted upon me, doctor." He hears the smaller man say something about "how nice that would be" and something like "but what about your aunts, Johnny?" But he doesn't really hear it, because for the first time in days he's looking at Hermann, really looking at him, clean and well-rested and happy, and Johnathan curses himself for nearly forgetting how lucky he is.
  He's looking at Johnathan, smiling, bemused, and absentmindedly trying to button up a shirt too big for himself that's falling off one shoulder. Without the stress and exhaustion, he actually looks his age, all soft brown hair and big eyes, slim legs and nimble hands, and Johnathan realizes just how long it's been since they've been alone together in a safe enough place for long enough to think of anything besides sleeping or running. How long has it been since he's pinned the other man up against a wall or down to a bed and told him exactly what he wanted to do to him? How long has it been since the doctor cried out his name like it was the most wanton, obscene word in the english language? How long was it since the last time Johnathan had tied someone up for something other than violence?
    The thoughts hit him like bricks and he's consumed with want so great he's nearly ashamed, and it certainly doesn't lessen when Hermann goes over to repeat what he asked him and kisses him. "I said, what about your aunts? Won't they put up a fuss?" "Oh? No, no they won't. Don't worry yourself with that, doctor." Herman is standing, now (unfortunately, Johnathan thinks) fully dressed, and standing in front of him. He rests his hands on the smaller man's waist and draws him close, and kisses him again. Herman leans into him, twining his arms around his neck and he moans a little in surprise when Johnathan slips his tongue into his mouth. He kisses back with fervor, realizing just how long it's been since he's been kissed like this, how long it's been since Johnathan's hands were roaming his body like this. Johnathan breaks the kiss, beginning to fumble with the doctor's collar buttons and kiss at his neck, when, as if on cue, Martha calls them down for supper.
  
  They both know its best to just cool down and go downstairs. They're both awfully frustrated now, and instead of apologizing for initiating the tryst, Johnathan decides to quietly tease his partner for it as they make their way to the dining room. "So flustered after only being kissed, doctor?" He knows the smaller man is blushing and scowling without even looking. "Well, you started it." "Mm. So I did. But if I had known just how needy you were, I would've tried to get farther." He whispers the last bit into Hermann's ear and he can feel his knees weakening. "Johnny please," he half laughs, half sighs, "you're not helping." Johnathan gets in front of him, turning to face him at the base of the stairs. He smiles down at Hermann, cupping his face in his hand. "I'm not? What a shame, looks like you'll simply have to do you best to be a polite dinner guest anyways."

   The dinner goes well, considering the circumstances. They aunts seem to have taken a liking to Einstein, and seem more at ease now that Johnathan is in a less frightening state. "So what are your plans for this evening?", "I could think of a few." Johnathan said slyly. Hermann cleared his throat loudly and decided to do his best to deflect the last comment to avoid suspicion. "Surgery, Ms. Abbey. I owe Johnny a new face after the mess I made the last time, so I'm afraid we won't have time for anything else." He smiled in mock innocence to the criminal across the table. Damn. The surgery. The whole reason they planned to crash here in the first place. "Oh how nice of you. Well we won't keep you boys waiting on us. It's high time we went off to bed anyways, isn't it Martha?"

The aunts clear the plates away and continue to make small talk (with Einstein, mostly) before going upstairs. There's a pause as they wait to hear the light click off, and then Johnathan stands. "Follow me upstairs doctor," he says coolly, and he smiles at him in a way that would spark fear in anyone else, but instead makes Hermann nod mutely and smile as he follows Johnathan up the stairs.

He lets him into the attic and locks the door behind them, further fueling the anticipation and arousal that has started to bloom in the smaller man. "I must thank you doctor," he says as he walks towards Hermann, "for reminding me of the surgery that you planned to perform. It's of such importance, and I never would've remembered for being so distracted by more...base desires." His eyes sweep over the doctor and Hermann can feel his face and ears grow hot. He swallows hard, finding it difficult to meet Johnathan's  stare. "Oh. Ja, the surgery..." Johnathan steps up to him, tilting his face upward to meet his gaze.
 
  "Doctor, forgive me for the assumption, but you sound...disappointed I brought it up. As though you'd rather do something else. Is that true?" Johnathan was smiling down at him now, he was calling his bluff and Hermann knew it. "Well, yes, but..." "But what, doctor?" "Well..." Hermann paused, it was hard to think straight with Johnathan looking at him like that. "I just thought that the surgery was the reason we came here, Johnny." Johnathan's hand moved from the doctor's chin to the side of his face, caressing it with the back of his hand. "I believe the surgery can wait until tomorrow, don't you agree? Of course, it's not my intent to coerce or manipulate your decision, but I've noticed how tense you've been as of late and I'm very interested in finishing what we started earlier this evenin-?" And just like that, Hermann is in his arms and he's kissing him but before Johnathan can even get the other man's coat off he breaks the kiss again. "What about your aunts, Johnny? What if they hear us?" He chuckled, "Don't pay any worry to that," Hermann sighed as Johnathan begins to kiss at his neck and unbutton his shirt. "they're a floor below and their hearing was never much to start with. Besides, " He shepherded the smaller man to the bed, pushing him onto it before climbing atop him, pinning him down. "If you do get too loud, you know I have a few ways of shutting that pretty mouth of yours up." He moves a hand to Hermann's mouth, brushing his thumb over his lips tenderly before tilting his head to the side to nip at the side of his neck, hard enough to pull a surprised little moan from Hermann that makes Johnathan throb.

