Title: Stranger than Fiction

Author: Kindli

Date: 2/02

Fandom: Once a Thief

Pairing: Vic/Mac

Rating: NC-17

Feedback: kindli27@hotmail.com

Summary: Mac and Vic find a slash fan fiction story with characters that sound really familiar.

Notes: This was originally written for and published in the NickZone zine.

Beta: Dr. Ruthless (Sue)and realitycek

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me, and I'm making no profit from writing this.

Stranger than Fiction
By Kindli

~~~Prologue~~~

..Ric grabbed Zac into a passionate embrace and peppered his face with kisses. "I thought I had lost you."

"Never," Zac vowed, letting the older man press him up into the unyielding brick wall. Groin met groin, and they dry humped each other to climax, Zac gasping out loudly, while Ric pressed his face into Zac's shoulder, silently allowing the shudders to ride through him.

"Oh God," Zac finally whimpered, leaning boneless against the bricks of the alley wall.

"Let's take this home," Ric suggested, hot breath whispering into Zac's ear.

"Home?" Zac queried, his eyes shining with hope.

Ric smiled at him, and brushed another kiss against his lips, before nodding, "Yes, baby. Home."

Zac pushed him away so he could shove off the wall, and then grabbed Ric's arm. With his normally cocky grin back in place, he gave Ric a tug, "Let's go then."

~~~fini~~~

LiAnn stepped into the conference room that morning to see Jackie and the Director at the table, but no boys. The Director was leaning over Jackie's shoulder, and they appeared to be reading something.

The Director looked up and smiled at LiAnn in greeting.

That in itself made LiAnn nervous, but she determinedly made her way to the pair.

Jackie still hadn't noticed her, and started giggling. "Read this," she encouraged the Director, and then noticed LiAnn. "LiAnn, you have, like, GOT to see this."

"What is it?" LiAnn couldn't deny her curiosity by this time, and she quickly made her way to the table.

"It's something I found on the 'net, and it's, like, so totally HOT."

LiAnn's eyes narrowed. "On the 'net?"

"Yeah, it's called slash. The writer pairs up two normally straight males, or females, and then writes them into situations where they end up doing the 'Wild Thing'!" she giggled. "This writer has two boys that are just like Vic and Mac," she giggled again.

"You're kidding?" LiAnn asked, rolling her eyes.

"Some writers are very good," Jackie informed her. "But, like, this writer is new, but, like, she's already my fave. She's got these two men that act and talk just like Vic and Mac, and she puts them together in these hysterically unreal situations and the sex is, like, steaming," Jackie enthused.

"I'll admit to being rather partial to the stories myself," the Director added, before looking directly into LiAnn's eyes. "Last month I dictated that all of my children would take up a hobby. What hobby did you take up, LiAnn?"

LiAnn shrugged, and muttered, "Writing stories."

"What was that?" the Director asked, seriously.

"I've been writing stories, okay? Jackie, thanks, I'm glad you like my writing."

Jackie's eyes lit up, "You wrote this stuff?! Like, wow, that is so cool! I've never met a writer before." She began to look at LiAnn differently and LiAnn blushed a little. "I absolutely love how you write Zac as so insecure, I just want to hug him, tell him he's not alone, and Ric- I love reading about him taking control, always the strong and confident one in the relationship-- and when he gets possessive- it just causes shivers to run up and down my spine. Last night's story was so sweet," Jackie gushed, full of praise, not stopping for breath until she was finished.

LiAnn now blushed a lot.

"I'm glad this is a hobby we can all enjoy, LiAnn," the Director smiled at her. She was about to say more, but the door opened and the boys came in.

"There is no way SHE could beat..." Mac halted in mid sentence, noticing who was already in the room.

Vic followed him into the room, and LiAnn watched as his head tilted to the side, wondering what he missed. His eyes narrowed when Jackie quickly folded the story and hid it beneath her chair. He didn't say a word, though, and LiAnn knew that meant trouble. Vic was no idiot.

