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"Singularity"Written By: Clara Barton Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. The following
is an intellectual exercise with no intention of profit. That said,
these characterizations, words, and situations are mine. Please ask
before reprinting. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: language, sex, drinking, art things,
science things Pairings: 2x3, 2x3x5, 2x5, 3x5, past 3x4, others
will be updated Summary: Dr. Trowa Barton has a problem - he's this close to figuring out the secret to manufacturing a nanocarbon black pigment that could compete with Vantablack. But he's also hit a dead end, and he's tired and maybe a night of drinking beer and painting Beagles is exactly what he needs to get his research back on track. A/N: Fanfic of… reality. This is loosely the story of Singularity, a black nanocarbon pigment created by a lab in Boston. I first heard about Singularity on an episode of the Art History Babes - go listen to them, they are amazing and this episode (from early March 2018) is killer and I swear, most of what I’m writing in this, actually happened. I’ve changed the names of some things - like the lab that developed Singularity - and futzes with the timeline of reality. I feel unspeakably ridiculous writing this, but if you listen to the real story, you would feel equally compelled I’m sure.
"Singularity"
Chapter Two Trowa stretched, arms wide and toes curling, and he sighed contentedly and curled around the pillow to his left. He felt good, warm, and his body just this side of achy, and he didn't want to open his eyes just yet. But then the bed shifted and- Something cold and wet nudged against his arm, and Trowa cautiously opened his eyes. And found himself looking into the dark brown eyes of Maggie the beagle. She wedged her way under his arm, and wiggled until she could reach his chin with her tongue. Trowa had to laugh even as he tried to roll away from her. She followed, tongue on the attack, and Trowa eventually managed to save himself by wrapping her in his arms and rubbing her belly. "I'm starting to feel jealous." Trowa looked away from the dog and saw Duo leaning against the doorframe, steaming mug in one hand, hair loose around his shoulders, completely naked. Last night, Trowa hadn't had the chance to really admire Duo's body. It had been dark in the apartment, with only the street lights shining into the kitchen and bedroom windows to illuminate him. Duo's chest was framed by a tattoo, curving below his collarbones and running from one shoulder to the other. It was a chain of spheres connected by a thin black line, and each of the nine spheres was shaded with dashed lines. All but two - one was an empty ring, and the other solid black. It took Trowa a moment to realize it was a tattoo of the phases of the moon, and when he looked lower and saw an astronaut floating over Duo's belly button, it made him smirk. "How are you feeling?" Trowa's gaze had started to drift farther south, to the thatch of light brown curls and Duo's cock, but he looked back at Duo's face when he spoke. Duo was smirking now, and he lifted his mug to take a sip from it. "Fine," Trowa answered honestly. The water and medication Duo had plied him with last night had made a surprising difference. Trowa still wasn't sure how much he had had to drink, but it had been on a relatively empty stomach after weeks of little sleep. "Good. Do you drink coffee?" "Yes. Of course. I'm human." Duo laughed and walked into the room. He set the mug down on the nightstand beside Trowa, and then leaned down and pressed a light kiss to Trowa's lips. He started to pull away, but Trowa reached out, wrapping a strand of Duo's hair around his fingers, and gently tugged him back. Duo chuckled, but let Trowa pull him down. He opened his mouth, and Trowa could taste coffee and Duo's smirk. Maggie gave a disgruntled yelp and rolled off of Trowa's belly, kicking him in the process. He let out a surprised oof, and Duo chuckled, the sound dark and warm and sexy as hell. "You okay?" Duo asked, smoothing one hand over Trowa's side and then moving lower, even as he kissed along his jaw and then his throat, nipping at Trowa's skin and chuckling again when Trowa arched up. "Very okay," Trowa assured him, and then groaned when Duo's palm found his cock. Duo propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at Trowa, still smirking, and curled his hand around Trowa's cock, slowly working him to a full erection, until Trowa was thrusting up into Duo's grip. "Want to fuck me?" Duo asked. For all that he looked confident and amused, his voice was low and rough. "Yes," Trowa moaned, and then he pulled Duo in for another kiss, maneuvering Duo over his body and running his hands down Duo's back and to his ass. He felt Duo's hard length against his own, felt Duo grind down against him, and he gripped Duo's ass, squeezing the cheeks apart and letting his fingers tease at Duo's entrance. "Fuck yes, Tro," Duo moaned. "Condom. Lube." Trowa