Wow. Sorry this took so long, guys.

This chapter is broken into two parts, and I'd like to talk about the first. I work at the local mall in a historical part of my city. Every morning I go to work at 9:00, the asscrack of dawn as far as I'm concerned, and I walk past a train yard. I became fascinated, even obsessed with them. They're so loud but quiet, and the noise that a train makes as it rumbles by is almost soothing. While this story was swimming around in my head I knew I had to include this theme somehow. So the places mentioned in the first part of this chapter are real; they're actually in my hometown. If you recognize the couple places mentioned, then you must live here too!

It was the second half of the chapter that took forever. I wanted to make it as hot as possible without going to far, and I of course had to keep the strained relationship dynamic between Snake and Otacon in mind. So I got a little drunk tonight and finished it up. God I hope it doesn't sound like shit in the morning…

Read and review, people, read and review. Many thanks to the kind reviewers I have had so far at If I continue to get such a poor response from I might not continue to post my work there. Why should I put forth the effort of two uploads if you can't put forth the effort of feeding the author?

Please enjoy this chapter!

---

The early morning breeze felt cool on his fevered skin. Although his sneaking suit was infinitely useful and integral to his success on most missions, it was made of a rubbery, nonporous material that was sometimes difficult to move in. He especially hated that when he wore it only his face was bare. It made the pleasant weather hard to enjoy.

In an effort to distract himself, Snake lit up a cigarette. He inhaled deeply, savoring the taste, and as he exhaled he looked off toward the west. As if on cue, a far-away train whistle sounded from that direction. The train was running late this morning; already the sun lit the clouds in the east aflame with its orange light. Usually the train was past this point by this time. Snake knew because he had been watching this train for weeks, and today of all days for it to be off schedule…

Their latest Metal Gear hunt had brought Snake and Otacon to coal country, Pennsylvania. It was a pristine valley whose inhabitants seemed confused about how they wanted to live their lives. The suburbs were mostly untamed wilderness dotted with quaint little homes, but the center city was a concrete beast with not a blade of grass in sight. During the twenties and thirties, this had been a busy place because of the rich anthracite coal veins running beneath the city and impressive lengths of railroad spidered out in all directions from its heart. Now most of those railways were overgrown with grass, dilapidated and unusable, but occasionally trains did pass through here carrying motley cargo.

Just on the edge of center city sat a hulking concrete structure that looked like it had been torn from the pages of a history book. Chamberlain was a sprawling factory spanning the length of about two city blocks that had been built on hilly ground. On one end its buildings were level with the earth, but on the other side the factory was held up by some fifty feet of four-foot thick German concrete. To the public, it was just a factory for manufacturing shells that had been erected during World War II.

"It would be hard to keep all those workers in business making shells during peace time," Otacon spoke into Snake's ear. "They don't have the means to assemble bombs there, much less the means to assemble Metal Gears, but this site is a great supplier for Metal Gear armor. The concrete foundation of the factory is one huge foundry, and Philanthropy received an anonymous tip that they have been working on a custom armor order for a private investor."

"So we're assuming that they would have to transport Metal Gear here in order to assemble the armor?" Snake questioned, tilting his head back as he exhaled his smoke.

"Judging by the specs on the blueprints I dug up, they would have to. The investor doesn't have any facilities available for that kind of labor, and Chamberlain's facilities are more than adequate." On the other end of the CODEC, Otacon digitally leafed through his files, bringing up shop drawings, schematics, and equations that would make any math nerd squirm in his seat. "They're bringing in pieces of a Metal Gear model dubbed 'SAUR', Specialized Aeronautic and Underwater Robot. The concept is… actually quite impressive…"

"Otacon," Snake snarled, "I don't care how well it's designed; all I need to know is how to disable it."

"R-Right," Otacon stammered. Snake heard him sifting through papers. "They're transporting the skeleton in pieces on that train. Each piece is in a separate car, and for security reasons the pieces aren't being stored in adjacent cars. Once the train gets to Chamberlain, they plan on taking out the pieces one by one and bringing them down to the foundry where the armor is going to be welded directly to the skeleton and then the pieces assembled. You'll have better luck sabotaging SAUR if you attack it while its in transport to the factory."

