Title: Outlet
Author: Dracori
Summary: This wasn't about relieving stress, this was about wanting to feel appreciated, the want to be wanted. All he had done was pretend when he knew there was nothing there. ONE-SHOT.
Pairing: Him/Mojo
Rating: T (M?)
Disclaimer: Him and Mojo do not belong to me. They belong to Craig McCracken and Cartoon Network.

Outlet

Mojo let his head fall back into the pillow with a satisfied grunt, inhaling and exhaling as his nerves calmed. The temperature in the room seemed to cool as his arousal faded, and the sweat on his face added to the coolness. He stared off into space, his eyes closing and opening again and again. He didn’t seem to acknowledge his partner at that point.

Him sighed and rolled off of Mojo, collapsing into the empty space next to him. “Quite the rush, hmm?” he asked as a cigarette materialized in one claw and a lighter in the other. He put the cigarette to his lips and lit up. Mojo rolled his eyes at this.

“Must you do that every time we do this?” he asked, watching as Him took a drag and blew a puff of bluish gray smoke from his puckered lips.

“What?” the demon asked innocently, flashing a grin. “Isn’t this what they always do in the movies after they do the horizontal tango?” He took another drag, irritating Mojo further.

“Please, just cease smoking that repulsive death stick!” he snapped, pulling the sheets up to shield his face from the smoke. “You know I cannot stand cigarette smoke.”

“Bitch, bitch, bitch, that’s all you ever are,” Him drawled, pausing this time before he took another drag. Mojo grumbled and turned over on his side to face away from the demon.

This was nothing more than a routine for the couple, if one could call them that. It had been going on for months, though neither could be sure when it all started exactly, but their relationship before that day had always been the same: an argument would flare up, which anyone could predict once the two got within ten feet of each other, and they would fight until neither one could remember what they were fighting about. Though no one ever found out that one particular argument had landed themselves in a very unexpected situation. It had all happened in such a flash that neither really remembered the details, but they knew what they had done and were both dumbfounded with themselves.

“This never happened.”

That’s all that had been said. An entire week had passed with no communication between each other, but both had noticed a significant difference in their mental and physical state since that day. Their stress levels had dropped significantly. Both were able to focus better, their frustration no longer dominating their lives. In short, screwing each other senseless had been the best thing to happen to them in a long time. Revealing this to the other was something neither thought they could do. They both thought the outcome would be the same: one would think the other was a sick pervert. But it had to be brought into light, as their stress relief had only been temporary.

Him had been the one to come forward with the information that Mojo was very much already aware of, and after that day, their relationship had taken a much sharper turn. To put it simply, they had become fuck buddies. Anytime their stress became too high, or they were infuriated with themselves for not succeeding in world domination, they sought each other out and used each other as an outlet.

It had nothing to do with romance. Right?

As the weeks turned into months, the relief that Him had provided Mojo while serving as an outlet for his quickly accumulated stress began to wear off. What really started all this? It couldn’t have started from any hidden feelings each harbored for the other somewhere deep down, could it? No, that was impossible, and he denied this for quite some time, convincing himself that it was more of a chore than anything else. But now the truth was beyond denial at that point. What he really wanted to know more than anything was what was going on in Him's mind.

Mojo opened his eyes and stared blankly at the wall as he heard Him put the cigarette out in the ashtray. He turned over to lay on his back, his thoughts drifting again.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed your change in attitude this past week,” Him said, folding his arms behind his head and kicking back a little. Mojo spared him no glance and remained quiet, which was something Him wasn’t quite used to. “You always seem just as stressed afterward as you do before we have sex.”

Mojo shrugged, and Him narrowed his eyes.

“Is there something you want to say?”

Mojo finally glanced at Him out of the corner of his eye. “Why are we really doing this?” he asked. Him was silent for a moment, waiting to see if Mojo rambled like he normally did before deciding to answer.

“I thought we already discussed that.”

“Yes, yes, we saw the results it produced. But that couldn’t possibly have been the reason we did it the first time.”

Him chortled. “You think there’s deeper meaning to it?” he said rather harshly, causing Mojo to wince inwardly.

“Why does that sound so ridiculous to you?” he asked defensively. Him caught the hurt in Mojo’s expression and frowned.

“So…you’re saying you’re in love with me?”

Mojo’s eyes widened at the question. “What?! What you ask is absurd, ridiculous, void of all possible logic and just…stupid! I do not, nor will I ever feel any kind of romantic attraction towards the likes of you!”

“Hey, don’t get pissed at me. You’re the one asking about us having a deeper relationship.”

Mojo huffed and looked away for a moment. “I ask because you started it,” he said through gritted teeth. When he got no response, he continued, “You pushed me against the wall and kissed me.”

“And you kissed back,” Him reminded the chimp.

“Yes,” he agreed. “So what was the trigger? That is to say what was the true reason that prompted you to commit the action of forcing your lips upon mine?”

“Fighting wasn’t getting us anywhere,” Him answered with a shrug. “It never does. So I thought I’d try something new. And you didn’t seem to have a problem with it.”

“So…you were just experimenting?”

“Yes. I'd say our fighting is due to bottled up rage, but fighting wasn't doing the trick anymore.”

“There was no further reason behind it? Nothing at all?”

Him was starting to become irritated as Mojo continued to push the subject further. “Why do you think sex has to mean something?”

“Well, why not?” Mojo asked angrily.

Him laughed. “You’ve been living among humans too long. They’ve brainwashed you into believing that drivel.”

Mojo glared down at his hands, which were now gripping at the sheets as Him’s laughter rang in his ears. He knew he had fooled himself, and he couldn’t deny it anymore. This wasn’t about relieving stress, this was about wanting to feel appreciated, the want to be wanted. All he had done was pretend when he knew there was nothing there. All his stress and frustration had not only come from continuous failure, but from lack of appreciation as well, so it only made sense that he always sought Him out whenever it became too much for him. It made it easier to fool himself. It was all fine in the beginning, but seeing now that it was all a lie was more than he could bear. Him didn’t appreciate him at all.

Did he actually love Him? No, he didn't think he did. Sure, he admired and respected him, but he really didn't know what love felt like. After months of debating with himself, he had finally admitted that he had never loved Moko Jono either, but just craved for her to love him, and to appreciate him for what he was, but that had all been a cruel lie as well.

“I have truly lowered myself,” he whispered to himself. He didn't even noticed the look of pity that momentarily crossed Him's face.

“Oh, what are you talking about? You haven’t lowered yourself.”

“Yes, I have. I cannot do this anymore. No, no more I say!” he asserted. “It is just pointless! I have allowed myself to be fooled! I cannot continue to do this for it is all just a lie, a misrepresentation of the truth, a falsehood!”

He gasped when he felt Him grab his hands roughly and yanked him around so that he could look at him directly.

“Shut up,” he said. “You need it and you know it,” he added in a stern voice. Mojo shook his head violently, trying to pull himself from Him’s grasp.

“No, I do not! I do not need you!”

“I think you do.” Him grinned, pulling Mojo close.

“No!” he screamed, though he knew the truth.

“Yes,” Him insisted. “And I need you,” he added before pushing a wide-eyed Mojo down onto the bed.

Maybe it wasn’t a lie. Maybe, just maybe...

Author’s Note: Hawt, right? I really don’t know if this should be rated M or not. I mean…there wasn’t much explicit description, even though it’s clear that they just finished having sex in the first paragraph. But I hate the idea of giving the story an M rating because my story will disappear into the Great Beyond of Pervertedness and most people don’t tend to venture there. But if you all think this should be an M, then I’ll change it. It probably should be.