A Mixed Tape

Warnings: Language, explicit yaoi/slash, not-so-happy sex (no non-con), violence



Disclaimers: I do not own 'Paranoid Android' by Radiohead, 'Hang Me Up to Dry’ by Cold War Kids, 'Turn It Up' by Robots In Disguise, 'Wait So Long' by Trampled by Turtles, 'Colors' by Dark Dark Dark, ‘Pala Tute’ by Gogol Bordello, 'Winter Coat' by Dark, Dark, Dark, 'Your Song’ by Elton John, 'Back in Black' by AC/DC, 'Down Boy' by Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, 'El Bodeguero' by Karl Zero, ‘Take You On A Cruise’ by Interpol, and ‘No You Girls’ by Franz Ferdinand. These characters are fictitious, and any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

A/N:  Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any reviews (comments at the end).  Special thanks to my betas kikvws and Msume.



A Mixed Tape

Chapter 6:  Zack in Black

___________________________

Tai hooked his completed candy wrapper chain around Ajenia’s doorknob, and it jangled soundlessly against the wood.  Pressing chocolate-sticky fingertips to the surface, he dragged diagonal streaks to the bottom of the door, and smeared his name across the lower right corner.  He flopped back down on the chocolaty carpet, rolling on his back to stare up at the ceiling. 

The white textured bumps were showroom perfect, no nicks or gouges like the hallway of the third floor, and nothing even closely resembling the odd pattern in his apartment.  And all the doors had shiny brass numbers, hung level and evenly spaced.  Tai’s own was missing the ‘0’ part of the ‘303’, with one of the ‘3’s a tarnished brass, the other some kind of hammered bronze.

Aside from the eerie perfection of everything but the dead light bulbs at the end of the hallway, something just felt off.  The air smelled too new, not even a whiff of humanity from the apartment across from Ajenia’s.  No stale stench of cigarettes and marijuana like 302, ammonia and fur scent of too many cats in a small place like 304, or 305’s botched attempts at curry that permeated the entire floor.  Here, there wasn’t even the fruity or floral scent of air freshener…just the chemical smell of new paint, wood, and carpet. 

Despite the fact that he’d been sitting in the hallway for close to three hours, not a single person had come or gone; not even the faint sound of movement or the buzzing of a TV coming from any of the apartments.  And the more he thought about it, Tai couldn’t remember meeting anyone from the fifth floor before, which was insane, because he thought he knew everyone in the building. 

Nothing about the prickly fucker seemed to make sense, except that he obviously wasn’t coming back while Tai was still hanging around his door.

___________________________

Tai shoved his shower curtain open, a flaming pink, fairy-covered monstrosity that Zack thought was a fucking hilarious birthday present, and turned the water on.  He ignored what sounded like pounding on his front door, pretending it was just the noisy pipes clanging under pressure.  It felt like he was going through the motions as he undressed, despite the stiff pull of his healing hand, and the raw discomfort of his ass.  He was probably overtired, overmedicated. 

His head felt wrapped in a puff of cloud that curled, course and wooly, with the last few days lingering like Ajenia-scented smog.  A sticky second reality that loomed overhead, dissipating just long enough to wake him up from comatose sleep.  Leaving behind some stranger fraught with lingering remnants of a really boring dream. 

After testing the water, which was still cool, he slowly bent in front of the cabinet under his sink, and swung the doors open.  At some point, a large cluster of cotton swabs had liberated themselves from their population 500 sardine-stacked little world.  And they had been making babies, setting up families all over his lower cabinet.  It was all over for the independent ones, turned sticky from spilled mouthwash and hair product. 

He couldn’t deal with them at the moment, or Ajenia.

____________________________    

/The panic, the vomit, the panic, the vomit./

“What’s with the compulsive smoking?” Zack asked as Tai came back inside from his sixth smoke break of the morning. 

Zack didn’t look up from the white chocolate powder he was carefully steaming into skim milk for a petite woman sifting through the discount books.  His t-shirt, a vintage AC/DC print, was free of syrup and powder, and the general detritus that usually found a home on Zack.  For once, his red and black hair was still gelled into neat spikes, and his fingernails, bright blue today, were pristine…not even a little characteristic smudge or chip. 

“There are worse habits than smoking.”

“Did you want any flavoring in this?”

The feeling of wrongness that he’d had since last night intensified.  Zack never, ever asked.  He just did, and pulled it off.  No paying customer ever complained when they got a mocha with a little toffee added, or a latte with a random squirt of chocolate in with the blueberry.

He stared as Zack added the requested sugar-free vanilla syrup, a weighted feeling in the middle of his chest making goosebumps do a spider-crawl up his arms.  He usually protested sugar-free anything on principle, hiding the bottles, talking non-diabetics into regular syrup while muttering about tainted purity the whole time.  He reigned over Lou’s patrons with sugary religious fervor.

Tai’s fingers burned for another cigarette.

Instead, he turned to the register to calculate the woman’s total.  Once she’d paid, she took a drink from the cup Zack set in front of her, smiling at him vibrantly.  Two immaculate dollar bills made their way from her purse into the tip jar, and then she was walking away, a little more bounce to her step.

/Hang me up to dry.../

“What the fuck, Zack?”  He stared as he just shoved the carafe in the sink, instead of playing with ingredients like usual.

“Hm?” 

“Sugar-free?”  Tai shuddered dramatically.  “And the hair…your shirt, your fucking nails?”

Zack shrugged, examining the blue varnish on his nails closely.  His palm came up to bounce on top of the spikes on his head quickly, and dropped away just as fast once he realized they were holding shape.  Tai reached over and tugged on the AC/DC shirt.

“Clean,” he accused. 

“I don’t understand you, man,” Zack sighed, and flopped down on the wooden stool.  “You’re so focused on…I dunno, defining yourself, that you miss out on fucking being.”

“What is this yoga master sh…Zack.  You’re stoned,” he murmured, and received an impish nod in reply.  “Launching another ‘go green’ campaign?”

“No,” he sullenly smacked his hand against the wood, and straightened his back.  “But if you just made the switch, you’d get what I’m saying.”

“I love my nicotine.”

“There’s room in your heart for both!” He drooped a little, propped his head up with a fist.

“Mmm,” Tai grunted darkly.  “Since when do you get fucked up at work?  Chai?”  He grabbed a carafe and shook it at him.

