Chapter Text
Hammer & Horns – Poetry of Darkness
The piles of papers in front of you wavered precariously as Tom stomped past for the tenth time whilst he muttered to himself, carrying yet another load of laundry. Chris passed in the opposite direction with a broom, a dark thunderous look on his face as he also muttered under his breath. To say that your unexpected houseguest had been slightly untidy was an understatement. In reality ‘Hurricane Hayley’ had wreaked havoc for four days and four nights, and when Chris had dropped her and her multiple pieces of luggage off at the airport in the bookstores delivery van you had released a sigh of relief; she’d been fun but wow she’d been disruptive.
Now in the wake of her departure the boys were doing their best to find the remains of the apartment underneath all the chaos, you were still surprised you how one small woman could cause such a mess in such a short period of time. However you could not dwell on those thoughts, instead you had to turn back to the case file that your boss had charged you with taking control of; a rather unusual planning application that had been dragging on for months due to the applicants health issues.
As Tom stomped past yet again finally it was enough for a stack of papers to work themselves loose and make a break for the floor;
“Tom! Will you please calm down?”
You started to gather the scattered papers from the floor as he stopped in his tracks and turned, suddenly realising what he’d done as he bent down to help you;
“I’m sorry darling... it’s just, you know... Hayley was such a chaotic person to live with... well, it’s so much nicer having you here”
He flashed his megawatt smile at you as he passed you the papers he’d gathered, and you could tell that he was attempting to charm you, but your deadline was looming;
“Nice try Tom, but i have to work”
You leant forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead before you got up and took your place at the table, continuing to work through the various reports and correspondence, leaving the boys to go back to their own devices until an hour later a very welcome cup of tea was placed next to you;
“Come on, it’s time for a break”
Chris took the seat next to you, looking slightly worn out from all the housework he’d been doing, Tom coming over from his spot on the sofa where he’d been working on some flyers for the bookstore, pulling the chair out and taking a seat opposite where you were sat;
“So what are you working on?”
Clutching your mug you leant back in your chair, surveying the papers as you gathered your thoughts to summarise the application;
“There’s this guy who lives out in the suburbs, he’s put in various planning applications to go ‘off grid’; power, water, telephone. He says he can generate his own power and has the technology in order to be self sufficient...”
“And? What’s the hold up? Why all the files?” Chris motioned to the mess on the table
“His application is all paper based, whereas most people do at least some of it online, he’s submitted every single thing in hard copy. All his letters are hand written...”
You held up a beautifully written letter that seemed to be on very old writing paper stock, the swirls and loops of the text drawing you into the enticing wording and making you want to read more than just planning applications;
“Anyway, this guy can’t visit the offices for any meetings, so i’ve got to go and do a site visit tomorrow evening”
Tom sat forward, a concerned look on his face; “Evening? Is that wise?”
“It has to be evenings, the applicant has some sort of health thing where he’s allergic to sunlight... hang on i have the name of it somewhere...” you shuffled through some papers before you found what you were looking for; “Here, it’s something called erythropoletic protoporphyria... basically he can’t go into direct sunlight...”
“So he’s a vampire?”
You looked sceptically at Tom and raised one eyebrow;
“I’ll keep my neck covered” you sipped your tea before spotting the flyers that Tom was holding; “Anyway, what have you been up to?”
“These? We’re having a poetry night in the bookstore and i’m trying to get local businesses to help to promote it... hey, could you put a couple of flyers on noticeboards at the council? I saw a few boards when i came to visit you”
“Yeah sure, i’ll put them up tomorrow”
Soon you’d all finished your break and returned to work, you had reviewed the whole file and were confident that you could make an educated decision when you did your site visit. As you were pulling the papers back together you glanced up and was surprised to see Chris standing in front of the mirror in the hallway as he adjusted his hair, looking very smart in a suit;
“What are you all dressed up for?”
He grinned at you before returning to preen his hair a little longer;
“I’ve got a date”
You weren’t quite sure why this shocked you, but you were suddenly lost for words. You hadn’t considered exactly what the ‘relationship’ dynamics were between the three of you, but as if sensing your apprehension he turned to you;
“Are you ok with this?”
