BLACK SUITS YOU

By

Ashleigh Anpilova

Sapphire, Steel and Silver are on earth to keep watch over a funeral. Silver tries to help Steel blend in more.

An established relationship story.

Written: August 2005. Word count: 1,040.

Author's Note: // either side of words indicate when the characters are talking to one another telepathically.

"Are you sure I can't tempt you to an ice cream, Steel?"

The man whose eyes matched his name, turned around. "No, thank you, Silver," he snapped. "I don't -"

"Eat. Yes, I know. But you can."

"If I have to, yes. But today I don't have to."

"It might help you blend in."

"Blend in. I've come to attend a funeral, Silver. I hardly think eating an ice cream will help me ‘blend in'. What are you doing here anyway?" Steel now turned his full attention onto the other element, and the steely-grey eyes bore into Silver.

"I'm here to watch you. Whilst you and Sapphire do your ‘bereaved friends' act. Black suits you, you know, Steel. You should wear it more often. Break up the monotony of those grey suits of yours." The eyes grew more frozen as they stared at Silver, who held the gaze and smiled. His words were correct; black did suit Steel. With the blond hair brushing his shoulders, and the pale skin and the grey eyes, he needed something darker to bring out his true beauty.

Steel continued to frown at Silver. "Where is Sapphire?" he demanded. "How long does it take her to find a black dress? And why do we have to wear black anyway?"

"Tradition," Silver said, moving closer to Steel and brushing a non-existent hair from his shoulder. "I thought so," he said. //Why?//

//We're on an assignment, Silver.// Steel answered Silver in the same way.

"Not yet you're not," Silver said, returning to speech. It always irritated Steel the way Silver liked to skip back and forth between the two. And annoying Steel was something that Silver loved to do; he enjoyed it almost as much as making love to his fellow element. //You said you wouldn't do it anymore when we were alone.//

Steel frowned again and took a step backwards. //Stop it.// The irritation was clear, even through their link.

But Silver had never let his lover's annoyance affect him; if he had have done, Steel would never have become his lover. Even now, Silver wasn't entirely certain just why Steel had capitulated and allowed the younger element to take him to his bed. He took a step forward and once more put his hand on Steel's shoulder; this time he made no attempt to disguise the touch.

They were shielded from any prying eyes by a large bush, but even so being on Earth, Silver was careful not to do anything that could be construed as anything beyond friendship. Funerals were one of the few places where male Earthlings could touch one another, without anyone commenting on the fact, but even so. //Please,// he said simply, moving his hand slightly so that one of his long fingers fleetingly caressed Steel's cheek.

His lover's frown deepened, and the exasperation crackled around them. Then with a sudden move, the large hand swept up and closed around Silver's. //I could crush this as easily as blinking,// Steel said, tightening his grip slightly.

//I know.//Silver waited, enthralled. Steel's strength had always fascinated him, as had the control the iron man normally had over it. It also saddened him occasionally, as he knew it was the potential to brutally, but accidentally, destroy, which kept Steel from ever fully relaxing and losing control in their lovemaking. But Steel gave Silver what he could, and the other element would ask for no more.

The cold gaze grew colder and Silver shivered, but it wasn't just a shiver of coolness. It was a shudder of pleasure, as the temperature of the hand that held his plummeted, and Steel let his body temperature return to its normal level. The drop lasted for barely two seconds, as all too soon for Silver's liking, Steel returned to the level he kept it around humans, in order that that he might appear normal to them. The next moment Steel had let go of Silver's wrist and turned away. Silver took the opportunity to massage his wrist; the grip had been a little tight.

//You two really should stop flirting with one another.// Sapphire's amused voice sounded simultaneously in their minds.

//I,// Steel said turning swiftly, his voice matching his name and eyes, //was not flirting.//

"Maybe not, but Silver certainly was," Sapphire said, the amusement still present. She glided towards her partner, and reached out to straighten his tie. Steel allowed the touch, but the impatience once more cracked around them.

"What took you so long?" he snapped, when her hands slipped away.

"I had to find the right dress," Sapphire replied, smiling at her partner. "It's important to get these things right. Isn't it, Silver?" she turned the eyes, which like Steel's matched his name, onto her one-time occasional lover.

"It's not as though you had to go shopping for one. I've seen you in black before, why couldn't you just have chosen one of those."

"Steel, it's a beautiful summer day. The sun in shining, the birds are singing. The -"

//Oh, please.// Hit both Sapphire and Silver at the same time; Steel rolled his eyes.

"Sorry," Sapphire murmured, and lowered her eyes, flashing her repentant look, which Silver knew always got her her own way, even with the steely Steel.

This time Steel just shook his head, the dark gold hair brushing his shoulders, and said, "It's time we went and played our ‘bereaved friends' act, is how I believe Silver described it. And you," he said, pausing as Sapphire began to move smoothly away and turning his gaze onto Silver. "Keep watch," said his voice. //Stay out of trouble,// he said through the link that this time would be only between Silver and himself. And his eyes . . . His eyes said something completely different. Something that only Silver would recognise beneath the steel grey shutters that kept Steel and the world apart.

"I always do," Silver answered, responding to both Steel's spoken words, and those through the telepathic link. For an instant Steel almost smiled, then it was gone and he'd turned and was striding away after Sapphire. "Oh, and, Steel," Silver called. The black suited figure paused but didn't turn back round. //Black really does suit you.// Steel kept walking.

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