Title: Kindred Author: Anonymous Recipient: thatwasjustadream Warnings: adult themes, doppelcest, angst, multiship A/N: Let's pretend 4x17 had a happy ending, in addition to the events of 4x20. Also, note that this is from amber!Lincoln's perspective, who is Lincoln in this, where as red!Lincoln he is referring to as Lee (and Liv calls Linc), just to clear up who is who because part of this pairing gets very hard to separate with two guys with the same name...
Part 2 of 2
---
Lee's eyes burn into his with annoyance but he doesn't demand he cancel the encounter. He's as invested in the outcome as he can be – neither of them has been able to stop the casual arrangement they'd fallen into and they need to know where to go from here, whether Liv can deal with it.
Lincoln stands by the door, leans against the wall Lee had been pressing him up against only minutes ago and tries to block out thoughts of what he'd interrupted, what might never happen again. If this goes badly there's no chance he's still getting laid tonight, but the result, knowing where they all stand, is much more important than some quick fling no matter how good it is.
There's a knock eventually, Lincoln swinging round to open the door, his clumsiness at fiddling with mechanisms he finds unfamiliar delaying. Liv smiles at him with a hint of confusion looks like she might be about to try kissing him again in greeting but thinks better of it as she spots Lee in the background. At a glance to Lee, Lincoln sees he's staring resolutely out of his window like he wants to be anywhere but in a room with them of all people.
"What's up?" She asks like she already knows something is wrong. Her tone is light and the phrase is said uncharacteristically gently, the same manner one would use if trying not to startle a scared animal. He realises he must look worse than he feels. Which was pretty bad to start with and not improving considering the several drinks hitting him.
"We need to talk," he means it to be a request but finds it coming out commandingly.
"All of us," he clarifies as he walks over to Lee, intending to draw his presence back to mind and into the conversation he very much needs to be part of too. Lee still doesn't look towards them as Lincoln stands at the end of the couch, as close as he dares at the moment but he is enticed to speak, an angry drawl springing forth.
"I'm not the one involved in a badly concealed mating dance around the bullpen."
Lincoln feels his hackles rise at Lee's intent to deftly deflect away from his involvement in the situation they're in and lashes back instinctively. "No. Your moves are expertly concealed, especially from Olivia."
For several seconds Lee glares at him and he returns it full force, mentally willing him to rashly reply in return and crack that can of worms that is long overdue opening. Unfortunately Liv interrupts, voice tinged with equal measure of concern and frustration, "Someone clue me in here,"
Lee clams up and turns back to the window, leaving Lincoln to go for it. "He's jealous, of you and I."
"Oh."
The word would indicate surprise but she says it in a way that indicates she's not really that shocked. Lincoln supposes anyone who'd take a minute to think about could see Lee had a thing for her and Liv isn't dumb, just possibly prone to treating that with wilful obliviousness in order to avoid it all the longer.
By the fact she doesn't ask the question 'Possessive of who?' he knows she assumes it is jealousy of Lincoln with her. He'd assumed it was only that at first, now he's not certain given with the tangle of thoughts in his head. Distinguishing who for and what he feels is hard enough, though he doesn't know what Lee is feeling thesedays either, if his original assumptions for why they'd been together have proved to be incorrect or incomplete. Maybe, he thinks as he watches Lee stare at the floor attempting to look impassive, it wasn't ever only just about her. Lincoln drags a weary hand over his face and moves to sit next to Lee, not knowing what to say next when only half of what needs to be confessed is out there. He opts for simply draping an arm over Lee, offering comfort, cautious at first but relaxing as the man leans into it and rests his head on his shoulder, practically hiding his face in the crook of Lincoln's neck.
"You guys have a thing together?" This she says with surprise. Cooly asked, a level of detachment to the question but disbelief and curiosity creeping in.
"I didn't plan for it. It sort of happened, cold comfort I know."
"Hey, I've got no claims," she says, motioning with her hands to indicate how she has no hold on him. He can see the sadness as she insists it, his crushing her hopes by the admission, not that it has to be like that. Liv starts pacing the room as she processes the new information.
"If there's something between the two of you then why am I here?"
Lee pipes up, voice inordinately low as if it takes a lot out of him to speak at all. "I'm not jealous of you. Well, that's a lie, more than a bit yeah, but that's not all Clark Kent over there is trying to get at."
"Ah," she exclaims softly. Liv really does look surprised this time and further confused. He can't say this was a situation he'd ever imagined they could get into when he'd made the decision to live here and he doubts it had crossed her mind either, that she could end up loved by two versions of the same person with their own unique bond that defied logic.
Lee gets up, avoiding looking at anyone and after a few moments of silence there's the sound of the refrigerator opening and the hiss of an bottle cap removed. Lee hangs in the kitchen doorway, facing away from them as he gulps down most of the beer in one. Liv taking action, goes to him, though she merely hovers close, allowing space where he might prefer.
"You're my friend, why didn't you say something?"