Zack’s head bobbed loosely, like a toddler on the verge of a nap.  Tai got a carton of tea out of the fridge, dumped some in the carafe, and added the rest of the ingredients on autopilot.  He carefully slipped the wand into the liquid, turning the steamer on full. 

While he waited for it to heat, he watched Zack’s reflection in the plastic bins of coffee above his head.  He looked miserable, slumped over the counter like a puppet with frayed wires.  Tai frowned to himself, and shut the steamer off when the milk was hot. 

“It’s your fault.” He mumbled, with his head pillowed in his arms.  “Things have been fucked lately.”

“Right.”  He poured the steaming liquid into two cups, squeezed whipped cream over the top and tapped some spice on the top.  “I think it’s going to get better, though.”

Zack rolled his eyes as Tai slid one of the drinks over to him and sat down on the opposite stool.  He did brighten a little when he sniffed at his beverage, which Tai considered a success.  He inhaled a whiff of his own, and felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. 

/My head in the speakers is drowning out volumes./

“Wanna grab a drink with Lana and me?  She’s asking about you.”

“Not really.”  Zack glowered at his quick response.  It was pretty endearing.  “Maybe.”

“No more maybe’s for me, buttercup.  If you don’t want to go, just say so.”

“Okay,” Tai smirked at the blatant pout he received.  “I don’t want to go.”

He finally sipped at his drink, getting the first taste of spice through the mountain of whipped cream.  There really was nothing like the first taste of chai; maybe it was the anticipation, knowing there was an entire cup to drink.  He wilted a little as all the tension left his upper body, and at the trace of cinnamon and cream on his tongue, he couldn’t resist a mumbled “fuck me, that’s good”.

Zack smiled so sweetly Tai felt a little guilty, and knew he’d be going out that night. 

____________________

/Liven up honey, it ain’t that bad./

The dingy bar band was exactly the kind of thing Zack loved: guitars, a violin, a banjo and random mandolin thrown in.  Tai hadn’t been feeling it when they first walked in the door, a little too country for his taste.  Now that it was sinking in, though…there was something so genuine about them.  The polish on each instrument was uneven around the strings, and permanently dirty like only well used things can be. 

Shabby jeans and assorted flannel shirts seemed to be their stage costumes.  With the way they were playing, like it wasn’t for anyone else but themselves, Tai couldn’t imagine them dressed another way.  Heads down, fingers fucking shredding the strings, every single member’s foot pumping out a beat, they were authentically good.

So now, seated in a cramped, tattered red vinyl booth with his friends, Tai was reminded what an easy, companionable atmosphere was like.  Zack’s girlfriend, Lana, was cuddled in next to him, tiny frame pressed soft and warm against Tai’s arm.  Zack had also managed to drag his anal-retentive brother Daniel along, and he sat across from them, fairly relaxed. 

The three of them looked on in amusement as Zack shook his ass on the dance floor, flirting delightedly, but briefly, with anyone who shimmied up to him.  Lana just giggled at the annoyed expressions of his cast-off partners, completely at ease with herself like Tai knew he would never manage without a cigarette in his mouth.  It was all very pleasant, if a little surreal.  Understandable, considering his only other social interaction recently was a stunning frozen statue and a smoking hot douche. 

Which just sounded painful.

“So, are you really ditching that Irish jackass?” 

Lana shifted around to face him, guiding his arm over her shoulder so he didn’t have to feel her squishy, girly bits against his elbow.  She was considerate like that.  Tai shot an accusatory look to his best friend, who was now jumping around randomly while flailing his arms in the air, ecstatic expression engraved on his face.  It was difficult to be pissed at him, always had been, and Tai was well aware that he never could keep his mouth shut when it came to Lana.

“Irish?  Riley’s not-“

“Hold off on the annoyance for a minute,” she cut him off.

Lana was sort of thoughtfully bitchy, and manipulative in a way that wasn’t offensive.  Probably because she made no attempt to cover it up; at all of about 5 feet tall, she just knew she could get away with it.  Zack, on the other hand, was a free spirited pothead with obsessive tendencies.  They were a fucking weird couple, but lasting months longer than Tai had ever expected.

/You’re back and forth like water underneath the moon./ 

“There’s this friend of mine,” she arched a brown eyebrow, her soft coffee colored eyes brightening over…who knew what. 

Probably the thought of two guys adopting four kids and settling down in the suburbs, going to neighborhood block parties with casseroles and brownies.  Dinner parties with other couples.  Parent-teacher conferences. 

“Dear god, no.”

“He’s smart and so sweet…cute, too,” she spoke right over him.  “He’s 24, pretty wild in bed from what I’ve heard, but he doesn’t sleep around.”  Lana grimaced when she realized what she’d said.  “Er, not that Riley-”

“I’m not interested.”

“And,” she pressed on, “here he is!  Hey, Lee!” Lana shouted at the entrance, waving her hand enthusiastically.

A stunning guy with Eurasian features approached their booth, an uncertain look on his face.  He had shaggy dark blond hair, and wide brown eyes framed by a thick spray of lashes over the kind of sweet little upturned nose Tai had always had a thing for.  His moist, plump lips curled into a smile when Lana forced Tai out of the booth so she could greet him with a bear hug. 

A hint of a belly showed against his shirt when he dropped his arms from around Lana, but his biceps were very clearly defined, stretching against the arms of his t-shirt.  His chest also appeared firm, tapering down sharply to the slight softness of his stomach.  He caught Tai’s glance, and shyly tugged his shirt back down over his compact hips. 

“Here, take my seat,” Lana shoved Tai back down, and plopped into Daniel’s lap.  He jolted backwards, a little look of sharp panic crossing his face. 

Zack had always joked that his brother was a virgin, but Tai’s gaydar told him the guy was battling a more specific kind of repression.  Aside from that inborn tenseness that gave the false impression of arrogance at times, he was a decent enough guy.  He looked a lot like a much older, less interesting version of Zack, though they were only two years apart. 

His plain black hair was kept short and “respectable”, which he insisted was befitting of his position as a physician’s assistant.  Wide, almost pretty eyes were hidden behind wire framed glasses that Tai doubted he actually needed.  And even on a night out, he was wearing pressed dress pants, a button-up shirt, and shiny black shoes.  He and Ajenia would probably get along famously. 