The train whistle sounded again, much closer this time. Snake stubbed out his cigarette. "What did they plan on do after assembling the monster, just walking it out of the factory?"

"There's an international airport twenty-five minutes from center city. Just hop on the interstate and you're there pretty quick. Although I don't know how they planned on transporting a fully assembled bipedal tank of that size… But that doesn't matter. It isn't even going to make it to the factory."

Snake slowly stood, struggling to keep his balance as his wooden perch teetered back and forth. He was standing on a catwalk above the tracks, a structure that had been erected to hold the signals for the trains, but since the signals here were obsolete these walkways weren't being maintained. This was the best place for him to infiltrate the locomotive, though, and so he sidled up against the rusty train signal, standing stalk still in an effort to blend in. "Once I get on that train, how long until it reaches Chamberlain?"

"You'll have thirteen minutes before it gets within the city, twenty before it stops at the factory."

"Twenty minutes? That's nineteen more than I need." Snake smugly grinned.

"It'll take more than a minute to infiltrate each car and plant the C4. You'll need to hurry, though. Get off the train as soon as possible and detonate the explosives before the train gets within the boundaries of the city. If the explosives go off within the city, we'll risk killing people and causing structural damage."

"If all else fails, I can always detonate them at the factory. Stop the problem at its root, right?"

"I don't recommend it," Otacon sighed worriedly. "Try to get it done as soon as possible, okay Snake?"

"Got it."

Snake heard that whistle again and he felt the rumble of the approaching train. "There's my ride," he sardonically grumbled. He saw it in the distance, the growling locomotive, scarred and rusted from years of labor in all sorts of weather. Snake watched its speedy approach, seeming faster and faster the closer it came, and soon it was beneath him, its rusted cars stretched out beyond as far as he could see.

Snake gritted his teeth, steeling his nerves before he ducked out from his hiding place and leapt. He landed gracelessly atop the train, tumbling across its roof for several feet before he found his footing. He stood shakily, arms out to either side as he struggled to get used to the rocky motion of the locomotive, and he looked back behind him. He didn't realize that there would be upward of fifty cars on this train.

"Well, this might take a while," Snake grunted.

---

Settled in behind the tinted glass of his Durango, Otacon kept his eyes on the clock. Ten minutes from now, the train Snake was on would pass by this point. He would bail from the locomotive, detonate the C4, and the duo would head back to their apartment to hide out for a bit until things cooled down.

"And then what?" Otacon sighed, leaning his head back against the seat. Months had passed since the incident in their old apartment, since the night Snake came home in a drunken rage. Otacon's wounds and bruises had long since healed, but the rift between them had been much harder to repair. They had slept in their own separate rooms ever since. Just recently, they had begun spending as much time together as they used to, but Otacon still ached for his lover's touch. It had taken a short while to forgive and it would take an eternity to forget, but forever didn't seem so bad so long as he had his partner to share it with.

Otacon lifted his head again and leveled his gaze at his laptop. Seven minutes. The closest the two ever got lately was sitting at the kitchen table together, or sharing the couch during a movie. Six minutes, forty-seven seconds. He didn't fear his old lover any longer; the anxiety had died over time. Snake had breached the physical gap a few times by offering a comforting touch, or an encouraging slap on the shoulder, but that wasn't enough to sate Otacon's appetite for closeness. A train whistle wailed in the distance. What Otacon missed most was his smell, that manly musk that he could sense only when he was within inches of his lover's body. Six minutes, thirty-one seconds. He missed the feel of rough stubble against his neck, of calloused hands sliding over his thin torso, of someone else's body pressed insistently between his legs. The car shook slightly beneath him. He felt himself getting stiff just thinking about it. Otacon bit his lip, shifting slightly in his seat, hoping that their romantic hiatus would be over soon. Six minutes, twenty seconds.

"Otacon!"

The rough voice startled him upright. "What is it, Snake?" Otacon sensed the anxiety in his voice.

