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The Snippet Fileby Gina CollumPositive feedback and / or constructive criticism always welcome. "Hey, Chief, what are you up to?" "Oh, just -- writing a story." "Fiction? Chief!" Aggrieved. "Jim!" Imitation. "You were saying only yesterday that you weren't going to go back to this new hobby of yours until you finished that article for the Anthro department journal, what --er, or *did* you finish it?" "No. I was -- I mean, there it is, it's a big article and it needs all those revisions Professor Caplin suggested, and I did promise a friend on the fiction list that I'd write something for her, and -- " "In other words, you were feeling overwhelmed so you decided to start another project." "Uh, yeah." Innocent blink. "Do yourself a favor, Darwin, get back to the article." "I can't, not until Caplinphmmble." "Until what?" "Until Caplin emails the rough draft back to me." "I thought you just said she already gave you feedback." "She did." "Then why do you need--" The penny dropped. "Sandburg, tell me what happened to your hard drive." "I don't know." Sandburg tore at his hair. "Half the directories were missing when I booted up this morning. I didn't even have an email platform anymore --fortunately I got a copy of Pegasus at the U, but my addresses and bookmarks are toast -- Netscape's gone, too -- and my articles, all of 'em, they're just gone, gone, gone." Jim waited tactfully. Sandburg took a deep breath and drew himself up in his chair. "I thought you had backup disks." Sandburg waved a hand. "I don't have time for that right now." "Don't have time? How can you not have time for your backup disks??" "They're in my room somewhere." Jim snorted, then gave up and laughed."You mean you lost them!" "I know where they are, they're in my room!" Jim brought himself under control. "How much did you lose?" "Everything but the fiction on my websi --um, pretty much everything." "You have a website?" "Yeah, well, there's an archive but I didn't want to use their space when I can get my own for free, and--" Sandburg avoided Jim's eyes. Jim glanced over Sandburg's shoulder. "Please tell me that's not a story about Blade fucking that guy played by Kris Kristoffersen." Pained. "Um, well..." "I didn't think you hated the movie *that* much. The way I remember it, you laughed the whole time." "Yeah, but, um..." "And besides, if you're going to do a parody, does it need to be that graphic? 'Throbbing hole,''heated caresses' -- hell, if you're not careful, Chief, somebody's going to get off on that." Blink. "Yeah, I guess you're right, I'll just, um--" Jim's sight finally zeroed in on Sandburg's jeans. He realized that he'd been smelling pheromones, the air was thick with them, but then it always was when he got near Blair "Infinitely Horny" Sandburg. The twerp just plain smelled ripe for sex, all the time. Jim blinked and tilted his head, while Sandburg shut down his laptop, making aimless gestures and muttering *have to rewrite that, then* and *thanks for the tip.* "But don't let me cramp your style," Jim interrupted, putting his hands on Blair's shoulders. He put his head down and inhaled deeply, savoring the heavy air. //Blair shrugged and complied, stripping off his shirt, then kicking off his shoes. He couldn't recall any previous case that involved quite so much nudity on his and Jim'spart...// Sigh. Morning. Damn. Why couldn't their real life adventures be as exciting as his dreams? He fumbled around the bed for his robe, shoved his arms into it, got up, and shivered. Stupid thing wouldn't hang right. He wrestled with the robe some more, discovering that he'd put it on upside down. What's for breakfast? Where's Jim, dammit, isn't it Sunday? Haven't seen him since Friday. Told him my hard drive crashed, next thing I know he's gone, the last words of his don't-you-keep-backups lecture still hanging in the air... The door opened. "Oh, hi, Chief." "G'morning, Jim." Blair rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. God help them both, Jim looked good enough to eat in that sweater. Without ketchup, even. He put the lid on the blender, listening to Jim shuffle around the living room. Whirrrrrrrrrrrrr. "So, that must have been some hot date," Blair said finally, after taking a sip of his shake. "Date?" "Come on, you said you were going to that place up the coast -- " "I went alone." "Oh." Blair took another sip. "Have I, uh, been in your face too much again?" "No, not at all. I mean, yes, but I --kind of like it that way." "Huh?" Arms enfolded him from behind. "I like you in my face. I'd like you in *more* than just my face." |
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