"Playtime is over, kiddies. Time to get to work," the Director clapped sharply, directing LiAnn's gaze away from Vic and her worries away from the inevitable reactions, when her ex fiancé learned she was fantasizing about him with *Mac* of all people.

~~~Chapter~~~

"Nathan!" Vic called out, dragging Mac with him into the large basement area. Although the room was immense, he couldn't help but feel slightly claustrophobic by the aisles upon aisles of books and files that surrounded him. There was still no response once they reached their usual table, so he called out again. "Nathan!"

"He's not here, let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps. So does Nathan and his talk about the alien queen and the echelon," Mac said, trying to encourage Vic to leave with him as he moved back towards the door.

"Just hold on," Vic protested, seeing something on the table. He pulled Mac closer to it and crowed in triumph. "Hah, this must be that packet of papers Jackie hid as soon as we walked into the room. Let's see what they were so anxious to keep away from us, shall we?" he encouraged, unfolding the papers.

Mac shrugged, gave a dubious glance around the room, and sat next to Vic. "When Nathan comes back, we are so gone."

"Yeah, yeah." Vic muttered, beginning to read. Mac leaned in and began to read over his shoulder. Vic glared at him, "Oh for... sit back, I'll read it out loud."

Mac grinned, and leaned back in the chair, resting his feet on the table. "Goody, a bedtime story."

Vic looked heavenward before clearing his throat. "Zac entered the room to find Lynn and Ric already there. The Boss gave him a glare, and he knew he was about to be in for it."

Mac tilted his head, and in a deep voice, intoned, "This is a true story, only the names have been changed, to protect the innocent."

Vic grinned at him, and continued.

"'What?' Zac looked at Ric for an explanation.

Ric just shrugged.

The Boss nodded at the screen, and he turned to look.

'It's a bank,' Zac oberved."

Vic smirked at his partner. "Heh, that sounds like you all right."

"You're a funny man, Vic," Mac made a face at him.

"The Boss smacked Zac on the back of the head. 'Our informants tell us this bank is about to be hit tomorrow afternoon. I want you both there to keep an eye on it.'

'You want us to stop it? Isn't that the cops' jurisdiction?' Ric wanted to know.

The Boss stood behind Ric, and caressed the hair behind his ear. 'No, I don't want you to stop it. If the police fail in stopping the robbery, I want you two to follow the thieves.'

'Why?' Zac wondered, distracting the Boss so she stepped away from Ric.

'Why do you think? We want to know where they're located. Sometimes I have to wonder about you, Zac,' the Boss scolded.

Zac shrugged, without contrition."

Vic looked up at Mac and asked, "Are you ever sorry?"

Mac shook his head. "Not if it has to do with the Director."

Vic turned the page, and continued.

"Ric and Zac sat in Ric's red pickup truck, watching the bank. Ric was drinking a milkshake, and watching the bank as he did so. He didn't notice the enraptured gaze of his partner..."

Victor's eyes opened wide, and he silently read some more. "Erm... I think I understand why the girls wanted to keep this a secret," he finally said, as Mac stared at him.

Mac grabbed it from his hands and began skimming the story himself. "What is this crap? It's like, us, but not us. I would never act like such a doofus!" Mac protested, pointing at the next paragraph as he began to read aloud.

"Zac licked his lips, watching as Ric wrapped his lips around the straw and began drinking more of the chocolate shake. He wondered how the man could be so totally unaware of his beauty. Zac squirmed a bit in his seat, trying to get comfortable when his pants began to get tight."

Mac rolled his eyes. "Like I'm going to go getting hot and bothered by watching you drink a milk shake? Who the hell wrote this?" He began rifling through the pages.

Vic grabbed it away from him, "Obviously someone from the agency is writing it; I mean, who else would have this place so dead on."

"Maybe it was Jackie, or the Director?" Mac suggested, letting Vic have the story.

"I don't think it's Jackie. She doesn't talk like this... I doubt she writes this way either," Vic decided. "But we saw all three of them looking at it this morning, so it's got to be the Director," he deduced.

Mac frowned, "LiAnn was there, too. Maybe she wrote it? I mean, she went out with both of us, maybe this is her way of exorcising us?"

"By making you gay?" Vic didn't buy it.

"She made us gay, Vic, old man. Read further," he demanded imperiously.

Vic gave him a disbelieving glare and found the page Mac left off from.

"Ric glanced at Zac through lowered eyelashes, sending Zac's blood pressure through the roof.

'What's the matter with you, man?' Ric wanted to know.

Zac shook his head, and told himself he couldn't jump his partner on a stakeout."

Vic paused to reflect on what he'd just read. "Hah, you can't jump me period," Vic informed him, just in case Mac had any doubt. He missed Mac's philosophical shrug when he turned his attention back to the story.

"'You've been acting weird for the past week, Zac. Something you want to get off your chest?' Ric asked, glaring at him suspiciously.

Zac took a deep breath, watching as green eyes flashed fire at him. The older agent was tense, and he couldn't help himself; he stood up in the space between the seats, grabbed Ric into an embrace, and kissed him."

Vic stopped, reading the next part to himself.

"Here's the part where Zac gets a black eye, right?" Mac offered, leaning back in his chair, completely relaxed.