“You know Zack’s brother, and Zack is off being spastic on the dance floor,” Lana said as she settled in next to Daniel, intent gaze trapping Tai as Lee sat down beside him.  “The sourpuss next to you is Tai.  He makes the most amazing chai latte I’ve ever tasted.”

“You work with Zack, right?” Tai nodded, and looked at him, fixating on the little curve where the tip of his nose sloped up at the end.  “I like chai lattes.  Never really got why they call it a latte if there’s no coffee in it, though.  I’m more of an espresso man, but I don’t discriminate.  Just like knowing I’m getting the most caffeine for my dollar.”  Lee poured himself a glass from the pitcher of beer on the table and took a long drink.

“Hm, me too, actually.”  Tai smiled a little more genuinely at the way he babbled almost nervously.  The guy probably hadn’t asked to come along, knowing Lana.  “So, how do you know each other?”

/The most brilliant cerulean around your head./

“IDSI has a contract with her office, and I’m the lucky one that usually gets sent over.  She had printer issues,” he gave Lana a sparkling grin when she looked over at him.  “What was the problem again, Lana?  Something with the power cord?”

Tai’s attention caught and stuttered on those four letters, IDSI.  The same place Ajenia worked.  Except, to Ajenia, it was only Integrated Data Systems International; much like the way Tai’s great-aunt Rose referred to herself as “Mrs. Robert Kowalski”.

“You’re an ass.” Lana retorted, snuggling closer to Zack’s brother.  “You’re the only one I like here, Dan.” 

“Pizza, anyone?” Daniel blushed, and abruptly stood from the booth.  He didn’t wait for a reply. 

“Wings, too,” she called, springing up from the booth, bounding quickly after him.  “I’ll help!”

“You work for IDSI?” Tai was slightly ashamed at how much more interested he had become in the conversation.

“You’ve heard of it?  It’s not very exciting, but I get to play on my laptop all day.  What’s not awesome about that?  I haven’t met anyone who’s actually heard of us, though, aside from people who need tech support.  Which is really kind of crazy, we’ve got our own programmers kicking out the most incredible software.”  

Lee’s eyes lit up with the enthusiasm of someone who actually enjoyed what they did for a living.  He had kind of a content air about him that seemed unusual for a bored office worker.  It was startling, and appealing in a way Tai couldn’t define. 

“Lou’s Brew gets a lot of business from you guys, we’re right down the block.”

“Well,” he murmured, with a slow smile spreading across his admittedly gorgeous mouth.  “Makes me wish I drank more fancy coffee.”

“We make other things, too.”

“I’ll stop by sometime, check out the menu.  Might have to try your chai.  Even if there isn’t any coffee in it,” he lowered his lashes a little shyly, lacking in the pretention usually suited to the gesture.

“Sure,” Tai tried to let it go, he really did.  He had this genuinely sweet stunner attempting to get to know him, and for a moment, he could clearly picture giving in.  It would probably be so easy with the guy, no constant drama, no getting fucked in a skanky alley on commercial grade trash, no danger of a sudden botched neutering job.  But, his life was boring enough with the drama.  “You don’t know an Ajenia, do you?”

“Agenda for what?  I have ideas for many agendas, depending on what you have in mind,” he said with a little laugh. 

“No, A-jen-ia.  He works at IDSI, really antisocial?”

“No,” Lee’s smile faded, and his body language was suddenly less receptive, arms folded across his chest, head turned to glance at the rest of the crowd.  Tai wasn’t as detracted as he probably should have been.

“Brunette…well, recent brunette,” he shook his head.  “Unnatural attachment to his jacket and boots?”

“No.”  Lee looked downright uncomfortable, squirming around in the seat to cross his left leg over his right knee, no longer making any eye contact.  “Are you sure he’s at this branch?  IDSI has several satellite offices spread across the area.”

“You don’t know him?”

He went completely tense in his seat, stared down at the table for a moment that spanned beyond normal conversational pauses.  His brows dipped down slightly, and he glanced up at Tai, only to look away when he realized he had his full attention.  When he finally did speak, Tai had to lean a little closer to make out what he was saying. 

“You mean Mr. Sato?”

“I actually don’t know his last name,” Tai replied with a slight smile.  “Is he your boss or something?”

“Something like that.” He kept his eyes on the table, but tipped his head enough towards Tai that he remained inclusive.  All signs of his talkative personality seemed to fade away, and he curled in on himself.

“You did not just ‘something like that’ me.”

“It was tragic, wasn’t it?”

With his head tilted down, the dark spray of his lashes stood out against his skin, accentuating that shy vibe he gave out.  That consistently pushed all the right buttons for him, but he never seemed to end up with the sweet, shy type.  Probably meant he needed to reevaluate some things, but that was a slippery slope.

“I guess I understand.  He’s an acquired taste.”

“It’s not that…” Lee ran his finger along the side of his mug, head still frustratingly tipped down.  “We’re not supposed to talk about him.”

“What?”

Lee picked the glass up, clearly not interested in the beer.  He drank slowly, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.  It left a gleam on his bottom lip he must’ve been able to sense, since he sucked his lower lip against his teeth thoughtfully.

“Mr. Sato…values his privacy, and I like my job,” he finally replied quietly.  “He’s just a very private man, and I have to respect that.”

“His privacy,” Tai snorted.  “That’s a shit excuse for being an asshole.”

/Here is a guitarra for you my little chavo./

“Can we talk about something else?”  He glanced at Tai again, and looked away just as fast.

Tai followed his line of sight as he turned to watch Lana drag Daniel from the bar to the dance floor, forcing him to form a triangle with her and Zack.  He smiled so gleefully at their appearance.  Tai’s chest burned a little. 

Zack grabbed one of Lana’s hands, and one of Daniel’s, pulling them both into his random jumping version of dancing.  Lana hopped along as high as she could, while Daniel joined with his own stiff version of standing in place and nodding his head to the beat.  The awkward attempt at relaxing just made him look more stuffy, made Tai smother a grin at his effort.

“I, uh, didn’t mean to dig at you,” he finally replied.  “Just wondering if he’s sick or something; I’ve hung out with Ajenia a few times, and he didn’t show the other night.”

