Who: Oliver and Diego When: 15-16 years ago Where: Diego’s room/the Facility, Washington Status: complete
True to his word, Oliver spent most of his day off out buying Diego a handful of books. He had gotten permission from his boss to do so although they were still considering allowing Oliver to give Diego an iPod. Apparently any form of technology was a no-no, but given the iPod didn’t have access to the internet, it was more of a ‘maybe’ than a no. Oliver had a feeling they would cave on it if he pushed that music soothed anxiety and stress, and Diego may be more compliant if he had access to it.
Thursday evening he wrote a few messages for Diego in the books. Not inside the covers, because he knew security would be checking them. But in the middle pages, so Diego would happen upon them while he read. Some were quotes he enjoyed, others were more personal, all written in Spanish. He slid them into a tote bag with the two drawing pads and markers - colored pencils had been denied when he inquired about them. As he walked into work that evening, Oliver’s heart was beating hard in his chest. He wasn’t worried about the gifts for Diego, but for what he planned to do before he took them into Diego’s room.
He had become friendly with Frank, one of the security guards. Unlike the other guards, Frank didn’t push Oliver out of Diego’s room when he lingered a bit too long. Frank was middle aged, divorced with three kids, one of whom just started college. Oliver listened to all of his stories and complaints. They smoked together occasionally - Oliver didn’t smoke, but he did so when Frank asked him to join him outside. Smoking was some form of camaraderie he supposed, and if he hadn’t needed someone in Frank’s position on his side, Oliver would have absolutely said no. It was a filthy habit, and he hated how it made his hands smell and his mouth feel cottony. Oliver brought Frank coffee from the fancy, expensive place down the street and Frank sometimes brought Oliver desserts his youngest daughter made at home. It was a nice work-based friendship. Oliver got the feeling Frank felt some empathy for the patients, some sense of guilt that came with the job, the same way Oliver did, and maybe that’s why they got along. Almost everyone else they worked with seemed robotic with their empathy. They were so by the book, no matter what the circumstance.
Today Oliver had decided to push the boundaries of his friendship with Frank, and he was hoping it didn’t blow up in his face. He went through the motions of his work routine until it was finally time to deliver dinner to the patients. He delivered to everyone else first, and left Diego for last so the others weren’t waiting on him. The tote bag of gifts remained on the bottom part of his cart, which he left outside of Diego’s room. And then Oliver took a quick detour to the security office, where Frank would be watching the monitors. Or pretending to.
It went much more smoothly than Oliver expected it to. Without giving an explanation, Oliver had offered Frank a one hundred dollar bill to take a smoke break… without asking anyone else to cover the monitors. Frank had hesitated for only a moment before taking the money.
“Don’t do anything stupid.” He’d told Oliver before patting him on the shoulder and disappearing down the hall to the exit.
Elated, Oliver returned to Diego’s room and knocked twice before scanning his keycard to unlock the door. “It’s me,” he said after opening the door half an inch. “Can I come inside?” The others never asked, but Oliver liked Diego to know that he respected Diego’s privacy, as little as he had anyway.
Diego knew that Oliver was coming today, and it had made him happy and antsy all day long. So far his meals had been brought by other techs, but Diego knew that if Oliver was in the building, he would come. He’d been behaving himself extra-well in preparation so he didn’t get any ‘privileges’ taken away -- he hadn’t tweaked anyone’s gravity and he’d left things alone out in the hallway. He’d been quiet and drawing in his room, daydreaming about Oliver.
The knock made his head jerk upward and a smile immediately overtook his face. Oliver was the only one who ever knocked. “Yes of course,” he said eagerly. Diego stood up from where he’d been sitting at the tiny desk, rolling the small charcoal stick they let him draw with between his fingers. It was crazy how quickly his heart picked up speed just at the sound of the other man’s voice.