Vic cleared his throat, and his voice cracked when he continued. "Ric grabbed Zac by the back of the head, pulling him closer, and took over the kiss.

Zac whimpered against Ric's mouth, and allowed his mouth to open when Ric silently demanded entrance. Zac's hands were busy, trying to get under Ric's shirt, caressing the older man's chest, and working on the fly to his partner's pants."

Mac's legs hit the floor with a small thump, and he pushed his chair in a bit closer to the table. "Sounds like an octopus," he observed, dryly.

"Zac couldn't help but be surprised at Ric's acceptance of the situation, but he sure as hell didn't plan to complain. When Zac freed him from his pants, he found his partner was already hard. Ric was panting against his hair, hand on his neck urging him down."

"Pushy, isn't he?" Mac suggested, spreading his legs a bit, trying not to bring Vic's attention to his condition.

Vic ignored him, and continued.

"'We're supposed to be watching the bank, Zac,' Ric growled, but didn't release his hold on Zac's neck.

Zac acquiesced and knelt in the floor space beside Ric's chair, reaching out to touch the older man's cock. When the hand at Zac's neck began to guide him to the rampant erection waiting for him; he opened his mouth and slowly took the cock in, tonguing it, savoring the rich aroma of Ric's arousal. The steering wheel didn't allow for much space to maneuver, but Zac didn't care. He moaned softly, gratified to hear a soft stutter escape from the lips of the man he was presently worshipping. Ric pressed him closer, forcing more of his cock into Zac's willing mouth. Zac took the hint and relaxed his throat muscles, accepting the whole shaft, deep throating him. He started a suction and began using forgotten talents to bring the man to orgasm."

A small sound from his partner distracted Vic from the story and he glanced up and back down briefly, only to look up once again as he realized his partner was in quite a state. "You seem to like this story," he teased.

"So do you," Mac defended himself. His face was flushed, and he was squirming in his chair.

Vic raised his eyebrow. "What makes you think so?"

"You're still reading it," the younger man pointed out.

"So I am," Vic grinned. "I find that this point of view is quite refreshing. You, on your knees, giving your all to give me pleasure. Yeah, I like it," he admitted.

Mac glanced around, and after determining there was no one around, he began unzipping his pants.

"What the hell are you doing!" Vic shouted, staring at his partner in shock.

"Who's going to see? Keep reading," he ordered, taking his weeping cock in hand.

The older agent looked at his partner warily as he assessed the situation, but finally just shrugged, and turned back to the story,

"Ric was relatively silent, content to allow Zac to do as he wanted while he watched the bank. It wasn't until he felt himself tightening that he began to lose his ironclad control. 'Zac,' he chanted, his hand in the younger man's hair, caressing and tugging in turn. He began thrusting in Zac's mouth, holding him there until he cried out, spilling his seed down Zac's throat.

Zac released the spent cock and wiped his mouth, pulling away slightly to look up at Ric. Ric leaned back against the seat cushions, his eyes partially closed, a look of complete satisfaction gracing his face.

The moment of quiet serenity in the truck was shattered by the sudden blaring of sirens. Ric jerked to awareness and started his truck... only to find the thieves were long gone. 'Shit!' he pounded the steering wheel in frustration. He turned to glare at Zac, who had the sense of mind to look contrite, though he was more regretful of the fact that he was still hard as a rock and there wasn't a chance in hell he could convince Ric to reciprocate now.

Later, The Boss glared at both agents. 'I gave the pair of you a simple responsibility. What happened to make it so hard?'

Zac couldn't prevent the snicker that escaped him. He winced when the Boss turned on him, regretting his reaction.

'Care to explain with the rest of the class?' the Boss suggested, coldly.

Zac looked around nervously, seeing the quizzical expression on Lynn's face and the smirk on Ric's. 'No?' he opted to reply.

'Ric?' the Boss rounded on the senior agent.

The smirk was replaced with an apologetic grimace. 'The tension you told me about the other day, well, it sorta released itself today. I should have dealt with it earlier, like you said. Sorry,' he acknowledged, lowering his eyes.

Zac watched the two in confusion. 'You knew this was going to happen?' he asked in disbelief.

'What was going to happen? What are you talking about?' Lynn wanted to know.

'Sex, Lynn. Zac has been lusting after Ric for some time now, and finally did something about it.'

Lynn stared from one man to the other, finally asking, 'Ric allowed it?'

The smile on the Boss' face was feral. 'Sweet, sweet Lynn, when are you going to learn there's more to life than just white bread?'

'Answer me, damn it!' Zac interrupted before Lynn could respond.

'Yes, Zac. I told Ric that you had the hots for him, and that he would have to do something about it before it got out of control. He didn't take me seriously; now he does. Thankfully, we were able to catch the thieves without you two clowns. That doesn't negate the fact that YOU should have controlled yourself until you were off duty.' She stood up and strolled to stand behind them.

Zac watched as Ric nodded, accepting fault for what had happened; he wondered how "Mr. Straight as an arrow" could be so calm. He thought surely Ric would want to kill him."