“Oh.” Lee smiled, his entire demeanor changing, head rising to meet Tai’s line of site.  “I’m not sure about that, I don’t see him every day.  And when I do…well, he’s a very private man.  I hardly see him when he is there.”

“You don’t?”

“Mr. Sato…he travels a lot,” Lee regained some of his previous enthusiasm.  “All over the world, if you can believe it.  He speaks something like seven languages very fluently; can you imagine learning that many verb conjugations?  I couldn’t even pass high school Spanish.”

That sounded exactly like the little shit.  Probably off on business in another state or something, knowing that Tai would be waiting outside his apartment for hours.  He couldn’t just open his fucking mouth and say that.

“Is he as much of an asshole at work?” Tai sighed, and shook his head in annoyance.

“He’s respected.  Mr. Sato has a lot of integrity, he’s a good man,” Lee spoke like someone well practiced in defending the brunette.  Wasn’t all that surprising that Ajenia pissed people off left and right.

“He’s an entitled princess.”  Tai huffed.  “But he does have bucket loads of integrity; I’ll give you that one.”  He was reminded of the other night, Ajenia forcing him to the hospital when it was probably the last thing he wanted to deal with.  Paying for the cab, and making sure Tai had his keys.  

“Do you,” Lee was looking down at the dregs of his beer with a bittersweet smile.  “Are you like…interested in him?  Because it kinda sounds like you’re carrying a torch.”

“Oh, I like the guy, but he’s psychotic.  Always stomping around in those boots, glaring at everything he sees.  Drives me fucking crazy,” Tai tapped his blunt fingernails against the table top to display his frustration.

“That’s a yes,” Lee met his gaze evenly.  “I can’t blame you, he’s exquisite.  And despite what people think, he’s a good person, too.  You’d make a cute couple.”

Tai couldn’t think of anything to say to that. 

Yes, he definitely wanted to have sex with Ajenia, and he was sure that waiting list was particularly long.  But they weren’t getting married, or planning on living out Lana’s little family dream.  Which was just fucking irrational, anyway. 

“And I can’t compete with that, I don’t want to even try.  If you’re really hanging out with Mr. Sato regularly,” Lee smiled down at the table.  “I don’t want to compete with that.”

“There’s nothing to compete with.  Just because I have a little…whatever, doesn’t mean we can’t hook up.” 

He didn’t even know what was coming out of his own mouth.  It all just made him feel tired.  The thought of hooking up with Lee, sweet as he was, was tempered by the repulsiveness of dealing with the inevitable fallout.

“You’re cute, Tai,” he gave him one of those annoying, knowing grins he was always getting from Zack.  He sighed, grin still firmly in place, and pushed himself up from the deep booth seat.  “I’m gonna take off.”

“Wait.” Tai was struck again by a lack of words, taking his time in hauling his sore body up next to Lee’s.  With that motion, he realized how tired he actually felt, how ready he was to get some actual sleep for once.  “I’ll leave.”

“Great.”

/We’re glad to see that you brought your coat./

____________________

The cookie crop circle had vanished from the parking lot, oddly without even a trace of crumbs to mark the passage of whole cookie to dust.  Instead, a playing card; 6 of spades nestled in the little snow bank piled along the sidewalk, and a 2 of clubs a few feet away.  Then the 8 of clubs, the 6 of spades, joker, ace of hearts, fucking jack of clubs right next to the patch of ice he slipped and banged his knee on again.  Ace of spades, queen of diamonds, 7 of clubs, and wedged between the concrete right before the step up through the front door, another joker. 

Josy was standing in the foyer when he finally opened the door, all decked out in a fuchsia sundress and white snow boots.  A girl could dream, apparently, and it wasn’t as if she left the building often enough to warrant pants, but he wasn’t sure where the boots came into play.  He realized he was staring when she stood a little straighter, and stuck her chest out.  The chunky bracelets on her wrists clunked together when she gave him a happy wave.

/And you can tell everybody, this is your song./

“Hey there, Josy,” he murmured with a taut grin.

“Well now…haven’t seen you around for a while, darlin’,” her gaze travelled from his mouth, across his chest, flitting blatantly down to his dick.  Tai turned his back to her under the pretence of retrieving mail from his little brass box.

“And I’ve been all the worse for it, gorgeous,” he turned and winked at her.

The sound of Josy giggling made his stomach drop a couple feet.  Her eyes were too intense for it to be authentic, warning him that something was coming.  Not a grope this time, which he could pretty easily fend off.

“I hear you’re after the rude boy up on fifth.  Thought you had better taste than that, sweetie,” she pursed her lips, pink trails of glossy color engraving the sparse wrinkles around her mouth.

Tai slammed the little door of his mailbox shut, and seriously thought about giving her an innocent “who?”.  That would probably make her more suspicious than anything else.  She was well informed enough to know that he would know exactly who she was talking about.

“Ah, nothing like that.  We’ve got the same taste in movies, so we’ve just been hanging out.”

“That’s good to hear.”  She leaned in close enough for him to smell the light floral perfume she wore, and a strand of her hair brushed his cheek.  “Why don’t we hang out, then, Tai?”

Shit.  Tactical error.

“That…stud boyfriend of yours seems to be keeping you plenty occupied,” he caught himself before he could reflexively back away from the predatory look she wore.

“Will’s okay,” she casually ran the tip of her tongue over her top row of teeth, followed it up with a little sucking noise.  “I’m always on the lookout for an upgrade.”

/So excuse me for forgetting, but these things I do./

“That would be one lucky guy,” he nodded, letting himself take a step back from her. 

“You’re tellin’ me, sunshine,” Josy winked, and reached down to drag her fingertips up his left thigh slowly, long nails catching occasionally on the material of his jeans.  Tai pretended not to notice, just looked down at his wrist for a watch that wasn’t there.

“Well, gorgeous, it’s been a pleasure, but I really need to get going if I’m going to make the morning shift tomorrow.”

“I’ll just enjoy the view, I reckon,” she smiled girlishly, giving him a slap on his ass before stepping aside.  He felt eyes on him the entire first flight of stairs.

______________

/Don’t try to push your luck, just get outta my way./

Tai heard Ajenia before he saw him, which really wasn’t all that shocking.  Those damn boots thumped against the wood floor of the shop, so noisy that other customers turned to stare.  Little fucker probably didn’t even notice people staring at him; he definitely didn’t care.