Oliver grabbed the tote bag from the bottom of the cart and slipped it around his wrist before picking up the tray to carry it inside. He smiled at the sight of Diego waiting for him, aware that he didn't have much time to do what he wanted to do before Frank would be back. "Dinner," he said, setting the tray down on the table. "And they approved a few things, so... these are for you." Oliver slid the tote bag from his wrist and walked over to hand it to Diego. "I hope this is enough to keep you entertained for a while..." He would buy more, of course, if that's what Diego wanted. If Oliver's bosses could see a change in Diego's behavior because of these things, then he had no doubt they would allow more. "How are you?"
Diego hardly glanced at the tray as Oliver set it down, the bag in his hand was much more interesting. Still not as interesting as the man himself, of course, but he’d brought gifts! Grinning like a kid on Christmas, he eagerly took the bag and looked inside. There were drawing supplies and books and he felt like his heart might just burst from happiness. “You did so much!” he exclaimed, slipping right into Spanish without thinking about it. “Gracias, gracias ... I cannot say it enough.” He looked up and beamed at Oliver, his hands fisting on the handles of the bag, every fiber of his being compelled to latch onto Oliver and hug him until his arms fell off. But Diego knew that wasn’t allowed and would get them both into trouble, so he managed to resist the urge. “How are you? Did they make it trouble?” he asked.
Oliver grinned at Diego's obvious joy and appreciation. He didn't think he had done enough, but he was sure his bosses would have been suspicious if he had walked in with a box full of things for their "subject". "De nada," Oliver murmured, pleased that he managed to do something good in this place. He itched to reach out and touch Diego, and he knew he had the ability to do so with Frank taking a smoke break, but he was suddenly overcome with doubt. Would Diego want him to touch him? All signs pointed to yes, but what if Oliver had misconstrued things? It was so easy to sink into moments of insecurity, but he couldn't exactly squander his chance, could he? "I'm good," Oliver continued. "They approved everything, so there was no trouble." After a brief moment of hesitation, Oliver held out his hand toward Diego, his heart pounding madly in his chest, nerves prickling down his body in anticipation. Diego would either respond, or he wouldn't, but Oliver knew he would kick himself if he left the room without trying.
Diego was relieved to hear that nobody had hassled Oliver about anything he was bringing in. He’d never had a tech bring him gifts before, so he didn’t even really know how that worked outside this room, but given how they treated him, he was sure it wasn’t encouraged. But Oliver had put effort in for him, and it made Diego want to cry. He was swallowing thickly as he looked up to see Oliver’s extended hand, and Diego’s heart twisted strangely in his chest. His lips parted and one of his hands instinctively started to reach ... but he stopped it quickly, dark eyes darting uncertainly to the camera in the corner of the ceiling. They were watching, always watching, touching was risky for both of them.
Oliver's breath caught when Diego reached for him, the excitement of it halting momentarily when Diego pulled back. But he knew it was because of the camera, not Diego's disinterest. "It's okay," Oliver said quickly to reassure him. "He's... Frank, he's a good guy. He's not watching right now. Nobody's watching." He kept his hand outstretched, hoping that Diego would trust that he was telling the truth. He wouldn't blame the other guy if he had doubts about Oliver, but Oliver hoped that by now Diego understood Oliver's feelings, at least to an extent.
It might’ve been some sort of trick, the abused and cynical part of Diego knew that. Oliver could’ve been buttering him up this whole time to lure him into ... something. Admitting he had these sorts of feelings for another man? To drag him back into sexual slavery somehow? Maybe it was foolish of him, but he trusted Oliver. He saw nothing but sincere desire and hope in those beautiful brown eyes, and the words ‘nobody’s watching’ were absolutely divine. Nobody was watching. He had privacy for the first time in God knew how long, and Oliver still had his hand out. Diego stared at him for another couple of heartbeats, then dropped his bag of new stuff and stook a step closer, his hand coming up to clasp the other man’s. The warm contact made that lump in his throat ache again, and his heart felt like it was trying to beat out of his thin chest.
