Invisible Man: Paper Affections (Bobby/Darien)

[coprime_writes]

Title: Paper Affections
Author: coprime
Fandom: Invisible Man
Pairing: Bobby/Darien
Rating / Word Count: PG-13 / 613 words
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: Invisible Man belongs to SciFi Channel, not me.
Summary: "I'm not entirely sure I want to learn trade secrets of the pornography of origami." I set the origami down and walked toward Bobby. "I would, however, be interested in learning why all this origami is in my apartment."
Notes: Originally written for the Story Seed V challenge in acropolis.

~Paper Affections~

Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.
—Frank Zappa

When I walked into my apartment that evening, I can honestly say that I was not expecting the sight that greeted me. Covering every available flat surface were colorful wads of paper. Closer inspection revealed the wads to be origami, lots and lots of origami. I immediately called Bobby Hobbes.

This is because I had seen Bobby practicing origami in the office earlier that week. What I didn't know was why his origami had shown up in my apartment. As I waited for Bobby, I toured my living room and kitchen, where most of the origami was. I found frogs and various birds and a fish and more than a few...earthy works of art. I was reaching for a phallus to examine more closely when Bobby walked in.

For a moment, we stared at each other. Bobby looked nervous, and I had an eleven inch, red penis in my hands.

I spoke first. "I never knew you could make these out of origami."

Bobby grinned. I could practically see him falling into our normal, verbal patter. "Trade secrets, my friend. Trade secrets that I cannot tell you since you are among the uninitiated, my friend."

"I'm not entirely sure I want to learn trade secrets of the pornography of origami." I set the origami down and walked toward Bobby. "I would, however, be interested in learning why all this origami is in my apartment."

"Doc said it would be good therapy."

"Was it?"

"Not really."

I knew Bobby didn't like to talk about his therapy—at least, not in any depth—so I offered him a beer and let him change the subject. He left three hours later, and unless the Official called us in, there would be no reason for us to see each other for the next two days. Even the Official realized government agents with a gland problem needed vacations. And occasionally giving me two days off was much better than giving me two weeks once a year. So. This was my vacation weekend.

I cleaned up the paper strewn about the apartment, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. For whatever reason, Bobby had given it to me, and therefore it meant something. I didn't have a clue what it meant, though I was sure it meant something. I noticed that, while there were several phalli, there was not a single vagina. There were even some phallic objects—buildings, for example—but no suggestively feminine flowers.

Another clue to the mystery that was my partner, Bobby Hobbes.

I slept well that night, surrounded by frogs and birds and fish. I'd stored the more suggestive works in the closet.

It was in the morning when, luxuriating between sleep and wakefulness, the answer came to me. The origami was Hobbes' own bizarre form of flirting. Or perhaps it was a proposition. I wasn't entirely sure.

I sat on it for my entire vacation. I knew my own feelings about Hobbes, but Hobbes was more inscrutable. Even with the knowledge that he liked to make penises out of paper for fun. In the end, I decided to wait until I next saw Bobby to decide on anything. I was good at reading him, especially now that I had a clue what was really going on.

First thing I did when I went back to work was walk into the Keeper's lab for my injection. On the bench was another piece of origami: a complex bouquet of orange forget-me-nots.

I started whistling a tune; I knew what Bobby was up to now.