So thunderous, without ever saying anything.

His hair was bright red this time, and that hit a little too close to home.  It was shinier, more vibrant than Riley’s curly mess, but it still made his stomach feel queasy.  They were nothing alike. 

“Smoke break,” Tai mumbled to Zack’s general vicinity.  He darted into the backroom without even trying to make it look like he wasn’t hiding.  It was a little passive aggressive, but he couldn’t bring himself to give a shit. 

Once in alley, nothing but t-shirt and jeans to keep him warm-Ajenia seemed to prevent him from functioning like a normal person-Tai hopped up on the garbage can that had half the handle missing from the lid, and probably a glob or two of Riley’s genetic material still frozen to the side of it.  What the fuck was he even doing?  He’d been spending the last two days unsuccessfully looking for Ajenia.  Now, he couldn’t tolerate the thought of facing the asshole. 

Puffing on the last of a cigarette that he couldn’t remember lighting, Tai got increasingly annoyed.  He lit another off the stub, and sucked the smoke from the new one in just as violently.  Maybe Ajenia and Riley were a bit alike, keeping him in his own little forgotten storage space.  Hauling him out whenever they fucking felt like it. 

Like those sticky window cling holiday decorations. 

The backdoor slowly opened, and Ajenia stepped out, two Lou’s Brew cups in his hands.  His open jacket revealed flat front charcoal dress pants, capped off by a dark rust sweater with a dress shirt and loose tie combo that somehow looked stunning on the man, instead of suburban office chic.  The usual messenger bag hung at his side, perfectly straight and unaffected by his full hands.  Looking stapled into place, just like his black coat.

Chapped lips a tight, thin line, Ajenia strode forward without meeting his eyes.  He pushed one of the cups against Tai’s stomach, bright blue gaze stuck on the brick wall to his right.  Scrambling to hang on to it, he almost dropped the drink as Ajenia immediately retracted his hand. 

It took him a few seconds of staring down at the white plastic lid to realize it was meant for him.  The scent of Zack’s chai leaked up to his face through the drink hole, spicy and sweet, almost as good as the stick of nicotine burning down between his fingers.  He took a long puff off the cigarette, blew out a sad excuse for a smoke ring that made Ajenia turn away from him.

“Thanks,” Tai murmured, taking a deep drink of chai that wasn’t quite creamy enough to be perfect, and slumping back against the brick wall.

Ajenia grunted, and took a deep swig of his own drink.  His eyes were scanning the grungy alley, distaste naked on his face, like he didn’t comprehend how to pretend it wasn’t smelly and dilapidated.  Both hands clutched at his chai, limbs tucked as close to his body as possible, so he wouldn’t accidentally touch something. 

Tai finally grinned to himself, annoyance replaced by a slight feeling of fondness he was getting used to having around the redhead.  It was the same reaction he usually got watching his neighbor’s brain damaged dog run into walls and pee on his door.  Damn hard to be pissed off at a goofy little dog wearing a padded helmet.

“The red looks nice, ‘Jenta,” Tai said, which caused his back to stiffen slightly. 

“You are going to clean my carpet,” Ajenia growled, still not bothering to turn around.

“Kinky.”

“And the door.”

“Mmm,” Tai muttered, noncommittally.  He slid down, and leaned in close enough that his nose was tickled by strands of Ajenia’s hair, giving himself a moment to inhale a sweet, mellow scent.  “You’re bossy, ‘Jenta.” He planted a sloppy kiss on the redhead’s cold cheek, and pulled away quickly, heading for the door without looking back.

“Come over tonight, yeah?” Tai called over his shoulder, and even twenty feet down the alley from him, he could hear Ajenia’s annoyed sigh.

____________________

He hadn’t expected Ajenia to show up that night, but he was waiting outside of Tai’s door when he got home from Lou’s.  He had exchanged his dress clothes for jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, leaving his jacket behind again.  Now that he had a closer view of Ajenia’s new red hair, he decided he liked it.  It was the kind of red that looked so shiny and healthy, it ended up seeming blatantly fake on anyone trying to pass it off as natural. 

Fucking figured that it would look like Ajenia was born a redhead.    

“Hey ‘Jenia,” he murmured once he realized the redhead was frowning at his scrutiny, starting to look uncomfortable.

Ajenia shifted impatiently, seemed about a second away from breaking into Tai’s apartment himself.  The fluorescent lighting in the hallway made his skin not so flawless, tired eyes with slight bags under them.  Freckles stood out in uneven splotches that seemed eerily wrong on this porcelain statue of a person.

“Hello.”  He looked so exhausted, Tai let him get away with the fact that it was the first time the redhead had ever greeted him audibly before.

“Come in,” he pulled his door open, left it hanging wide behind him.  “Do you want something to drink?  Some chocolate?”

“Hn,” Ajenia shut the door noiselessly, and toed his boots off on the rug.  He made a beeline for the couch, plopped himself down with a kind of tired grace Tai had come to expect.  Still didn’t get old watching it.

“There’s the Ajenia I know and adore,” he muttered, pleased at how much healthier the soft lighting from his lamps made the redhead look.  He tried to ignore his own exhilaration at having Ajenia back in his place, stiffly seated in the right corner of his couch like he belonged there. 

Tai wasn’t sure when he gained the ability to turn into a thirteen-year-old girl at will, but he did it often enough to be something of a superpower.  He should’ve been out making the world a better place or some shit.  At the very least, pulling in some extra money on his days off.

He went to the kitchen and made a quick batch of chai, dug peanut butter cups that he didn’t recall buying out of his cupboard.  By the time he made his way back to the TV, Ajenia had the movie all queued up, eyes tracking his movements intently with his finger poised over the ‘play’ button on the remote.  Tai set his mug and the chocolate right in front of him, making sure to snag a handful for himself before he sunk down in the middle of the couch, balancing his mug on his knee.  Ajenia started the movie, but Tai felt his eyes on him as he sipped as his drink.

“What?”

Ajenia studied him with that quiet intensity he possessed, shifted a little further into the corner of the couch.  Tai sighed, and did an awkward butt-slide to his own far corner, which made the redhead visibly relax.  He rolled his shoulders in a contained stretch that still conveyed his suppressed grace with fluid movement.  He sipped his chai almost contently, but still kept his eyes on Tai suspiciously.  