"I'd like to know the answer to that, too," Mac couldn't stop himself from interrupting.

Vic smirked at him, but instead of responding, he turned back to the story and continued.

"'So what happens now?' Zac asked.

'Now you get sent to Debrawitz for punishment. When he's finished, you go to Ric's place, and I want the two of you to deal with this.' the Boss replied and she walked toward the steps leading to her office.

Zac twisted his neck so he could watch her as she disappeared upstairs.

Lynn stood up, staring at her brother and ex-fiancé in surprise. Finally she turned to Ric. 'I can see Zac falling for you, I really can; but what about you? How do you feel about this?'

Green eyes turned to gaze at Zac, assessing him. After a pause, he replied, 'I haven't decided yet. It doesn't offend me, if that's what you're asking. We'll just have to see how it goes.'

Zac released the breath he'd been holding and he smiled in relief. 'Maybe we can finish what we started?' he suggested, softly.

"We'll see,' Ric shrugged, standing up and walking to the door.

'Where are you going?' Zac called out, confused.

Ric turned back for a moment, 'I'll see you at my place tonight,' was all he said and disappeared.

Zac turned to Lynn, but she just shrugged, still trying to assimilate all the facts she'd just learned.

Vic stopped reading and looked up to see Mac watching him with an intense expression. "What?"

"Where did you go?" the younger man asked, sounding hurt.

Vic stared at him in disbelief. "Uh, Mac... this is a story, it didn't really happen. It's supposed to represent us, it isn't actually us."

"Oh yeah," Mac looked abashed. "Sorry, I forgot. Okay, so what happens next?"

Vic turned back to the story, and flipped to the next page, then the next. "Looks like that's it. Hmph, no resolution, no explanations... what kind of story is this?" he complained.

His younger partner began putting himself away, while Vic bent over to look under the table to see if maybe he'd lost a page. He almost hit his head when he heard footsteps. He slowly stood up to see Nathan, the researcher, standing at the other end of the table.

Nathan was sweating, mopping his brow with a towel, as he nervously stood before the pair of agents. "Ha-have you seen a packet of papers laying around? I-I think I may have left it here."

Mac and Vic glanced at each other, and Vic produced the story he had been reading from. "This it?"

The nervous librarian rushed over, and took a quick glance at the pages. "Yes, this is it. You didn't, um, did you read it?" he pulled them from Victor's grasp, earning himself a glare.

"He read it all right," Mac replied. "What is that stuff? Did you write that?" he wanted to know.

Nathan shook his head and backed away, until he had the table between himself and both agents. "There's a bunch of stories like this on the internet. This one appeared almost a month ago."

Vic stood straighter, his whole body becoming tense. "These stories are on the internet?" he tried to sound nonchalant, and failed.

"Yes, in fact, a new story just came out last night. It was about a mission where Zac has to work undercover at some club as a stripper, with Ric as a bouncer, so they can catch some terrorist. I think the writer's are trying to acclimate the general public to the idea of spies being for the better good. I'll bet Trebek isn't happy though, as it makes us less afraid, as well." Nathan explained.

"Where do you find these stories, Nathan?" Vic asked, trying to keep the conspiracy theorist on track.

Nathan was pleased to be able to give Vic some important information, and he tore off the top of one of the pages of his story and handed it to him. "Here's the link, it'll take you to the other stories as well."

"Thanks, Nathan. I'm glad you brought this to my attention." Vic tried to sound sincere, but Mac's snicker ruined the effect.

Nathan glared at Mac, grabbing onto Vic's arm. Vic stared at the offending hand in irritation until Nathan released him. "Sorry," Nathan mumbled.

"Come on, Mac," Vic turned to his partner, nodding at the door. "We're going to go... read."

They didn't see Nathan watching them with a knowing smile on his face, while they walked out.


~~~Epilogue~~~

That evening, they sat together on the couch, looking in dismay at the ten different links displayed on the screen of the laptop.

"I think it's the Director. We've been discreet, so it's impossible for anyone else to know," Mac accused.

Vic nodded his agreement, clicking the mouse on one of the links. "This one sounds interesting. Ric goes in undercover as a drug dealer, bringing Zac along as his boytoy," he described, and waited for it to download.

His partner just grinned. "You like when I'm at your disposal, huh?" Mac asked, failing when he tried to sound insulted.

"Yeah, I do. So do you." Vic acknowledged, reaching over to caress the growing bulge in Mac's pants.

Mac thrust his hips into the older man's touch with a soft moan. "Yeah," he agreed softly. He didn't protest when Vic's other arm went around his shoulder, pulling him into Vic's chest.

Vic kissed the top of Mac's head, and began to read the story, his hand at Mac's groin continuing to manipulate the hardening flesh.

"Ric lay back on the couch, his arm around Zac's waist, holding him close. He caressed the growing bulge in the younger man's pants and listened with satisfaction when Zac began panting. He hoped the buyer would approach him soon. He had plans for tonight, and it certainly didn't look as if Zac would be arguing."

~~~~~~~oo(O)oo~~~~~~~

END