“Of course, you’re a grown man, you can date whom ever you like” you grinned at him, your face softening into a smile to reassure him that you were fine with it; “So who is the lucky lady?”
He went back to adjusting his hair for the tenth time;
“Her name’s Michelle and she has been coming into the shop almost every week for the last three months. We got chatting at the racing night and, well...”
He trailed off, a grin on his face before he checked his watch and declared that he’d be late if he didn’t go soon, grabbing a bottle of wine from the rack and stating not to worry if he didn’t come home until the morning. With a slam of the door he was gone, leaving you and Tom in the apartment, Tom’s voice startling you a little as he broke the silence;
“Are you sure you’re ok with this?”
Stuffing the remainder of your work files into your bag you sat back in the chair and took a deep breath;
“Yes, i am. We hadn’t discussed what the ‘rules’ were so to speak, but as long as this isn’t a one rule for you boys and another for me...”
“Oh god no! Of course not! We would never... i mean... we can’t have that kind of arrangement, it wouldn’t be fair to anyone, especially you! And we love having you here, for one you’re an awful lot tidier than our last roommate...” he gestured to the broom he was holding to make his point;
“Hey, how about a movie and we’ll get some food delivered?”
“Oh... umm... i’m on my period Tom... i started this morning...”
He leant the broom against the table and gently took your arms in his hands, sliding his fingers down your forearms until he was holding your hands;
“I didn’t mean for us to end up in bed together, literally just a movie and dinner? I’m too exhausted to put on a good performance after the last few nights and then all the work today to get this place to some sense of normality...”
“In that case, yeah sure, that sounds great”
The evening was fun and Tom picked a selection of comedies for you to watch whilst having a delicious Indian curry, before calling it a night and crawling into bed with a couple of painkillers and a hot water bottle clutched to your stomach.
After a busy day at the office, you found yourself sitting in the taxi to take you out into the suburbs for your evening appointment, your heavy bag next to you on the seat. When the driver pulled up to the address you’d given him you had to check with him that he had the right place, the setting sun dipping behind the trees at the back of the property giving it an eerie silhouette;
“This is the right place luv, but are you sure you want me to drop you off here?”
“Yes its fine”
You didn’t feel fine, the shiver running down your back as you got out of the car and heaved your bag over your shoulder, looking up to the house you saw one of the curtains move in an upstairs window. Paying the taxi driver you took his card and promised to call him if you needed a lift back to ‘civilisation’ as he put it, thanking him for his concern before you watching him slowly drive off. Taking a deep breath you grasped at the strap of your bag as you made your way up the steps, pressing the button for the doorbell and listening as it chimed inside the house. After a few moments the door creaked open, the person on the other side standing behind it as all you could see was an arm extended into the hallway signalling you to step inside.
It took a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the faint light within the house, but when they did you let out a little yelp when you saw him, standing barefoot in his hallway wearing just a pair of snug black jeans, his wild black hair half hiding his face, but what you could see took your breath away with the sheer beauty of it;
“I’m so sorry... wait, i didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, i’ll go put a shirt on...”
Watching as he walked away you marvelled at his muscular back, the fluid motion of the way he moved, as if a panther stalking prey through the darkness. A minute later he appeared with a dark shirt loosely buttoned, boots now on his feet as he still made no sound on the old creaky floorboards as he approached you;
“Again, please let me appologise, you must be...”
“Emma... Umm Mr...?”
“Adam. Just... Adam”
He held his hand out and you shook it, noticing that his skin was cool to the touch, but incredibly soft and smooth for a man;
“Adam, its good to finally meet you. Shall we get started?”
“Would you like to see the power generation equipment first? We can then do the paperwork”
“Lead the way” you found yourself smiling at him as he turned and led you through the house, going slow enough so you could take in the eclectic decor, stepping around the stacks of books in the hallways and various musical instruments hanging on the walls;
“Are you a musician?”
“A little”
His reply was brief as he held the back door open for you, and you found yourself having to squeeze uncomfortably close to him to get past the stack of junk that was piled up against the doorframe, as you were level with his chest you heard him inhale sharply;
“Are you... are you hurt Emma?”