“Don’t kiss me again,” he stated firmly, before focusing on the movie.

__________________

It only took about twenty minutes for Ajenia to pass out against the armrest of the couch, which was surprising, considering the amount of caffeine in the tea.  Tai very consciously didn’t watch him sleeping through the entire three-hour movie, plus its sequel.  No matter how the redhead looked slumped against his couch, he refused to make breakfast this time.  And fuck him, he wasn’t running some cheap motel in his living room.

Tai leaned over Ajenia, poked him in the arm with his pointer finger.  His eyes opened immediately, and he went very still, the only noticeable movement his rapidly blinking eyelids.  Tai could feel the couch cushion sinking under his knee as Ajenia’s muscles coiled with impending motion.

“Oy, ‘Jenia!” He said in his most obnoxious voice.  “This isn’t a bed and breakfast; time to go.”

Ajenia frowned up at him in annoyance, batted his hand away from his arm.  He seemed to relax into the standard fury that encompassed his person, and it gave Tai a warm feeling in his stomach that had been missing for the night.  He couldn’t resist a wide grin when the redhead sharply kicked his shin with a socked foot.

“I’m starting to get offended that you fall asleep in my presence so often.”

“Stimulating company,” he grumbled, and pushed at Tai’s chest.

He smiled a little too softly for his own comfort, had his fingers tangled in shiny red hair before he knew what he was doing.  It was more lush than he’d expected, even smashed and twisted against his head from sleep.  Ajenia’s face was a priceless picture of rage as Tai leaned forward against the warm hand on his chest, and finger-combed the strands into place.

“Your hair is a disaster.”  He pulled back before Ajenia decided to shank him with whatever pointy object he got his hands on.

“Don’t touch me.”  The redhead flew off the couch, hand pressed against his head, and was jamming his feet in his boots seconds later.

“Okay,” he agreed.  “You’re the violent one here.”

Ajenia jerked the door open, let it bang against the wall loudly enough to make Tai cringe.  He was surprised when Ajenia paused in the entrance, and glanced back at him somewhat expectantly.  It made Tai snort out loud, probably a very unattractive sound.

“See you tonight, ‘Jenta.”

________________________

/Wash the stain off his bed not to split them up./

Tai smiled at the middle aged woman approaching the coffee bar, employing severe force of will to keep his eyes off her cream colored sweatshirt decorated with embroidered horses splashing through a stream.  The straps of her purse were leather stamped in the image of horse heads, topped off by one large head on the front of the bag, mane whipping in the imaginary wind.  It was probably meant to be majestic, but an homage like that only ever seemed to do the opposite.

“Ummmmmmm,” he could see a crumpled hoof on the jacket she had draped over her arm.  His lips twitched.  “What’s the difference between a latte and a cappuccino?”

She had a soft voice, and now that he looked more closely at her face, looked to be in her late 20’s instead of 50’s, as he’d originally thought.  She fiddled with the leather clasp that held her dark hair back, and naturally, matched her purse.  Tai smiled as she blinked her large brown eyes at him expectantly. 

“Well that’s a classic coffee question, actually,” he rested his elbow on the counter and leaned in a little.  “A cappuccino?  Mostly foam, despite what gas stations would have you believe.  Personally, I’d go with the latte.”

“Sounds good!”  She beamed at him, and tugged a horse-covered wallet from her purse.

As Tai started putting together the ingredients for her drink, he heard the familiar stomp of booted feet on the wood floor.  He grinned to himself as he poured milk into the carafe, deciding to pull a Zack and throw in a squirt of hazelnut syrup.  As he steamed the drink, it was a physical feat for him to not glance in the shiny coffee bins for a peek of the redhead.

When he finally turned to present the woman with her drink, she was waiting at the farthest end of the bar, eying Ajenia with huge eyes.  He grinned at the redhead before making his way down to the other end of the counter.  Sliding the coffee across the wood towards her, Tai took a ten dollar bill from the horse fanatic, who was still gaping at Ajenia.

“He seems scary, but he’s all marshmallow,” he told her in a stage whisper.  Her eyes snapped over to him, a pink blush staining her cheeks to the tips of her ears.  “Trust me.”

She smiled uncertainly, nodding her head as she took her change and shoved it into her purse without looking.  Tai pushed the coffee closer.  She grabbed it, enormous eyes darting to Ajenia, and she clutched her purse closer to her chest while backing away. 

“Thanks,” Tai called after her, but she was out the door without another word.

He huffed a laugh under his breath, and went to greet the redhead.  Ajenia was wearing a deep charcoal sweater with black pinstripe dress pants.  The new hue of his hair made the sweater look warmer somehow, and didn’t wash him out like grays did to Tai.  He wasn’t sure how the redhead always managed to pull off the corporate wet dream look without seeming painfully preppy; he didn’t really care, only too glad to appreciate the effect.

/Down, count me down.  Down, down boy./

Ajenia cleared his throat, arched a brow at him expectantly.  It was like the redhead had no clue.  That was probably for the best, in any case.

“Hey Magenta,” he grinned broadly.  “Chai?”

“Hn.” He shifted his weight like he was uncomfortable as Tai started getting his ingredients together.  “Green tea.”

“What?” He twisted around, and could feel his jaw hanging there like a dead fish.  Health benefits, blah blah, green tea was all fine and good, but it wasn’t even on the same plane of existence as chai.  And it had a complexity of flavors obtainable from licking a fichus.

“Twelve ounce plain green tea.”

“That is an affront to all beverages ever made.  Ever.  Including skanky bathtub brew from prohibition times.”

“No more chai,” the redhead scowled at him from across the counter, and Tai swore he heard the soft stomp of Ajenia’s boot against the wood floor.

“Ajenia, what-“

“No more chai.  No more movies.”

Ajenia’s tone was firm, but he still shifted his weight from foot to foot almost shyly.  His gaze was hooked on the smooth wood surface of the bar, while his fingers curled tightly around the strap of his bag.  Tai wasn’t fooled.

“Whatever you want, Magenta.”  He drowned an infuser full of tea leaves in a cup of hot water, while he busied himself making a chai to force on the redhead.

/El bodeguero y el cha cha cha./

“Hello there, pretty!” Zack appeared from the backroom, stomping his feet on the industrial rug.