"Something's not right," Snake growled.

Otacon looked up as he felt the Durango trembling insistently on its struts. A screaming train whistle pieced his ears. The yellow and orange-striped engine rounded the corner at a startling speed, barreling toward him like a herd of angry bulls, and rushed past the car much faster than it should have been going. Otacon looked at the clock. Snake had only been on the train for eight minutes; it should not be past this point by now. "Snake!"

"It's been hijacked!" Snake yelled over the noises of the speeding train. "Whoever's driving it now is speeding out of control."

"You have to get off, Snake! It might derail at these speeds!" Otacon gripped the microphone on his headset, watching each car that passed with wide eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of his friend. "Do you read me, Snake? Abort the mission!"

"We can't afford that!" Snake growled into the CODEC. Inside the locomotive, he planted another brick of C4 beneath a black tarp in the center of the car. "Our priority is to sabotage this Metal Gear. I only have one more piece to find!"

"Snake, hurry!" Otacon pleaded with him.

Snake bolted for the next car, sure that he would find the main body components for Metal Gear SAUR inside. He felt the cars lurching beneath him, heard the wheels squealing in protest, and he knew that he was running out of time. He was well beyond the rendezvous point by now. He grabbed the door handle on the next car and yanked it open, but as he rushed in he was surprised to come face-to-face with a black-hooded gun-wielding enemy agent.

The agent was just as startled as Snake was and, panicking, he opened fire. Snake lunged immediately, taking a bullet to the shoulder as he moved in to disarm the agent. He deftly moved into the enemy's arms, taking hold of his weapon before using his entire body to knock the soldier back. After putting a bullet between the agent's eyes, Snake lifted the gun to ward off any other waiting soldiers. He realized with some dismay, though, that this agent had been guarding a car full of canned foods. That wasn't quite what he had been looking for.

"Snake, come on!" Otacon just about wailed into his ear. Snake ducked out between the two cars again and looked to either side, quickly assessing his escape situation. On one side of the train was an old stone wall, too close to the train for Snake hide against, and on the other side was an iron fence. Beyond that, there was a nasty drop straight to the ground. Looks like I have only one option, Snake said to himself, swallowing hard as he crouched down.

He looked down between his feet to where the wooden railroad struts rushed past in a blur. He watched them for an instant, subconsciously judging their speed, his body preparing for the shock as he shifted his weight onto his hands. As he eased his legs down between the two cars he hesitated for a second, wishing that there was some other way. The sound of screaming metal sounded far ahead of him and Snake pushed himself off of the train. He was sucked quickly beneath it.

The world went from bright and breezy to dark and noisy in an instant as Snake was pulled violently down beneath the train. He hit the ground hard and tumbled for a few feet, doing his best to avoid the churning wheels sparking around him. Far ahead, the sound of squealing metal rang in his ears. The front cars of the train had derailed and the rest of the train was quickly following suit. Snake landed on his back, feeling his spine crunch as he struck at a painful angle, and he lifted his eyes to watch the train cars ahead of him. For several tense seconds he watched the cars continue to speed on ahead, but abruptly they began to tumble off the track. He watched chain reaction unfold, seeing car after car careen into each other nonstop. The ripple effect reached him quickly and he shut his eyes tightly, bracing for impact as the car directly over him reared up onto its hind wheels and rolled atop the cars ahead of it. As it passed over him, he pressed himself into the earth, feeling a sharp breeze as it just missed shearing off the front of his body. For an instant, its shadow loomed over him as it became airborne, but then sunlight washed over his body.

That was the last car. Miraculously, Snake was in one piece.

A rumbling explosion sounded as the C4 exploded in the cars far ahead. Metal bent and snapped, windows shattered, and the screams of terrified bystanders echoed shortly after. Snake closed his eyes tightly, groaning as he realized what a disaster this had become. He tried to roll over, to get onto his feet, but he found that moving had become extremely painful for him.

Hopefully Otacon would come for him soon.

---

"There are three hospitals in the immediate area!"

"I'm not going!!"