There's a huff of amusement from Lee, before he takes a swig, "I didn't say anything because you're my friend. Didn't want to make things awkward. It doesn't matter."
"Of course it matters, Linc."
Lincoln spies fear on Lee's face as he expects rejection but Liv hugs him tightly, and he can see Lee relax into it once he realises she isn't going to begrudge him his feelings for her. Lincoln feels morose in an instant, hit with the sense he's the intruder in their lives again and he can't get out of there quick enough. Playing up his whiskey binge as having hit him hard enough to warrant immediate rest, and waving away their concern, he makes a thankfully swift exit, leaving them be. Tapping off his earpiece as he flees in a cab outside, he rides back to his hotel in silence. He could have told them how he felt, talked it out, but he can't bear hearing any explanations to prove him wrong because he knows it's an irrational feeling anyway, one that will pass naturally, it always does. He belongs here now, even if he doesn't yet know who he belongs with.
-
Work is as awkward as could be expected the next day, with one difference. He greets Liv as normally as possible but doesn't ignore Lee like usual, who eyes him bemusedly when he tries to offer a small wry smile. It's a start to mending what's been broken too long around here. He catches Liv watching him and Lee every now and then, gaze piercing like she's studying them, keen to figure out what this is. Lincoln doesn't know himself and focuses on getting through this day alive.
A whole week passes, day in and day out with nothing else said, and they find themselves kicking back on Friday evening in a bar, comradeship over a particularly tough case solved setting their team at ease despite the ever present tensions. It hits 10pm and Liv is still there, nursing what must be her 7th soda and Lincoln had been so at ease somehow he'd not noticed the significance of her staying behind. The air between them feels changed somehow, an absence of the red flags put up by his brain and he thinks it's possible only he has been projecting those onto every interaction. Are they just gone after a few drinks because it wasn't ultimately there past that initial burst?
Liv's smiling brightly at both of them now and he feels Lee's arm slung casually around his shoulders, simple but delightful to have there. He feels at home here for the first time, amongst them, his partners. He isn't sure how he means it and he doesn't care at that precise moment, he enjoys it instead of over analyzing it to death like he tends to. Maybe that's how he should be able to tell he's truly happy for once.
He wants to trust his gut because he thinks it's possible it was meant to be, them three. It's all too easy to believe that when Liv asks them over for a movie night the next day and he can see the look of anticipation in her eyes, not to mention Lee's. He agrees with a grin and a toast to partnership that they all raise their glasses to. What will be will be and he drinks deep to that.
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Gift for: thatwasjustadream (Part 2 of 2)
Date: 2014-12-05 12:17 am (UTC)Author: Anonymous
Recipient: thatwasjustadream
Warnings: adult themes, doppelcest, angst, multiship
A/N: Let's pretend 4x17 had a happy ending, in addition to the events of 4x20. Also, note that this is from amber!Lincoln's perspective, who is Lincoln in this, where as red!Lincoln he is referring to as Lee (and Liv calls Linc), just to clear up who is who because part of this pairing gets very hard to separate with two guys with the same name...
Part 2 of 2
---
Lee's eyes burn into his with annoyance but he doesn't demand he cancel the encounter. He's as invested in the outcome as he can be – neither of them has been able to stop the casual arrangement they'd fallen into and they need to know where to go from here, whether Liv can deal with it.
Lincoln stands by the door, leans against the wall Lee had been pressing him up against only minutes ago and tries to block out thoughts of what he'd interrupted, what might never happen again. If this goes badly there's no chance he's still getting laid tonight, but the result, knowing where they all stand, is much more important than some quick fling no matter how good it is.
There's a knock eventually, Lincoln swinging round to open the door, his clumsiness at fiddling with mechanisms he finds unfamiliar delaying. Liv smiles at him with a hint of confusion looks like she might be about to try kissing him again in greeting but thinks better of it as she spots Lee in the background. At a glance to Lee, Lincoln sees he's staring resolutely out of his window like he wants to be anywhere but in a room with them of all people.
"What's up?" She asks like she already knows something is wrong. Her tone is light and the phrase is said uncharacteristically gently, the same manner one would use if trying not to startle a scared animal. He realises he must look worse than he feels. Which was pretty bad to start with and not improving considering the several drinks hitting him.
"We need to talk," he means it to be a request but finds it coming out commandingly.
"All of us," he clarifies as he walks over to Lee, intending to draw his presence back to mind and into the conversation he very much needs to be part of too. Lee still doesn't look towards them as Lincoln stands at the end of the couch, as close as he dares at the moment but he is enticed to speak, an angry drawl springing forth.
"I'm not the one involved in a badly concealed mating dance around the bullpen."
Lincoln feels his hackles rise at Lee's intent to deftly deflect away from his involvement in the situation they're in and lashes back instinctively. "No. Your moves are expertly concealed, especially from Olivia."
For several seconds Lee glares at him and he returns it full force, mentally willing him to rashly reply in return and crack that can of worms that is long overdue opening. Unfortunately Liv interrupts, voice tinged with equal measure of concern and frustration, "Someone clue me in here,"
Lee clams up and turns back to the window, leaving Lincoln to go for it. "He's jealous, of you and I."
