Author's Note: Another snippet from my WIP folder. Missing scene from “The Weaker Sex”. I’ve been nostalgia-watching this show - I’d forgotten how much fun it was (well, the first 2 seasons, before all the changes started) and how much I shipped Wade and Quinn. We’ll ignore how they messed that up, shall we…
***
“So you’re Wade’s boyfriend,” the deputy mayor said with what Quinn could only describe as a leer. It made him uncomfortable enough that he didn’t even consider protesting. Also, the memories of the last world were still crystal-clear in his head, and Quinn realized that he no longer considered the idea of Wade as more than just a friend all that preposterous.
She’d felt so right in his arms as they danced in the other Quinn’s basement, and when they’d kissed, he’d completely forgotten about the asteroid heading towards Earth. The passion sparking between them at the barest touch of their lips had been nothing short of a revelation, and they’d lost themselves in an embrace that had been rudely interrupted by the Professor’s appearance.
For a moment Quinn hadn’t cared one whit that Arturo had found a way to possibly save them all, his blood still pooling rather lower down than his brain. The moment the Professor’s back had been turned, their eyes had locked again, Wade’s flushed face and blown pupils indicating that she was just as affected as Quinn, and they’d exchanged one more hungry kiss before reluctantly separating.
Even the memory made arousal shoot through Quinn’s body, and he firmly squashed it in order to focus on getting this job. It was strange to be appraised for his looks rather than his skills, but he tried not to care. They needed the money after all, and with the Professor’s attitude he’d no doubt have a hard time getting hired.
This turned out to be a valid assessment, but Quinn certainly had not expected Arturo to get involved in local politics. Wade, sounding more forceful than she usually did, criticized the idea heatedly, but Quinn found he was distracted by watching her walk around the room in only a robe. In all probability she was naked underneath, a thought that made his dick twitch appreciatively. He’d caught glimpses of Wade’s body since they started sliding, and while in the past it had been easy to dismiss his own reactions to them as completely natural and meaningless, this was apparently no longer an option.
Wade sat down on the bed next to him, and without pausing to think Quinn took the towel from her and began to dry her hair. She didn’t interrupt her rant, completely relaxed in his personal space, and Quinn couldn’t help but enjoy the easy familiarity between them. Also, Wade smelled really good, something else he couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed before. Impulsively he buried his nose against her neck and breathed in deeply. Again, Wade didn’t flinch, even leaned into his shoulder, and Quinn was glad the Professor was facing away from them, because he was sure the smile on his face was positively dopey.
After a while, Wade wandered back to the bathroom to change into her pajamas. Shooting a quick glance at the Professor, who was completely engrossed in a book about the political history of this Earth, Quinn decided to follow another impulse and knocked quietly at the bathroom door, half-whispering, “Wade, you decent?”
The click of a lock opening was his reply, and he carefully opened the door and slipped inside. Wade was standing at the sink, brushing her damp hair, and lifted an inquiring eyebrow, asking, “Something the matter, Quinn?”
“Just… wanted to say thanks, I guess, for getting me the job,” Quinn replied awkwardly.
Wade teased him with a smile, “And that needed to be said in private?”
The playfulness in her voice was infectious, and Quinn found himself grinning widely back at her, all awkwardness suddenly gone. “Maybe I didn’t want the Professor to know that our bosses think I’m your boyfriend… and that, apparently, you have excellent taste.”
“What can I say - I like my men smart and pretty.” Unlike earlier, during the interview, the exaggerated leer Wade gave him didn’t cause Quinn any discomfort at all, and they shared a laugh that did nothing to dispel the tension that had begun building between them the moment Quinn had entered the bathroom. It was a pleasant sensation, this thrum of anticipation in the air, and the sight of Wade biting her lip only added to it.
He knew the gesture indicated she was working up the courage to say something, yet he’d never noticed how appealing it looked, and without thinking he closed the distance between them and traced her bottom lip with his thumb. Wade’s eyes widened, but otherwise she remained stock-still. Only when Quinn was no longer touching her, although they were still close enough to feel one another’s body heat, did she blurt out, “You don’t mind, do you? The boyfriend thing, I mean.”
“No. No, I don’t mind.” Quinn grinned again. “Actually, it might save me from having to file a sexual harassment suit, if they have these here. Seriously, the way that woman looked at me… I felt positively naked! And she didn’t care at all about my qualifications, it was so weird.”
Wade relaxed in visible relief and smiled up at him. “Now you can imagine what it’s like for many women back home. Sure, people talk about equality, but deep down? There’s still a lot of hidden discrimination going on. Just look at the Professor - I’m sure if you’d asked him, he’d say that of course he’s not sexist and I knew he doesn’t mean to be, but sometimes there’s a very fine line between gentlemanly and patronizing.”
She was gathering steam, and Quinn realized once more how much he loved watching her, even dressed in cheap pajamas and with her hair only half-brushed, fervor making her eyes gleam and her cheeks rosy. When her hands came up to gesticulate, it was without thought that Quinn caught them in his and gathered them against his chest, interrupting Wade’s rant, “You’re amazing, you know that, right?”
Blushing hotly, Wade stopped talking, and their eyes locked. The next moment, they were kissing, hungry, greedy kisses that had Quinn’s dick at half-mast in no time at all. His hands were traveling down Wade’s back, cupping her butt, and Wade’s fingers were digging into his scalp, pulling his head down to her eager mouth. She wrapped one leg around him and lifted herself up, almost climbing him, and Quinn groaned into the air they shared, automatically seeking to increase the delicious friction.
However, stumbling backwards, his butt hit the counter, and it was the loud clatter of Wade’s toiletries falling to the tiled floor that brought them back to reality. They froze, still wrapped around each other, and sure enough, the Professor’s voice could be heard, asking, “Everything alright in there?”
For a long moment Wade and Quinn just stared at one another, then they began laughing helplessly, even as they took a step back and Quinn stooped to pick up the fallen items. It was Wade who found the breath to finally reply, “We’re fine, Professor. Quinn was just being clumsy, umm, helping me unclog the sink.”
“Really, Mr. Mallory, Miss Welles, that is a job for hotel maintenance, even in a mediocre establishment such as this,” Arturo lectured from the other side of the door. Quinn rolled his eyes at the lame excuse, which set them both off again, until Wade had to hold onto Quinn for support.
She fit against him perfectly, and Quinn realized he rather hoped they'd get the chance to explore this, whatever it was, more, either on this world or the next.
