The moonlight had long replaced the glaring sun of this summer day when Lin and Noll finally arrived at their hotel. The receptionist greeted them politely and handed them their keys without asking. After almost a year the hotel staff had gotten used to their travelling habits.

The two men rode the elevator silently, reached their respective rooms and bid each other goodnight, disappearing behind their doors simultaneously.

Lin was met with semi-darkness when he entered his room, but he didn't flicked the lights on. Sighing loudly, the tall man took his jacket off and set it carefully on the back of a chair. As exhausted as he was, he wasn't one to succumb to laziness. And crinkled clothes were not something that went well with him.

His day had been unusually tiring, caught as he had been between keeping an eye on Noll during the case and handling the noisy crew that was the SPR with its irregulars. Takigawa-san and Matsuzaki-san's constant bickering had only made things worse, leaving him with a mild headache that didn't seem inclined to leave him any time soon.

Lin eased the tight tie that was slightly strangling his neck and, pinching his nose, sat on his bed, wondering how to alleviate the irritating pounding in his temples. A tylenol maybe? But he would have to order some from the hotel reception desk, or to go out to buy some…No, he was too tired to move. That left him with only one other possibility…

Yes, he had had a rough day, he had definitely earned the right to unwind! Lin strained his ears to catch any worrying sound from the contiguous room. He heard nothing out of the ordinary: Noll was probably sleeping by now, making up for all the rest deprivation he had faced during the case. His charge wouldn't disturb him for a while…

Smiling deviously, the Chinese man got up and strode across the room to open the safe-box the hotel had left at his disposal.

It was lying there, waiting for him in all its shining beauty: his personal keyboard.

Lin bit his lip, heart pounding faster. The device was modestly wrapped in a black case, but the fabric didn't get to hide all of its body. The zipper hadn't been fully drawn, revealing a patch of pale beige gleaming under the moonlight. The sight was so enticing that the man had to stop himself from simply ripping the fabric off his lovely device and throwing the keyboard on the bed without further ado.

But Lin wouldn't let himself treat his IBM Model M so poorly. Never. So he took the wrapped device with amorous care instead, carrying it over to the bed with catlike grace and contained hastiness. He put it down on the sheets delicately and sat next to it, making the mattress creak under his weight. He turned his bedpost lamp on, not wanting to miss anything. Then, very slowly, he proceeded to open the case. Lin didn't want to rush things, so he unwrapped it leisurely, enjoying every inch of the plastic he was freeing from the fabric.

The case was soon discarded on the bedroom floor, leaving the keyboard bare on the bed, its paleness contrasting prettily with the dark color of the sheets. Having the device before him, ready and defenseless, sent a delicious shiver of anticipation down the man's spine. But once again Lin didn't give free reign to his desires. Not yet.

He had thought about doing this for so long, he didn't want to ruin the mood by hurrying things. So he took a moment to appreciate the perfection of its curves, from the rounded edges of the keys to its inviting, concave shape.

"You're so beautiful baby," he murmured, mesmerized.

With a single digit he caressed voluptuously the space bar, savoring its perfect smoothness. The keyboard reacted satisfactorily to a firmer pressure with an audible click, making Lin grow warm underneath his clothes.

He was taking infinite pleasure being the only one able to make it react this way. His keyboard was virgin from any stranger's touch, and in a surge of possessiveness he swore he would make sure it remained this way. It was in intimate moments like these that he let his lowest instincts let loose: he liked things to be his, and his alone.

"I'll take good care of you, don't worry babe," he whispered to the keyboard while unbuttoning his shirt with practiced ease. "But let's do things safely, will you?"

Lin got up to retrieve a small black pocket from the safe box. This would allow the experience to be pleasurable without risking to harm any of them. In here were his favorite tools, a series of soft brush, a micro-fibre cloth and a steel and carbon thinsocket 7/32". He had taken care to buy the most expensive one, nothing was too good for his beloved.

The keyboard was still lying coyly on the sheets, a symphony in beige and grey only waiting to be played. Lin's heartbeat spiked at the sight, dirty thoughts rushing through his head. But instead of running to his keyboard's side to make his fantasies come true he calmly put the pocket on the bedpost and started to work on his belt and trousers.

The summer night was warm, but his flushed skin, freed from his clothes, still prickled when it met the cooler air. When all the offending garments were settled on the back of the chair, Lin got back on the bed and put the keyboard on his bare thighs in a swift movement. The weight of the device was deliciously spreading on his tensed muscles, making them relax. Lin moaned softly, relishing the skin-to-skin contact between him and the machine.

He took a deep breath to calm his trembling hands and let them caress the surface of the keyboard softly.

"Let's get you prepared," he suggested languidly, grabbing the black pocket to retrieve the microfibre cloth.

With long, hard strokes he wiped the edges of the keyboard, making sure he didn't miss a single patch of plastic. Switching to a small brush he gently, slowly, started cleaning the spaces between the keys. He explored every inch, every crevice of the device with the soft tendrils of the brush. Lin exhaled almost dolorously, trying to forget his own needs and the tension build up in his lower half to concentrate on the well-being of his keyboard. Cleaning it meant loving it, and he loved his Model M very much.

When the brush reached the last corner, Lin's state of arousal was almost painful. Using his last straw of self-control, he put the instrument away safely.

His hands flew on the keyboard, acting on their own. It started slow, almost tentative, fingertips brushing the keys to give the device some time to adjust. Then Lin got bolder, increasing the pressure and the speed until he was typing steadily, earning encouraging clicks from his keyboard. Lin moaned louder in pleasure, focusing on how pliant the keys were under his touch, and on how intensely the keyboard was responding to his stimulations.

Lin felt the pleasure grow within him, pulsing in sync with the typing. He typed faster and faster, reaching an almost frantic pace, making the keyboard scream with deafening clicks.

"Oooh yes you're the best," he screamed.

For a brief second he wondered if Oliver could hear him from the other side of the wall, but the thought was rapidly drowned by the blood pounding in his ears and the erratic beating of his heart. His once uncoiled muscles tensed in ecstasy, fire pooling low in his abdomen. Suddenly a hot, white blinding light flashed behind his closed eyelids and he came with a ragged cry.

Panting and his body still jerking from the release, Lin slowly regained his bearings. He had made a mess of the sheets and the back of his beloved was suspiciously sticky.

"Let's get us cleaned," he groaned, getting up on unsteady legs to head to the bathroom.

Unbeknownst to him, in the next room, a young man let an exasperated sigh out. Oliver removed the pillow he had buried his head under. At last, it was over! Now he would be able to sleep in peace.