"Oh."
The word would indicate surprise but she says it in a way that indicates she's not really that shocked. Lincoln supposes anyone who'd take a minute to think about could see Lee had a thing for her and Liv isn't dumb, just possibly prone to treating that with wilful obliviousness in order to avoid it all the longer.
By the fact she doesn't ask the question 'Possessive of who?' he knows she assumes it is jealousy of Lincoln with her. He'd assumed it was only that at first, now he's not certain given with the tangle of thoughts in his head. Distinguishing who for and what he feels is hard enough, though he doesn't know what Lee is feeling thesedays either, if his original assumptions for why they'd been together have proved to be incorrect or incomplete. Maybe, he thinks as he watches Lee stare at the floor attempting to look impassive, it wasn't ever only just about her. Lincoln drags a weary hand over his face and moves to sit next to Lee, not knowing what to say next when only half of what needs to be confessed is out there. He opts for simply draping an arm over Lee, offering comfort, cautious at first but relaxing as the man leans into it and rests his head on his shoulder, practically hiding his face in the crook of Lincoln's neck.
"You guys have a thing together?" This she says with surprise. Cooly asked, a level of detachment to the question but disbelief and curiosity creeping in.
"I didn't plan for it. It sort of happened, cold comfort I know."
"Hey, I've got no claims," she says, motioning with her hands to indicate how she has no hold on him. He can see the sadness as she insists it, his crushing her hopes by the admission, not that it has to be like that. Liv starts pacing the room as she processes the new information.
"If there's something between the two of you then why am I here?"
Lee pipes up, voice inordinately low as if it takes a lot out of him to speak at all. "I'm not jealous of you. Well, that's a lie, more than a bit yeah, but that's not all Clark Kent over there is trying to get at."
"Ah," she exclaims softly. Liv really does look surprised this time and further confused. He can't say this was a situation he'd ever imagined they could get into when he'd made the decision to live here and he doubts it had crossed her mind either, that she could end up loved by two versions of the same person with their own unique bond that defied logic.
Lee gets up, avoiding looking at anyone and after a few moments of silence there's the sound of the refrigerator opening and the hiss of an bottle cap removed. Lee hangs in the kitchen doorway, facing away from them as he gulps down most of the beer in one. Liv taking action, goes to him, though she merely hovers close, allowing space where he might prefer.
"You're my friend, why didn't you say something?"
There's a huff of amusement from Lee, before he takes a swig, "I didn't say anything because you're my friend. Didn't want to make things awkward. It doesn't matter."
"Of course it matters, Linc."
Lincoln spies fear on Lee's face as he expects rejection but Liv hugs him tightly, and he can see Lee relax into it once he realises she isn't going to begrudge him his feelings for her. Lincoln feels morose in an instant, hit with the sense he's the intruder in their lives again and he can't get out of there quick enough. Playing up his whiskey binge as having hit him hard enough to warrant immediate rest, and waving away their concern, he makes a thankfully swift exit, leaving them be. Tapping off his earpiece as he flees in a cab outside, he rides back to his hotel in silence. He could have told them how he felt, talked it out, but he can't bear hearing any explanations to prove him wrong because he knows it's an irrational feeling anyway, one that will pass naturally, it always does. He belongs here now, even if he doesn't yet know who he belongs with.
-
Work is as awkward as could be expected the next day, with one difference. He greets Liv as normally as possible but doesn't ignore Lee like usual, who eyes him bemusedly when he tries to offer a small wry smile. It's a start to mending what's been broken too long around here. He catches Liv watching him and Lee every now and then, gaze piercing like she's studying them, keen to figure out what this is. Lincoln doesn't know himself and focuses on getting through this day alive.
A whole week passes, day in and day out with nothing else said, and they find themselves kicking back on Friday evening in a bar, comradeship over a particularly tough case solved setting their team at ease despite the ever present tensions. It hits 10pm and Liv is still there, nursing what must be her 7th soda and Lincoln had been so at ease somehow he'd not noticed the significance of her staying behind. The air between them feels changed somehow, an absence of the red flags put up by his brain and he thinks it's possible only he has been projecting those onto every interaction. Are they just gone after a few drinks because it wasn't ultimately there past that initial burst?
Liv's smiling brightly at both of them now and he feels Lee's arm slung casually around his shoulders, simple but delightful to have there. He feels at home here for the first time, amongst them, his partners. He isn't sure how he means it and he doesn't care at that precise moment, he enjoys it instead of over analyzing it to death like he tends to. Maybe that's how he should be able to tell he's truly happy for once.
He wants to trust his gut because he thinks it's possible it was meant to be, them three. It's all too easy to believe that when Liv asks them over for a movie night the next day and he can see the look of anticipation in her eyes, not to mention Lee's. He agrees with a grin and a toast to partnership that they all raise their glasses to. What will be will be and he drinks deep to that.