continued to tease Duo, one finger circling the ring of muscle and pressing gently against it. Duo made a low, pleased sound in the back of his throat, and then, looking reluctant, he eased away from Trowa to find the supplies Trowa had requested. "Like this?" Duo asked, sitting down on Trowa's thighs and teasing Trowa's cock with the cleft between his cheeks. "Yes." Trowa thrust upwards, and Duo smirked. "Please," he added, and Duo's smirk turned into a wicked grin. Duo prepped himself, slick fingers brushing against Trowa as he writhed, head tossed back and long neck exposed to Trowa's greedy eyes. He was breathtaking, fucking himself with those long, talented fingers, his eyes wide and locked with Trowa's, his mouth curved into an open smirk, one corner lifted and puffs of air, gasps of pleasure, escaping as he plunged deep into his own body. Trowa was content to lie under him, to run his hands along Duo's flanks, up his sides, to pinch his nipples and trace over his tattoos. He almost wanted Duo to get himself off, Trowa's cock nestled between his thighs, but then Duo handed him the wrapped condom and Trowa abandoned the idea. It would be nice, but he wanted even more to bury himself in Duo's body, to feel the cling of his heat and strength, and lose himself. Trowa rolled the condom down his shaft, and then Duo squeezed a liberal amount of lube onto him and worked it over the length, squeezing slightly, renewing Trowa's desire to fuck him, and then Duo guided Trowa to his entrance. He let Duo impale himself, and enjoyed the deliciously slow slide, the impossible perfection of Duo's body taking him in, and he sighed when Duo was fully seated, ass on Trowa's thighs. "Fucking hell," Duo breathed. His face and chest were flushed, and his loose hair obscured Trowa's view of his face. Trowa reached up to push it aside, and his fingers tangled in it. He and Duo laughed as they worked Trowa's hand free, and then Duo tossed his hair over one shoulder and leaned down to kiss Trowa again. Their tongues met, tangling and caressing, and then Duo started to move. Slowly at first, lifting his hips and then easing back down, almost seeming unsure of himself. Trowa reached between them and found Duo's cock, neglected and wet with precum. He smoothed the bead of moisture over the head and down the shaft, his fingers gliding through Duo's curls and then curving around his balls. He gave a gentle squeeze, and Duo groaned into his mouth. Trowa pulled away from the kiss. "Fuck me," he begged. Duo's eyes, inches from his, were nearly black. "I am," Duo panted. Trowa thrust his hips up, meeting Duo's downward motion, and Duo grunted. "No, you aren't," Trowa argued. " Fuck me. Please." He used his free hand to pinch Duo's left nipple, and he arched back, ass shifting and drawing Trowa even deeper into his body, and they both moaned in pleasure at the new angle. "Christ," Duo breathed, but he started to move more freely, rising and falling with greater force, Trowa's cock spearing into him with each downward motion. Trowa continued to fondle Duo's cock and balls, keeping his grip light, caressing him while Duo rode him. The room was silent except for the sounds of their flesh meeting, the mingling of their ragged breathing, and Duo's occasional explosive gasps when Trowa's cock found that place deep in his body. "Yes," Duo moaned. "Fuck, yes, Tro. Just- like that." Trowa had to shift, had to raise one knee to help keep Duo balanced and make sure he kept finding the right angle, but watching Duo dive into his climax, eyes shut and mouth open, head thrown back and throat working with a silent cry, Trowa was pretty sure he would be willing to contort himself into whatever position was necessary to achieve that again. Trowa continued to thrust into Duo, slowly, gently, letting him come back down from his orgasm. He could feel Duo's body relax, nearly boneless, but still he drew Trowa deep, holding him tight. "Fuck, your cock is nice," Duo chuckled. "Yours too," Trowa assured him, remembering the night before. Duo grinned. "Lucky us." Trowa put his hands on Duo's hips and then shifted them, slowly rolling over in the bed so that Duo was under him. Duo arched an eyebrow at him, and Trowa gave a deeper thrust. "Okay?" he asked. Duo nodded, eyes still glazed. "Mm, yes," Duo breathed when Trowa thrust again. His arms came up around Trowa's shoulders, clinging to him as Trowa sought his own pleasure in Duo's body. Duo felt amazing wrapped around him, muscles shifting under his smooth skin and breath stirring Trowa's hair, fingers digging into his shoulders, urging Trowa on with muttered words and sharp intakes of breath. By the time Trowa felt the building heat and pressure of release, Duo's cock was hard again, trapped between their bodies and rubbing against Trowa's stomach with every movement. He tried to work a hand between them, but Duo stopped him, taking hold of his hand and bringing it to his head. Trowa tangled his fingers in the long strands and kissed Duo, shouting his release into