Pausing you stopped and looked up to him, suddenly taken in by his gaze;
“No, not as far as i know, why do you ask?”
He stood silently for a moment, his nostrils flaring as if he was inhaling your scent, before he suddenly blinked, turning away as he shook his head as if to rid himself of a thought, finally turning back to you;
“Nevermind, i’ll show you were the equipment is”
For the next half hour he gave you a tour of the garden and outbuildings, giving you the brief scientific information you needed in order to understand his application, and when the night finally was at its darkest Adam ushered you inside so you could go over the paperwork. Just as you were going to sit on the strange curved sofa was when your body decided you deserved a rather painful period cramp, sucking the breath out of you as you caught yourself on the arm of the furniture, waiting for it to pass before you looked up to where Adam stood, a worried look on his face;
“Its nothing, just a little stomach ache”
“Can i get you anything?”
“A glass of water please?”
As he left the room you quickly rummaged in the side pocket of your bag and retrieved a pack of painkillers, popping a couple of pills into your mouth ready to wash them down. Moments later Adam reappeared holding a glass out to you which you gratefully accepted, gulping it down before setting it onto the low table. Pulling the files from your bag you stashed the packet of pills back in, looking up to see that Adam had spotted what you were doing;
“Just stomach ache?”
“Yes, i’m sorry... it’s kind of personal?”
His face immediately looked shocked;
“I’m sorry, i didn’t mean to pry, i was just concerned that’s all, but i err... understand”
This was turning out to be one of the weirdest site visits you’d ever done, but pushing that from your mind you soon got down to business – literally – and were completing the final forms for his application. You made the appropriate annotations and smiled at him as you passed him a duplicate copy you’d made before you had left the office;
“There we go, all done”
“It’s approved?” He looked surprised as he thumbed through the paperwork.
“Yes, you’ve proven that you can make this work, and we see no issue with this, in fact it would be good if it was something more homeowners looked into”
He glanced up from the papers and smiled at you, his face softening as he watched you start to pack away your things. As you lifted one pile of papers he spotted a smaller piece of card and picked it up;
“Is this yours?”
Looking at what he was holding you saw that it was the flyer for the poetry night at the bookstore;
“Oh dammit, i was meant to stick that on the notice board at work... you’re welcome to have it if you like?”
He thumbed the card as he read the details;
“How do you know about this place?”
“I know the owners, they’re friends of mine”
You managed to catch yourself before you let slip that you lived there too, watching him as he turned the card over in his hands;
“It’s a good store, they’ve sold me a few special first editions in the past” He gestured to the hundreds of books stacked in every conceivable place and you realised that he’d probably spent thousands in the bookstore; “Will you be there?”
You nodded; “Hopefully, if i can finish all my work in time”
You had finished packing your things away and stood to leave, smoothing your skirt down as you held your hand out to shake his;
“It was very nice to meet you Adam”
He returned the gesture and escorted you to the door, opening it for you as he stepped aside and allowed him to see you out;
“I hope to see you again soon”
And with that he quietly closed the door as you made your way down the steps, pulling your phone from your pocket in order to call for a taxi. Dialling the number you hit the call button but frowned as the call failed, only then noticing the lack of reception;
“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me...”
Trying again you begged the call to go through, but your attempts were met with the red ‘call failed’ message each time. Finally giving up you stashed your phone back into your pocket and thought for a moment until you had inspiration; Adam! He’d have a phone in the house! Running back up the steps you pressed the doorbell and waited, immediately apologising as soon as he opened the door;
“I’m so sorry Adam, but could i please use your phone to call a taxi? I can’t get any signal on my mobile...”
He looked flustered for a moment before he turned and picked up the receiver of an old Bakelite dial telephone;
“I’m afraid it doesn’t work... i haven’t yet got the line functioning...”
“Oh...”
“But i can drive you... if you’d like?”