Oh, Oliver was well aware of how foolish this was. All of it. He was risking his job and Diego's safety. It would probably be better to pull back and just do his job and try to help from afar, but he was in too deep now, wasn't he? Oliver knew that for certain as soon as Diego took his hand. It was so much better than the lingering grazes they'd managed before. Having Diego's hand clasped against his sent those prickles of anticipation into hyperdrive. It also brought a smile back to Oliver's face and he gripped Diego's hand tightly, stepping in closer. "We don't have a lot of time," Oliver murmured. There was still the tiniest bit of indecision in his movements, but he still brought his hand up to brush some of Diego's hair away from his forehead. This might be all they ever get, so he had to make the most of it now.
Diego’s eyelashes fluttered as the brush of Oliver’s fingers against his head sent tingling electricity down his spine. In all his young life, he’d never been in a sexually tense situation that he actually wanted to be in, and the things he was feeling at that moment were powerful. Even Oliver’s murmur seemed to make his eardrums vibrate, like his entire body was tuned into the other man. They were close enough now that Diego could smell him, and his stomach clench-fluttered some more. If he wasn’t wrong -- and even with almost zero experience, Diego didn’t think he was -- he could see the desire in Oliver’s eyes. He wanted to speak, say something clever maybe, but he felt like his heart was taking up all the room in his throat. He swallowed thickly and wet his lips, his gaze almost awed as it drifted over Oliver’s features. After another second or two, Diego closed the gap in a jerky sort of movement to press his lips against Oliver’s. He didn’t square it quite right, but the first move was made.
Oliver felt desire through his entire being. He had never been in this position before. Yes, technically he had kissed people before. A couple of girls over the past few years, but it had never been passionate, never anything more than curiosity. His body had never been so acutely aware of another person until he met Diego. It was like he was drawn to him, physically and emotionally and it was completely out of his control. Honestly, he was a little surprised when Diego took the initiative to kiss him, but it was a pleasant surprise and Oliver felt a smile immediately curve at his lips. It wasn't laughter, or amusement, just pure joy that he hadn't been wrong in thinking Diego wanted him too. Before he could overthink it, he cupped Diego's face and kissed him properly, firmly on the mouth.
Diego thought he might die, and it would be the sweetest death known to man. His heart was going crazy in his chest, his ears felt hot, and a tsunami of blood rushed into his groin. Oliver’s lips were soft and felt absolutely perfect against his, like they were made to be there, and the way he cupped Diego’s face made him positively ache. His hands were touching Oliver’s sides without any conscious thought, his fingers curling tight in the fabric there like he could physically hang onto this moment. He tilted his head slightly and parted his lips for a deeper kiss, instinctually wanting to taste more of Oliver while he could. Like everything good that had ever happened to him, he knew this was fleeting, and he had to make the most of it.
Diego's responsiveness only fueled the fire that was spreading through Oliver's body. He knew they didn't have much time, and he knew he had to pull away, but it felt so good. Were all kisses supposed to have this kind of effect on his body? Lowering his hands from Diego's face, Oliver slipped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer. It was intoxicating, this feeling, and Oliver knew he was going to need more of it. There would be days and days of bribing Frank ahead. Diego's lips were tentative, but firm and it felt right to be doing this. Like they should have been doing this from the very first moment they met. It was pleasure and joy and for a moment none of the bad stuff mattered.
It was like hearing music for the first time, or walking out into the sun after years indoors ... or what Diego imagined that must feel like, anyway. It was such an overwhelming feeling that just blotted out everything else, everything bad. His insides churned harder as Oliver’s body pressed against his. Diego couldn’t do anything to hide his arousal, and he didn’t want to try, moving both arms up to wrap around Oliver’s shoulders. The warm solidness of him was something Diego wanted to memorize, to always have in his mind. His tongue dipped forward to brush against Oliver’s, and Diego let out a soft noise deep in his throat. He knew they didn’t have the time and it wasn’t safe, but so much of him wanted so badly to drag Oliver to the bed and start touching every inch of him.