the other man's mouth. -o- Duo's coffee had gone cold by the time they felt like moving again. While Duo put on another pot, Trowa took a shower, standing under the hot spray and closing his eyes, and just enjoying the feeling of being rested and sated. Duo joined him after a few minutes, smirking and teasing, but they managed to clean themselves without too much derailment, and by the time they were dry, Trowa felt more alive than he had in months. He hated to admit that Quatre had been right, but he had been. Trowa had needed some time away. Had needed to relax, and had needed mind-blowing sex. Well, maybe he hadn't needed the sex, but he was extremely grateful for it. And for Duo's invitation to stay for breakfast. Since it was pushing noon, Trowa offered to make them grilled cheese sandwiches to accompany the eggs Duo was scrambling. They worked side by side, silent, trading smirks and casual, flirtatious touches. Trowa didn't date much - he had a bad habit of putting work first and forgetting he even had a life to put second, most days. Quatre had tried, over the years, to set Trowa up, with varying success. But for the most part, Trowa didn't mind his mostly solitary existence. Still, there was something unexpectedly comforting about cooking with Duo, occupying the same space as another person - even if that person was still very much a stranger. "So," Duo finally broke the silence when they sat down at the island in his kitchen to eat, "what do you do when you aren't painting beagles and going home with strangers?" Trowa arched an eyebrow at him. "Maybe that's all I do with my time." Duo snorted. "No, it's not. I'm the only guy in Boston who teaches art classes at a bar and paints beagles - and I've never met you before. There's a wine thing uptown, but it's all flower arrangements and skyline shit." "Not really my thing," Trowa said. "No? The instructor's pretty easy on the eyes." Trowa raked his over Duo's body. They had both put clothes on after their shower, Duo clean jeans and a thankfully logoless gray t-shirt, while Trowa had donned his clothes from last night. "You don't exactly strain my eyesight." "You calling me easy?" Trowa's lips twitched, but he didn't respond. It felt safer not to. Duo huffed and took a bite of his sandwich. "I'm a chemist at Winner Labs," Trowa told him. Duo arched an eyebrow. "Never heard of them - pharmaceutical stuff?" Trowa shook his head, and then frowned. Winner Labs was a large company, with branches in several countries, and Trowa realized for the first time that he knew very little about the company outside of his own department. "Not my department. We're mostly focused on nano-tech." "Nano-tech?" Duo echoed, and raised both eyebrows. "Sounds like some sci-fi shit." Trowa had to smirk. It was, in a lot of ways, science fiction shit. That was part of what made his work so exciting. Well, exciting when he wasn't being taunted by his own inability to move forward on a project. "Kind of. We use nanotube carbon to make devices, coatings-" He could see that Duo had no idea what he was talking about and stopped himself. "Sorry," he amended, and shrugged. "It's complicated." "No, I mean, I'm sure it is. It sure as fuck sounds complicated. I've just never heard of nanotube carbon before," Duo looked a little sheepish. "I'm just an artist." Trowa frowned. "You probably have heard of nanotube carbon before, then. As just an artist." Duo tilted his head. "Have I?" His lips curved slightly, and it was an effort for Trowa not to lean across the table and kiss him. "Vantablack?" Trowa prompted. Duo's brows drew together in a frown. "No shit. That's- Huh. Of course I know about Vantablack and that asshat Kapoor." "Not a fan?" "Of a guy who managed to get an exclusive patent to be the only artist in the world to use the blackest black paint? No, no, I'm not a fan." Duo sneered and shook his head. "Vanta is the acronym for vertically aligned nanotube array." "Mm, keep talking dirty to me," Duo smirked. "This is almost as sexy as you trying to recite the alphabet in binary." Trowa winced at the reminder. He had hoped that he had dreamt doing that - or that Duo had forgotten about it. The amused flash in his blue eyes made it clear that Duo wasn't going to forget about it any time soon, however. "So you make stuff like that?" Duo asked. "Trying to," Trowa sighed. "Vanta is like a culture of bacteria - you have to cultivate it on a surface and then cure it with heat." "Sounds tricky." "It is. Because of the heat - Vantablack has to be heated to four hundred degrees Celsius - it limits the applications." "Hm. So what does the heat do? Incubate the culture or..." "Sort of. Without being heated, the pigment will just wipe right off. It needs to bind to the surface and heat..." Trowa trailed off as he suddenly realized. He was such an idiot . He had been struggling for months, trying to develop a Vanta pigment that they could apply to materials at a lower temperature than Vantablack, and he had been wracking his brain to figure out how to temper