   He continued, leaving hickies and lovebites along the smaller man's neck and collarbone, feeling him squirm and sigh beneath him. Hermann's arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer and drinking in the feel of Johnathan's body against his. They're both shirtless now, and Johnathan took the hand he was using to hold the other man's face to caress his thin torso, ghosting over the twin scars on his chest, before moving down and beginning to fumble with Hermann's belt, sliding a knee in between his legs to spread them. Even the slight pressure was enough to cause the smaller man's hips to buck against it, trying to find friction. Johnathan smiled, leaning over Herman and pinning his arms above his head with one large hand before roughly kissing him. "So needy."

  Hermann's belt was discarded on the floor now, and Johnathan used his free hand to unbutton the smaller man's trousers before slipping his hand inside. Herman propped himself up to kiss him and Johnathan hummed against his mouth when he felt just how soft, how wet he is already, hazily and amusedly realizing the smaller man must have shaved when they showered earlier. Hermann moans quietly as Johnathan rubs at his throbbing clit before slipping a finger, then two, inside of him. "Already soaking wet," he hissed against the other man's ear, voice dripping with lust and condescension, "so willing, so eager to be fucked." On the last word, he curled his fingers, pressing them against that spot inside the other man that makes him whine and clench around him, drawing hushed, feverishly repeated cries of "oh Johnny" and "yes Johnny" and "please, please Johnny". Against these requests, Johnathan stilled his pace to slow, languid pulls of his fingers and looked down into Hermann's face, eyes dark and glassy with need. "Hermann," he said, watching the other man nod and smile obediently, "what do you want?" The smaller man looked up at him from the pillow, flushed and debauched, hands still pinned above him. "I want you, Johnny." Johnathan smiled with something that would've been considered tenderness if they weren't in their current situation, before pressing his fingers into him more insistently, watching the other man gasp and shudder before removing his hand. "Perhaps I should rephrase my question," he said, voice strikingly calm, stern even, "what do you want me to do to you?" Hermann pouted, then smiled, splaying his legs wider, "I think you know the answer to that question, yes?" he purred, and it took Johnathan all of his will power to continue this little game of his and not fuck him then and there. He chuckled, frustration barley hidden. "I do, believe me I know, but," he began to rub the other man's clit with slow, deliberate strokes, "I want to hear you say it. I want to hear you beg for me." Hermann's eyes fluttered. It was all so much. Johnathan's hot breath in his ear, his strong hand pinning him down, the steady pleasure he was receiving from him. "J-johnny, please.." "Please what." The haze of pleasure was making it difficult to remember how to ask for what he wanted in english. "P-please...fuck me." Johnathan smiled, then pressed a kiss to Hermann's collarbone. "All you had to do was ask."

  He's gentle at first, or as gentle as a man like Johnathan Brewster can be, slowly pushing the head of his cock into the smaller man, before sliding inside. They both moan as Hermann feels the other man enter him, they've both gone so long without this, and he's almost forgotten just how big Johnathan is, as he's filled up by length inside of him. "You like that, don't you?" It's more of a statement than a question as he begins to thrust into him, and Hermann can only find himself saying yes as he continues, "I don't plan on going easy on you tonight, though I'm sure you already knew that. You can take it though, can't you?" "J-ja, Johnny...ja, please.." Johnathan smiles as he begins to thrust into him faster, the angle he's established letting him go deep with every stroke. "Good boy."

   They go at it like this for some time, and Hermann whines in protest when Johnathan pulls himself out. But his disappointment is short lived as he's flipped over, and the larger man mounts him from behind. Johnathan establishes a brutal pace, and Hermann cries out his lover's name a little louder than he should as he thrusts into him, and it's not long before Johnathan is leaning against him, a hand against his mouth, still fucking him. "Quiet now. We don't want anyone waking up, do we?" He shook his head, still panting beneath the hand. He snaps his hips into the smaller man, fucking him hard and fast in spite of his request for quiet. Hermann moans against the sheets, seeing stars as Johnathan keeps up the pace, hitting that spot inside him almost perfectly. Johnathan knows how hard it must be, hell, it's not easy for him either, what with how tight the smaller man is around him, and all the delicious noises he's making. He decides to make it harder, however, knowing how much the doctor loves praise, loves praise from him, specifically. "Such a good boy, being so quiet for me." He growls against his ear, and he feels him tighten around his length. "Doing exactly as I say, even though I know how wet you get when I talk to you like this, such a good, obedient boy." Johnathan reaches around to rub his clit, oversensitive from the amount of stimulation he was receiving. Hermann whined, swearing filthy nonsense both in english and german. The pleasure, the movement, the heat, all of it was building to a point he knew he'd be at soon. "Schieße...Johnny please, please don't stop." He gasped, trembling as he came, tensing around his cock. Johnathan was soon to follow, burying himself to the hilt inside the other man, riding out the aftershocks of his orgasm.

  They cleaned themselves up, too tired and too busy basking in their shared afterglow to talk of schemes or surgery or anything, really, content to just lay together and share a cigarette. Hermann lay against his chest, half asleep. "I love you, Johnny." This time it was his turn to say it back. "I know. I love you too."