“Hey.”

“I was talking to the lovely redhead,” he bounced on the balls of his feet a few times, seeming more keyed up than usual.

“Since when have you guys met?”

“Ummm,” Zack pursed his lips in a concentrated effort to make his pot-addled brain remember.  “Since you were being a little baby girl in the alley the other day?”  His grin was back to that incandescent shine that made Tai inherently unable to be annoyed at him.

Ajenia tipped his head forward and lightly puffed air from his lungs in what Tai was coming to think of as his own subtle version of amusement.  Never seemed to fail to make his cock pay attention.  He turned back to the drinks, not sure how he felt about the two of them, apparently allies now that they’d bonded over his spinelessness.  And it was not acceptable if Zack had actually cracked the redhead so easily when he hadn’t even been around to bear witness.

“What is this garbage?” Zack picked up the steeping green tea and took a sniff, wrinkled his nose in disgust, then dumped the whole thing in the sink.    

“Hey!”

“The dude wants chai, anyway, and that’s what you’re making.”  He plopped down on the stool and leaned his head against his fist.  “You two are so transparent.”

“I ordered green tea,” Ajenia replied quietly.

Zack just looked at him from across the bar, one eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face.  His feet swung side to side, making his head wobble back and forth like a dashboard hula girl.  Ajenia didn’t say anything, but when Tai twisted his head awkwardly to glance at him, he didn’t seem to be simmering with fury as expected.

He turned back to pour the steamed milk over the chai, watching the colors swirl together into a perfect creamy brown.  With a practiced flick of his wrist, he topped it with whipped cream, and quickly sprinkled his blend of seasoning over the top.  About a billion times more decadent than green tea.

Ajenia threw some money on the counter, and snatched the cup up quickly enough that tea splashed up from the drink hole.  As always, he stomped off without a word, the echo of his deafening boots the only thing left trailing behind.  Didn’t stop Tai from enjoying the view of that sexy little ass moving beneath his dress pants.  He couldn’t resist wondering how all that fury translated in the sack.

“You are done for,” Zack giggled, kicked at his leg playfully.  “Trading one redhead for another?”

“No one’s trading anything.”

“Upgrading, then.”

“You’re so smug when you think you know something.  I am so not hooking up with that little thunder cloud,” Tai grimaced, thinking of the level of violence Ajenia would inflict on him.

“You so want to, though,” Zack banged his heels together a couple times, grin still firmly in place on his self-satisfied face.  “I think he’d enjoy it.”

“Did you smoke up before work again?”

“Smarten up a little, dude,” Zack hopped off the stool, and set to work on a mixture that was going to include blueberry and hazelnut, judging by his syrup choices.  “He’d be a nice change from Riley.”

Tai wasn’t going to bother arguing all the reasons why everything coming out of Zack’s mouth was ridiculous.  Sure, he wanted to fuck the redhead, along with everyone else on the planet.  He just wasn’t stupid enough to believe Ajenia would go for it.  And it didn’t mean he was ready for a civil union in Canada, like everyone seemed to think.

“Maybe I just need to be alone for a while,” he said with a quiet forcefulness he’d learned from the redhead.

“That might be good, too.”

/I am a scavenger between the sheets of union./

________________________________

Tai sipped at his cold chai, annoyed at himself for feeling disappointed with Ajenia.  The guy had never actually agreed to come over, but he thought they had an understanding.  It was what made their little friendship or whatever work.

A soft knock on his door made his pulse noticeably speed up.  He hesitated, thought for a second about not bothering to answer.  It would be an easy end to this thing; this thing that couldn’t be healthy for either one of them.

But, he couldn’t resist yanking the door open, revealing a guy only slightly taller than Lana.  He blinked up at Tai as he pulled his purple cap off his head, revealing short blond hair that he ran his hand over roughly.  Like it was long enough to hold or lose any kind of style.  He probably didn’t even need to comb it in the mornings.

“You Guy?” He tugged at the purple knit scarf around his neck.

“Tai.”

“Yeah, Tai,” he tried to take a step forward into the apartment, but Tai stood firmly in his path, finding the guy’s attitude instantly irritating.

“I don’t know a ‘Guy’.”

“No, I’m here for you,” the blond answered, and finally pulled his scarf off all the way.  “Riley told me-“

“What did he tell you?” Tai sighed and moved out of the way, as the blond shrugged out of his coat, stepping forward like he belonged.

The guy smirked, and tossed his coat on a hook, then pulled his faded NYU sweatshirt over his head.  He wore a plain, white t-shirt underneath, worn and tight enough to reveal a compact, athletic body.  His forehead was a little sweaty, like he had just walked off the dance floor of some bar.

“He said lots of things.  You saw me at the club the other night, and you’re just dripping to have my cock inside you.”  He pulled his sneakers off, tossing them on top of the heap of shoes already by the door.  He unzipped his washed out jeans, and stretched his back enough to slip them low on his hips.  “I don’t like timid bottoms, but that ass I can deal with.”

Tai shut the door behind himself, and slumped against the wood.  He received a winning smile, before the blond plopped himself down on the couch.  He assumed a carefully casual pose, arms up on the back of the couch, his hips tilted up like some kind of sex toy offering.    

“Don’t worry, everything’s been settled,” he stuck his hand down his pants and pulled the flushed tip of his cock out.

“What does that even mean?”  The guy just fondled himself roughly, in a way Tai imagined was fitting of a hooker with a job to get done.  And Riley knew plenty of rent boy types.  “Are you a professional?”

Somehow, when the guy shook his head, it made him feel more uncomfortable.

/Flick your cigarette and then kiss me./

“But, I’m not dumb enough to pass up five big bills for a fuck,” he licked plush lips, and stroked his admittedly sizeable cock with exaggerated movements of an amateur porn star.  “Mmn, what position do you like best?”

“You’re very hot and everything,” Tai motioned for the guy to put his cock away.  “But, I’m not feeling it.”

“Why don’t you just sit back, and I’ll take care of the rest?” He stood, jeans gaping open, and grabbed Tai’s elbow, tugging him to sit down next to him.  All he could think about was washing cock off his elbow, how HSV was probably permeating the top layer of his skin. 

“I don’t think I can even get it up,” Tai stood again, followed closely by the little blond.