the surfaces to withstand high temperature, but in reality- Why did it have to be heat? Why did it have to be heat-cured? What did heat do that another process wouldn't? Trowa had been so fixated on what Vantablack needed that he hadn't even considered- "Tro? You okay there?" Duo's voice momentarily derailed his thoughts. "What?" "You kind of zoned out there." "Yeah. Sorry. Look, I have to go." Duo stared at him, mouth open and eyes disbelieving. "What?" "I- I need to get to work." "It's Saturday morning." "I know. The lab will be empty. And I've finally-" Trowa got up from his seat and kissed Duo. "Thank you." "You're welcome?" Duo looked caught between amusement and irritation. Trowa picked up his plate, sparing the half-eaten food a single, guilty look, before searching for a trash can. Duo sighed. "Oh, just leave it. It's fine," he added when Trowa frowned. "Go." Trowa found his shoes by the door, and pulled them on while balanced against the wall, mind racing as he considered what to try. He felt so stupid for assuming heat was the only way to bind the pigment. "Don't forget your phone." Trowa looked over to see Duo holding it up for him. "Thanks." He crossed back to the other man. "Thank you for everything." "Happy to help. Give me a call the next time you need some inspiration," Duo smirked, and Trowa huffed a laugh. He leaned down and brushed his lips over Duo's, just a light caress, but then Duo's lips parted and his hands wrapped around Trowa's waist. Trowa eased between his legs and gave into the urge to tangle his hands in Duo's hair one last time. He wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted, but it definitely wasn't long enough. When they both pulled away, Duo's lips were swollen and his eyes dark. Trowa was sure his own matched. "See you around," Duo said, and gave Trowa a gentle nudge. "See you." As soon as Trowa was on the street, he called an Uber. And then he called his assistant. "Trowa?" Hilde sounded disgruntled, and almost as though she had still been asleep. "Hilde. Get up. Meet me at the lab." She groaned. "The boss said you're banned from the lab on weekends." "I know. But you aren't." "That's not fair! Trowa- Trowa, do you know how I spent the night?" "I don't. But I know how you're going to spend the afternoon." "But- Trowa, come on . We've been working our asses off for months. and we're no closer to making Singularity work than we were three months ago and-" "I know. But that's because we're idiots." She huffed. "Speak for yourself. I'm fucking brilliant. And I finally convinced Sylvia to come home with me. Trowa, Trowa, I am in bed with the girl of my dreams. Do you really want to ruin my chance at true love?" Trowa rolled his eyes. "I need your key card. I can be at your place in twenty minutes. Can you drag yourself away from Sylvia long enough to hand it off?" "Maybe. If you bring us bagels." "Hilde." "Oh, and cream cheese. What kind do you want, babe?" Trowa rolled his eyes at the sound of muffled conversation. "She wants strawberry. But I want the honey-walnut kind. Oh, and don't forget to have them toast the bagels. And-" "I'll be there in twenty minutes," Trowa said, and hung up before she could give him any more instructions. By the time his Uber arrived, Trowa was rifling through possibilities in his mind, and he absent-mindedly told the driver Hilde's address as he dug through his pockets, desperately searching for a scrap of paper and a pen. What if... -o- End notes 1.Anish Kapoor is an artist who actually (IMO) does some cool things but when Vantablack came out he managed to get the patent for it in artistic use, meaning no one else can use it for art (it's mostly used for military and tech things). Anyway, this kind of sparked this... pigment war? And Stewart Semple made a pink that was supposed to be the brightest hottest pink ever and he said that ANYONE could use it - except Kapoor. But somehow Kapoor got ahold of it and posted a photo of his middle finger dipped in the pink on Twitter and so yeah. Semple released a Black 2.0 which is supposed to be similar to Vantablack, but since it's more of a paint, definitely isn't AS black as Vantablack. 2.The way that Vanta pigments work: Imagine velvet. You know how it is a high pile, which is to say, all those little fibers that stick up? Have you ever seen really good velvet and how the light just gets totally absorbed? That's basically what Vanta pigments do. You have this little forest of vertically aligned nanotubes and light hits one and then gets bounced to another and so on and so on, until eventually the light is absorbed and released as heat - but it doesn't REFLECT any light. Well, it reflects something like .003% of light, which is practically none to the human eye. So it's the literal opposite of shiny. 3.The science I'm talking about is mostly accurate, but as far as Nanolabs, the REAL lab that created Singularity black, and their process, I'm making it up. So don't reference this fanfic in any scholarly journals on Vanta pigments please. Chapter 3 |