Oliver was acutely aware of Diego's arousal and that only fueled his own. He wasn't embarrassed by it. Everything felt too good to feel any ounce of shame. The urge was there to touch and cling, and god he wished they had the time for it. And the privacy. As soon as their tongues touched Oliver was sure he was going to die from the pleasure of it all. The feeling sent sparks of fire through his body and his hands clung harder to Diego for fear that he might pull away. As much as he wanted, craved, more, Oliver felt so good just standing there, holding onto the other guy and kissing him. There was something so intimate and erotic about the way their mouths moved together. Every stroke of Diego's tongue triggered more heat inside of Oliver, sending every drop of blood in his body to his groin. His own cock was rock hard and aching for attention, but it was some kind of exquisite torture to ignore it for the time being.
Diego couldn’t even imagine wanting to go anywhere, so Oliver’s tightening grip just felt good and grounding. Something he needed, because he was starting to feel dizzy in a good kind of way. Maybe it was all the blood draining out of his brain and into his cock, or he was just utterly falling in love, or some combination of the two. The fact that Oliver had arranged this, Oliver had wanted this enough to risk getting in trouble or fired or whatever else they could do to him, was glowing in Diego’s mind like a star. Oliver had wanted him. There was no mistaking what his body was saying. Not only had he brought Diego physical presents, he’d gifted them a small, impossibly precious moment that was solely their own. It made Diego want to sob and scream and laugh and lie down on the floor and kick the walls all at once. Most of all he wanted to keep kissing Oliver though, so that’s what he did, pushing into it with rising intensity and shifting position just a little so their erections were pushed together. He rocked his hips by pure instinct and moaned again at how good the friction felt.
God, it felt like he was going to die right then and there, but it would be the absolute best way to go. His cock was aching and wanting more friction and the way Diego pressed his hips to Oliver's was torture. It drew a small groan from his throat and he was starting to think laying down on the bed sounded like a really good idea. A great one, even. All he wanted to do was kiss Diego until their lips were swollen and their bodies were about to explode from arousal. His fingers curled more tightly into Diego's sides. Would it be so wrong to just touch him? Just slide his palm down between their bodies and grope for a minute? The sharp crackle of static from his walkie hanging on his belt was like being doused with a bucket of ice water and Oliver startled back, releasing Diego and fumbling with shaking fingers to grab the walkie. There was no voice coming through yet, and he wondered if it was Frank, warning him that he was back. Or maybe someone was walking down the hall outside. With his heart still beating madly in his chest, Oliver looked back at Diego, his eyes full of regret that they couldn't continue.
Hearing Oliver -- whose voice he happened to love -- make that kind of sound was incredible. Diego had never felt what he was feeling before, and he was already addicted to it. He was having similar thoughts about really touching when Oliver’s radio went off. Instantly all of those warm good feelings froze over into fear. His fingers clung briefly to Oliver’s clothes as he jumped back, but he quickly let go and clutched fists to his chest like a child caught touching something he wasn’t supposed to. Which he essentially was. Diego half expected someone to burst through the door to drag Oliver away and ‘subdue’ Diego, but the door behind Oliver stayed closed. Diego’s eyes darted to the camera -- as if that would tell him anything -- then back to the other man’s face, round and scared. His heart was pounding and he felt sick, but the lower half of his body was still screaming for attention, for that warm pressure and friction again. He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth to scrape teeth over it, trying to focus on taking some deep breaths and calming his body down.
Oliver was doing his best to breathe. The sparks of arousal had been replaced by prickles of fear, at least until he heard Frank's voice. "Time's up, Reyes." Frank sounded normal, which helped calm some of Oliver's nerves. If someone had seen, or was coming, he was sure he would have heard it in Frank's voice. Licking his lips, Oliver looked down at the bag on the floor, and he reached down to grab it. He hated seeing the look of fear in Diego's eyes, aware of what would happen to the both of them if they had been caught. Oliver knew he should step back and leave Diego be for a while, but he wasn't that was an option anymore. Exhaling slowly, Oliver straightened and managed a small smile as he offered the bag back to Diego. "I hope you enjoy what's in here," he murmured. "We can talk about things later, yes?" When they had a bit more time again. He didn't want to leave, but Oliver knew he couldn't stay now. Not without being noticed.