"I can drive you to the next city even, there are—"

"I said I'm not going!"

The apartment door swung open and Snake just about tumbled in. He hung in the doorway by one arm, his other around Otacon's shoulders, although loosely. He wouldn't dare put any weight on the smaller man. He limped in first, followed closely by his partner who closed the door gently behind him. "Snake, I know that you hate doctors and all—"

"It's not that," the agent hissed, struggling to unbuckle his harnesses. "Going to a hospital around here could put us in danger of being caught. How would we explain a gunshot wound to the staff? Besides, I've dealt with wounds worse than this before, and in far worse conditions."

Stubbornly, Snake continued to struggle with his buckles and zippers using only his left arm. Otacon stepped forward slightly, his hands raised in a silent offering of assistance, but Snake stepped back instinctively. The tone of his growls let Otacon know that he wanted to do this himself. He moved toward his bedroom, shedding his gloves, his bandanna, his harness, belt, and holsters, tossing them hurriedly into his room before heading into the bathroom. Snake was furiously angry with himself for how badly the mission went. He slammed the bathroom door, causing it to bounce off of the doorframe and remain slightly ajar. He chose to ignore that detail as he turned on the bath water, running it hot as he struggled to peel off his confining sneaking suit.

Otacon sighed, watching the taller man's angry display with a twinge of pity. The disaster wasn't their fault; the train had been hijacked by another organization. Someone else had screwed this up. Snake took pride in the quality of his work, though; he was truly professional about all of his high-stakes missions. This would be a glaring mark on his personal record.

The hacker picked up his briefcases and toted them into his room, laying them on the bed with care, tossing his jacket atop them. He began putting his equipment away, setting his laptop up to charge, stowing his cables in their drawers, his ears always paying attention to the sounds of the man in the other room. He heard him turn off the water and sink into the bathtub, and for a while there was silence. Otacon finished stowing his equipment and stepped out of his bedroom, moving toward the kitchen, but as he passed by the bathroom door he heard Snake's exasperated breathing.

Otacon paused soundlessly and peered into the bathroom. Snake sat nude in the full tub, the water already pink with blood, struggling to wash his hair with only one hand. He wasn't very deft with his left hand, however; he was getting suds on the wall, on the floor beside the tub, even into his eyes. Every jerky movement would jostle the clot in his wound, causing more blood to spill out. He was getting very agitated very quickly; all he wanted to do was get clean and relax…

The door creaked open slowly and Otacon stood in its place, his face flush with embarrassment but his eyes strong. He felt that this was forbidden territory now, that he wasn't allowed to see Snake in a state of such anger, of such undress, but he swallowed hard and pushed his apprehension aside. He approached Snake slowly, glancing at the sink for a moment to see that he had successfully removed the bullet, although he left a bloody mess behind.

Snake's face reddened as he growled, "Otacon—"

"Dave." Otacon's voice was even and controlled, and he addressed Snake by his real name, effectively silencing him. "Just relax. If you won't let me take you to a hospital, then at least try not to bleed to death."

After an insubordinate pause Snake did as he was told, falling silent and observing as Otacon moved around him. The smaller man knelt down next to the tub, rolling up his sleeve and reaching into the water to pull the drain plug in order to clear some of the blood from the bath. As the water level steadily dropped he ran the faucet again, letting it fill as he poured some shampoo into a cupped hand. "Sit still," he quietly ordered as he moved closer to Snake's head, "I can wash for you. It's important for you to not exert yourself."

Snake stayed silent, averting his gaze as Otacon reached up to his head and began gently massaging, working his hair into a frothy lather. His anger and resentment at his own helplessness began to fade as Otacon's touch roused his senses. He tilted his head forward slightly, closing his eyes as Otacon's fingers abraded his scalp. His lips parted. The touch felt amazing, especially after so many months of little to no bodily contact, of staying as far away from each other as possible. How long had it been?... Numbers didn't matter now. Snake melted at Otacon's firm touch, quickly becoming putty in his hands, malleable and placated by his partner's firm but gentle treatment.

