My Mafia Host Family

The city was freedom. No armed guards and walls closing in. None of that stuff that came with being a Ferrara followed Vestige out into the city. He had long ago denied his father's attempts to fix him with a bodyguard, but that was never going to happen. They could cage him inside that estate, but there was no way he'd allow them to hold him captive outside as well.

So why was he sitting outside the college in his truck? Chauffeur wasn't exactly on his list of occupations, and he sure as hell didn't want anyone to think it was going to be, but one time couldn't hurt. He was there to pick up Pazhar, though he had decided to do so without warning anyone. It seemed he'd get a better chance to see what kind of person Pazhar really was if he caught him alone outside of that fortress of a home. Keep your friends close and you're enemies closer, right? So how close exactly should he keep the new guy?

The man in question walked out the doors. Vestige watched as the guy just kept walking along the sidewalk. Didn't think his big black and neon green truck was so easy to ignore, but then again, he was quite a bit behind the guy, so maybe Pazhar didn't even see it. Oh well, might as well be a little more obvious then. He opened the door and climbed out of the truck. Should he call out to him? Maybe that would be too much, so he just stood there patiently and reached one arm in to press down on the car horn.

Nothing. The guy just kept walking. After a moment of hesitation, Vestige put his thumb and finger in his mouth and blew out a loud and suggestive whistle. Nothing! God damnit, was the guy ignoring him on purpose? "Hey!" he shouted after Pazhar. "Where do you think you're going?!"

Finally, the Fendarian stopped, turning around with a raised eyebrow. When he caught sight of Vestige, he quirked a smirk and raised a hand in a greeting.

What the hell was with those smirks? Was it just a cocky thing or maybe that guy perved over everything with legs? Vestige put his hands on his bare hips - his outfit was a little skimpy but it rarely wasn't. Cyber was a way of life, not just a weekend thing! "I'm kidnapping you, now get your ass in the truck."

With a shrug, Pazhar turned around and headed back towards him. "Kidnap me over to the sports center, I want to see where I'll be playing my games..."

"You have a lot of nerve telling your kidnapper where to take you." Vestige grinned faintly as he climbed back into the driver's seat. He twisted the key in the ignition to get the engine roaring again.

Laughing lightly, Pazhar got in on the passenger side. "Are kidnappers in short supply here? I thought if you don't do what I say, I could just go and get a new one."

Good point. Vestige started driving, going in the direction of the local basketball courts. "Thanks for warning me. Next time I'll hog-tie you and keep you in the back."

"Maybe I should stay away from you in the future." The Fendarian smirked again, sighing as he turned to look out the window.

"Fat chance. You're stuck with me." Vestige glanced curiously at Pazhar, wondering what he was thinking. If he could read minds, that would make everything a whole lot easier. "Where to after?"

Still with that ever-present smirk, the other youngster glanced over at him. "If I suggest shopping, are you paying?" He chuckled and shrugged. "I don't have any plans until tomorrow."

"Maybe I should show you where all the hot bottoms hang out that I denied knowing last night. Someone's gotta save you before you get too into my brother." Vestige reached down and gave Pazhar's knee a pat.

"That sounds like fun." The Fendarian didn't seem to mind the touch enough to react. "And somewhere to pick up a bit of money... if you have any ideas."

A subject he wasn't quite sure how to continue. Would it be stupid to offer the guy a job? Well, it would be a good opportunity to get to know how much he could trust the guy and he bet Pazhar would refuse anyway so might as well give it a shot. "You could always give me a hand at my shop in your spare time. Otherwise, easy money is restricted to robbing banks and pimping around here."

"If robbing banks is so easy, where's the closest one?" Pazhar shook his head, apparently amused by that. "Your shop? What kind of shop is it?"

"Music, and video games. It's just a small operation I started so I wouldn't have to work at that damn museum with those idiots." He took a sharp turn and waved ahead. "We're almost there."

After thinking about that for a while, Pazhar nodded. "I could give you a hand once in a while, but I'm not really looking for a job. Not sure if a few hours whenever I need money is useful to you..."

Vestige shrugged and flashed a joking smile. "That's perfect. I wouldn't be able to stand working with someone full time. I work alone most of the time. Having a little help once in awhile would be good, though. It's not easy to man the counter and stock shelves at the same time when there's customers in."

"Alright." The Fendarian smirkingly turned away. A few seconds later, he nodded at a big building ahead. "So that's where I'm going to kick ass..." He said jokingly.

Still, he hadn't figured anything out at all. Vestige was starting to get impatient with his whole classification process this time. Usually he could outlast it with just watching people, but this guy had him really curious. Too curious. Pazhar was so different from usual jocks, but Vestige wasn't quite sure in what way. So what could he do? The first thing that comes to mind, of course!

He pulled over to the side of the road and carefully looked Pazhar in the eye. "You've got something on your face."

Quirking a curious brow, the Fendarian looked amused. "Oh yeah? Like what?" He asked, reaching for the rearview mirror.

"I don't know. Maybe its food or dirt or something. Here, I'll get it for you." Vestige reached over and cupped Pazhar's face in his hand. He leaned over and pressed his lips to the other man's. It only lasted a second or so before the unplanned kiss was broken. Pazhar pulled his head away a little with a quirked brow and then opened the door to get out of the car.

That was to be expected. A normal reaction to something sudden like that, and even Vestige was trying to analyse his own actions. Why the hell was a kiss the first thing that came to mind? He leaned back in the driver's seat and cut the engine off completely.

He expected Pazhar to go to the basketball court, but when the man walked around the truck and stood outside the driver door, he was stumped. Well, okay, what was that guy doing? For a moment, Vestige sat there, waiting, and watching the man outside in wonder. After a few seconds, he finally gave up on guessing and opened his door to get out.

As he got down on the ground, his wrists were grabbed, and Pazhar pushed him up against the car, pinning Vestige's arms above his head. He fixed the other youngster a firm glare before speaking. "What was that?" He asked pointedly.

Vestige scowled at the use of force. Was the guy seriously mad about it, or was there something else going on? "I think it was a kiss. You can call it something else if you want."

"Let me make a few things clear." Pazhar said firmly. "I'm a top, and I like doing my lovers roughly. If a kiss is an invitation to do you, then fine - otherwise, don't you fucking do that again." Then he leant in, parting Vestige's lips and kissing him determinedly.

A threat and an embrace at the same time? A few moments passed before Vestige could think to react, but even then he wasn't sure what to do, so he simply returned the kiss. When the hand released his wrists and slipped down into his hair, he took a fistful of the other man's shirt and then reluctantly pulled back enough to speak. "That's funny. I could have sworn I wasn't your type."

Pazhar let out a deep sigh, then smirked again. As he turned away and started to walk towards the court, he cast a glance over his shoulder. "You coming?"

It was so frustrating when people responded to his vague inquiries with vague answers. "Not out here in this outfit. Your team isn't in there or anything, are they?" He pushed away from the truck and followed after Pazhar. "I don't like being around when jocks are travelling in packs. Bad things happen!"

The Fendarian shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I'm not here to meet anyone, though, I just want to check the place out."

Vestige glanced around as he caught up. Just checking the place out probably would only take a few minutes, so he figured he could bear to tag along. It would be relatively less boring than waiting in the truck. "I hate bigass courts like this. Always someone lurking around, looking for a fight. I'm not very popular with that kind... I should have worn my spiked boots today."

~~~~~

Lisa: Yeah, that was a nasty ploy by the college and the basket club, wasn't it? Poor Pazhar! Though at least he'll get to play basketball anyway... :)