Diego was used to everyone carrying walkies, but someone else’s voice in the room at the moment was jarring. It was funny how quickly he’d slipped into feeling like only he and Oliver existed in the universe. Like some naive idiot. His cheeks and neck were already flushed from the kissing, but he felt fresh heat flood into them. He wasn’t exactly ashamed of what they’d just done or how he’d behaved, it was just ... a lot to process. All kinds of mixed emotions in his eyes, he reached and took the bag from Oliver again. “Gracias,” he murmured, painfully aware again that they had an audience. Maybe Frank was being nice and not watching too closely, but that could never be a guarantee. Diego realized too late that he hadn’t eaten a bite of the food on the tray on the desk, and he didn’t think he could force any of it at the moment. His stomach was still feeling too wild. His eyes were full of open yearning as he forced them from Oliver to the tray. “Take it, I can’t eat,” he added softly, rubbing his thumb against the strap of the bag.
Doubt began to creep into the haze of lust and love and Oliver wondered if he had pushed too far, too fast. Maybe now that they had pulled away, Diego was regretting what had happened. He knew they were being watched again, so it made sense to have to shut down on some level, but Oliver still felt those bursts of joy in his gut that the kiss had happened. It was possible he was overthinking things, and he swallowed once before clearing his throat to speak. "I can leave some of it behind," he murmured. "In case you get hungry later. Otherwise you won't eat again until tomorrow." It was his own fault for using up the entire alloted meal time to express his feelings, non-verbally. Oliver couldn't say he was sorry, but he certainly didn't want Diego to go hungry. "There's an apple, at least..."
The time had been much better spent, in Diego’s opinion. Meal times were never long enough anyway. They just seemed to be another method of control -- here is the only sustenance you get, stuff it down as fast as you can. Diego wasn’t sure he would have any appetite until the next day anyway, but he appreciated that Oliver wanted to take care of him. Carefully setting the bag of gifts down on his bed, he went to the tray and grabbed the things that were easy to grab, including the apple. He picked up the tray to hand it back to Oliver, a tiny smile quirking up one side of his mouth. God, it was going to take so much willpower not to grab him every time they saw one another. “Until I get to see you again,” he said softly. “I will count every moment.”
Relief flooded Oliver, since it seemed as though Diego wasn't having any regrets about kissing him. He smiled while taking the tray back. It was just another excuse to touch him, so of course he lingered while their fingers brushed together. "Me too." Oliver had so much more to say, but now that they had eyes and ears on him again, he had to be careful. Definitely more careful now than ever before. He had to say goodbye now, but he didn't really want to say those words either. They felt too final. So instead Oliver finally stepped back with the tray and nodded at the apple Diego had taken as he moved to the door. "Eat."
The only regret in Diego’s entire being was that they couldn’t do more of what they’d just done. Not now, anyway. And that he couldn’t walk out with Oliver and stroll into some new and normal and happy life. Nothing would ever be normal for him. But he couldn’t think about that at the moment or he would lose his composure and he didn’t want to do that in front of Oliver. He just wanted to stare at and memorize as much of the other man as he possibly could before he vanished through the door again. The small contact of fingers made his stomach flutter happily again, and he huffed some amusement at the one word order. “Si mamá,” he murmured with a lopsided grin. Part of Diego desperately wanted to tack an ‘I love you’ onto that, but he bit his tongue.
Oliver hesitated at the door, but then smiled and nodded before slipping out. He wanted to take Diego with him. Sneak out of there and make a run for it. But he knew he had no way to do that safely. They would find them and Oliver was aware enough of what his bosses were capable of that he was certain he would be killed if he tried it. But he also hated that Diego was stuck in this place. That Oliver had to bribe people just to touch him. But if this was all they could have for now, Oliver wasn't going to complain. He would take whatever he could get, for as long as he could get it.