The teasing fingers left Snake's head, prompting a small noise of displeasure to rumble in his throat. Before he could open his eyes warm water spilled over his hair, cascading down his head in all directions as Otacon rinsed his hair clean. Snake's senses were still on high alert and although the water was warm, he shivered. Otacon failed to notice.

Once he had finished rinsing Snake's hair, he silently continued to wash his body. Although the smaller man was doing his best to be firm and methodical, to avoid exciting his injured partner, Snake's leg would be thumping playfully if they had been on friendlier terms. Otacon exhibited the utmost gentleness when washing Snake's shoulder wound, rinsing it with care so that Snake hardly felt the stinging. Snake lifted his arms for Hal to wash beneath, leaned forward to let him scrub all the places on his back he could never reach himself, even tilted his head so Otacon could get behind his ears. When he was satisfied that his partner was clean, Otacon turned off the water and stood, getting Snake a towel and offering it to him while keeping his eyes respectfully averted. He pretended not to notice that his friend was prominently erect.

"Once you're dry I can bandage up your wound. I just hope we have enough gauze. Then you can go and rest. I can take care of—"

"Hal." Snake's voice silenced the smaller man who looked up to him with surprise. Snake stood holding the towel in front of his groin to at least decently cover himself, but he was still dripping wet. A gentle smile played over his face. The look in his eyes was foreign to Otacon. It was a soft-eyed, tender gaze that seldom – if ever – graced his visage. Was that a smile that tugged at his lips? The rising emotion in Otacon's stomach caused him to avert his gaze before it overwhelmed him. His eyes roved the nude form in front of him, but they stopped as he noticed the blood running down Snake's arm. Snake followed his gaze and groaned as he lifted his arm, examining the wound.

"Don't worry," Otacon whispered, "I can take care of it."

While Snake toweled off a bit, Otacon went to the cabinet and with shaking hands fished out gauze pads and bandages. Snake loosely wrapped the towel around his hips and sat on the edge of the sink, gratefully allowing Otacon to play doctor although he was fully capable of doing this himself. Otacon applied antiseptic and the bandage and then began tightly wrapping Snake's shoulder. As he moved so closely around his partner, he could feel Snake's hot breath in his ear, could detect that distinct scent that drove him wild. Otacon's senses began to sharpen and he found himself acutely tuned to Snake's subtle movements. Every breath that made his sculpted chest rise and fall, every swallow that made his Adam's apple bob in his throat caused Otacon to lose control of his hands by degrees. His entire arms were trembling as he taped the bandaging closed, swallowing hard.

"Th-There… That should stop the bleeding."

Although he was finished, Otacon did not back away. The two men were standing with mere inches between their bodies. Otacon's skin tingled as though electricity was jumping from Snake's body onto his. He felt slightly dizzy all of a sudden and he leaned in a bit, resting his hands on the cool porcelain sink on either side of Snake's hips. He lifted his head and their eyes met, and just now did he realize how long it had been. He had forgotten Snake's eyes, the breathtaking blue pools that he now felt himself drowning in. He could see forever in those eyes, and his mouth watered to taste that eternity.

His lips parted.

So did Snake's, expectantly.

But neither of them bridged the gap. Their bodies did not touch at all, their arms did not brush in passing, but both men could feel the other's hot breath on his mouth. They stayed like that for a solid minute, their eyes fluttering closed as warm condensation formed on their lips. The electricity between them was strong, almost tangible, and it was gradually drawing them together.

The tips of their noses met between them, and as they did the shock startled Otacon upright. His face flushed bright pink and his eyes widened in an expression of embarrassment. He shied away from Snake, not out of fear but out of self-consciousness. He slowly backed toward the door and slipped out of it, keeping his eyes on the half-nude soldier. Otacon waited until he was out of sight before running into his room to busy himself with his work.

Snake leaned back slightly, resting his head back against the mirror with a smile. He knew that Otacon was no longer scared, that their alienation would soon be over. His lover had acted this way when their relationship first began all those months ago. This was a good sign. Their relationship was beginning anew.

After all, they had just shared their first kiss.