He looked hopeful, like a eager puppy as he waited for your decision. Well, it wasn’t too much of a decision to make, either risk god-knows-what happening if you were to attempt to walk home, or accept a lift from this stranger. You agreed to his offer and you soon found yourself sitting in the front seat of a old cream Jaguar, watching as he pulled the car out onto the road. He went to drive off but glanced over to you before putting the brake on, leaning over you and reaching for something above your shoulder. Pulling the seatbelt he held it in front of you;
“Best be safe...”
His face was still incredibly close to yours, and you found yourself mesmerised by his gaze as his skilled fingers clicked the latch into the socket before he finally settled back into his seat and pulled away.
“Sorry... i’m more of a public transport girl...”
For the remainder of the journey you sat in a comfortable silence, watching Adam’s hypnotic movements as he drove back towards the city centre. As the tall buildings came into view he asked where he should drop you, and without thinking you gave him the bookstore’s address;
“You want me to drop you at Hammer and Horns?”
A little shocked you turned to him;
“You know the bookstore’s address off by heart?”
He let out a low chuckle, and as he did so he reminded you of someone but you couldn’t quite place it;
“With the amount of money i spend there, i could be paying Thomas and Christopher’s bills”
The rest of the journey seemed to fly by, and you were soon watching as Adam pulled the old car into the small courtyard at the back of the store, shutting the engine off as he looked up at the back of the building. You found yourself simply watching him, before finally coming to your senses and releasing the seatbelt;
“Thank you for the lift Adam”
Reaching for the door handle you pulled the release but the door didn’t open. Pulling it a little harder you started to feel a slight panic spread over you until he spoke;
“I’m so sorry, that door can sometimes stick”
He quickly got out and jogged around the car, pulling the handle from the outside and holding the door open for you, standing to one side as you tried to get out gracefully after your skirt had ridden up your legs slightly. Shouldering your bag you turned and smiled at him;
“Thank you again”
“No, thank you. It was an honour to meet you and thank you for your help with getting the permits done...”
Adam looked wilfully up at the building before he let out a breath and turned back to you;
“Perhaps i’ll see you at the poetry evening?”
You felt like a teenager as he hinted that he’d like to see you again, and you found yourself nodding;
“It would be nice to see you again”
The smile that spread across his face seemed to light the night sky, and as you shuffled from one foot to another you felt like a teenager that had been walked to her door. You watched transfixed as Adam lowered his head and pressed a chaste kiss to your lips, his hand resting on your arm as he still held the car door with the other.
Finally breaking apart you looked up at him, a smile spread wide across your face. We went to apologise but you caught his lips with your finger. You dropped your bag to the floor and wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him down so his lips met yours, this time you found yourself taking the lead as your tongue pushed against his.
You heard the sound of the car door swinging shut and the next thing you felt was both of his hands moving to your hips, pulling you flush against his body as he deepened the kiss, a hunger in his actions as he pressed you against the side of his car. His lips left yours and started to press a trail across your check and down your neck, his teeth rubbing against your smooth skin as you pushed your body harder against his.
Suddenly the courtyard was illuminated by a bright light, the sound of the door opening making you and Adam spring apart, the shocked look on Chris’s face as he stood in the doorway with a bag of trash from the apartment an obvious sign that he wasn’t expecting to see you in that situation;
“Emma?!”
“Oh, Hi Chris... you know umm Adam...?”
“Hey man” Adam’s cool voice filled the small courtyard as Chris nodded
“Hi... sorry, i didn’t mean to interrupt...”
You and Adam watched as he threw the bag into the large bin before making his way inside, leaving the door ajar for you.
“I should get going... I’ll see you at the poetry night?”
He ran his finger across your cheek, a smile spreading over his lips;
“I look forward to it”
You watched as he climbed into the Jaguar, gunning the engine and turning tightly in the small courtyard, the red rear lights illuminating the street as he drove away.
Climbing the stairs and pushing through the door of the apartment you were greeted by Tom and Chris as they stood in the kitchen, each holding a bottle of beer;
“Good night then Emma?”
“Mixing work and pleasure?”
Stepping around them you reaching into the fridge and grabbed a beer for yourself, taking a long swig of the cool liquid before grinning at them;
“Oh i do very much hope so”