Cornerstone by MJ and Merri-Todd Webster (R)

[lapillus]

Fandom: X-FILES
Pairing: Alex Kryeck/Well Manicured Man (no, come back here! Don't run screaming...)
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: MJ's can be found here, I don't know of any current one for Merri-Todd Webster.
Why this must be read: It does what good fan fiction ought to; it fills in gaps and fleshes out characters who are at best two dimensional in canon. Both Krycek and the Well Manicured Man are wonderfully 3D in this. As the authors alternate sections and POV's (and more than just Kryeck and WMM, but also WMM"s wife and others) we get new and novel looks at the characters and watch as Krycek grows as a person from the time he breaks with Spender through the movie and a bit beyond.  Also, it deals honestly and movingly with geriatric sexuality and sex (well, semi-geriatric; Kryeck is still a hot young thing) something usually completely avoided in fan fiction.  For that alone, this is a must read.

"I'm nobody's *boy*," I spat at the man standing three feet away from me as two of his goons held me by the shoulders. I still had two arms then, and I'd gladly have used either on all of them if I hadn't been restrained.

"Ah, I forgot. You Americans use expressions so differently. I assure you, Alex, that I was not referring to you as a slave when I called you 'my boy.' " The Brit turned up the corners of his lips in a close-mouthed smile. Close-mouthed, that's him. "I'm merely displaying a certain affection for you that your former mentor seems to lack.Otherwise, he wouldn't have attempted that rather obvious car bomb,would he? I, on the other hand, am offering you a position."

"What do you want?"  I was nearly snarling.

"I think you'll be surprised at how little I'm asking of you, Alex.  And at just how much you'll get in return."

*

I sit at the huge oak library table, reviewing files. He sits across from me, drinking tea and reading his mail. I'm studying. I am, in fact, an understudy of sorts now, learning from him what the smoker wouldn't tell me. The Brit expects a conflict in the ranks, as if there isn't enough of one already. I can see from what he's showing me that he's planning to have me move back into a position within the Consortium if anything happens to him. He seems to expect that something will indeed happen.

I adjust my collar while reading. I haven't worn suits since the days I worked across from Mulder at the Bureau. And these suits are nothing like the cheap crap I bought as cover. I go to his tailor, and I go when I please. My leash is longer than I'd expected.

*

"I can promise you, Alex, that I won't lay a hand on you. Not in that way. However, I do have several... expectations? You will be present when I want you; you will dress as I ask you to. And, although I will not touch you myself, you will understand that I... enjoy watching."

"What?"

"I am not a young man, Alex. I'm no longer able to do anything I please. However, I enjoy watching attractive young men enjoy themselves. And you are a particularly attractive young man, as you no doubt know; I'm sure you've used it to your advantage often enough."

I stare.  "I'm not a trained monkey.  What do you think I'm going to do, perform on demand with someone I don't know?"

He looks back at me, shaking his head. "Although I believe that your former employer did expect just that from you when you were handling certain matters for him, I hardly expect that of you. I simply expect to be allowed to watch you pleasuring yourself. Do you think you can handle that?" I nod. In exchange for learning the smoker's secrets and permitting myself to be decorative, I play with myself as a spectator sport? Hell, I've been asked for worse, a lot worse. He wants me to be a toyboy while he grooms me for this job? All right, I can do toyboy.

Cornerstone