“I’ll take care of it,” he reached out, rubbed at Tai’s decidedly flaccid cock briefly, touch gone almost before it even registered.  He smacked a hand in the center of Tai’s ass, hard enough to move him forward a step, and squeezed tightly, clumsily.  “He already tried me out, so stop worrying.”

Of course Riley fucked the guy first…reasserting his claim by ‘allowing’ Tai to screw around.  Fucking moron.  He pushed the blond guy back a little, shaking his head ruefully.

“Who turns down a pre-fuck handjob?”  A breathy sigh followed, the blond touching his own cock again, giving a few showy pumps.  “He made me promise to make it good for you, or I have to give the money back.”

“Is that a joke?” The guy gave him a perplexed look, and finally stopped playing with his cock, seemed focused on Tai for the first time since he’d arrived.  “Ethical dilemmas aside, he won’t know.  Keep the money, and get out of here.”

It was getting a little old, unwanted sexual advances with arguably fuckable men, thrown at him on Riley’s terms alone; his pathetic fucking plays for power.  He didn’t understand why the guy couldn’t just let go.  Tai was the one with the lingering feelings, and even those were looking a little weak.  

“Actually, I’d do it for free, so joke’s on him,” the guy grinned, and pulled his hand out of his pants completely, tucking it in his front pocket instead.  “I’m a little curious; we all are…what kind of fuck keeps a whore like Riley coming back for more?” 

“You know Reggie?  He’s a Riley repeat, talk to him.”

“He spreads it around, too, with more class than Riley.  No offense.”  He gave Tai a speculative glance, ruining the coy tilt of his chin, flirty under-the-lashes drama production that wouldn’t have done anything for him, anyway. “Rumor has it that you don’t, though.” 

All things aside…Tai was pretty sure he was being called frigidly monogamous.  An exemplary trait to some, but given his circumstances, it was something else completely.  A dirty blow, really, when paired with the kind of challenge that had Riley’s fingerprints all over it.

“He wants details,” he laughed weakly, feeling so tired of everything.

“He does.”  The fake hooker leaned towards Tai, eyes focused uncomfortably on his mouth.  “He’s so fucking filthy, that whore of yours.  I get the feeling he doesn’t think you’ll go for me.  We could prove him wrong…we could have the same arrangement, and you wouldn’t even need him,” his voice dropped a notch.

What an enabler.

And, just like that, he no longer knew why he was still holding out for Riley.  He wasn’t having sex with him again.  Not after that embarrassing threesome.  Considering that fucking was a cornerstone of their relationship… 

“Okay,” Tai heard himself say, feeling that same stiff disconnect he usually got around Riley.  “Let’s go to the bedroom, then.”

“Seriously?” The guy lost all his seductive pretenses and beamed.  He stood and waddled a few awkward steps, jeans around his thighs constricting his movements.

“Hmm,” Tai closed the distance between them, and yanked the blond’s pants back up for him.  Let the asshole hear all about it.  “I think I’ll fuck you against the wall,” he murmured in his ear, the thought of topping for once making his cock tingle slightly.

The shorter man’s hips jerked forward slightly, cheeks flushing as his eyelids went half-mast.  Tai smiled tightly, and lead the way to his bedroom, vindictively thrilled that Riley had never been allowed inside before.  He peeled his t-shirt off, tossing it on the heap of dirty clothes that lived on his floor.  As he pulled a string of condoms from his nightstand, a shadow appeared in his doorway, hovering there with sudden reluctance.

Tai felt his grin turn a little more genuine, and tossed the condoms on the bed before heading back over to the little blond.  He leaned forward to graze his teeth against an athletically toned neck, peeling the guy’s fly back down with one hand to reveal no underwear, just as expected from someone who hung around Riley regularly.  Tai tugged the cloth down, guiding his erect cock up against his stomach and jerking his jeans down to his thighs again.  His skin was warm, smooth except for where little pieces of lint had been sweat-adhered, undoubtedly fresh off the dance floor from whatever club was holding Riley’s attention at the moment.

He contemplated rimming the guy, but just couldn’t go there with him.  Instead, he pressed the pseudo-hooker’s dick harder against his stomach and rubbed.  He was uncut, which Tai always found a little unnerving despite the biological normality of it, loose foreskin sliding wetly over the head of his cock as he stroked him.  There was something dirty about sticking his finger inside to rub at the underside of the head, spreading the moisture around with a wet noise that sounded like hard fucking.  He tugged the blond towards his bed with his free hand, and pushed on his shoulders to get him to sit on the edge.

Dropping to his knees, he replaced his finger with his tongue, shivering at the taste, which seemed more potent than anyone he’d been with.  A vague aftertaste of cheap pizza on top of the typical chemical tang that he associated with good and dirty sex.  The guys hips jerked wildly like it was his first time, and Tai let him push his cock in his mouth, fucking shallowly with surprising restraint.  Precome dribbled down his throat, the taste of some kind of strange combination pizza growing stronger with each tiny spurt. 

It made him want to stick his dick deep in the blond, show him just how much he’d misjudged the situation; how much Riley had, too.

Tai fumbled on his nightstand for the bottle of overly sweet oatmeal lotion he never used, but had been too cheap to just throw away, and cupped his fingers over the nozzle while he pushed down with his palm.  Feeling a hardened chunk break loose, he fished it out and wiped it on his sheets.  He pushed the guy back flat against the mattress, tugged his shirt up under his armpits, and flipped his hand over to heap the lotion on the blond’s stomach.  

He rolled his finger in the mess to coat it as well as he could, then rubbed his pointer finger over the blond’s entrance slowly, causing him to jerk away.  Tai held him in place with his forearm, putting light pressure on his cock.  He rubbed the tip of his finger counterclockwise around the guy’s rim, and tapped the tight opening.

“Don’t,” he jolted away breathlessly.

“Just fingers for now, okay?” Tai crawled up on the bed, leaned forward to mouth at his ear, sliding his tongue along the shell.  “It will feel good, I promise.”

“Just fingers?”

“Whatever you want,” Tai dipped his pointer finger between the little folds of skin, put pressure right over his anus and held it there.

The blond gasped, and pushed his hips up, arching his back prettily.  Tai gripped his cock with his free hand, and started jerking him off with firm strokes.  His fingertip was swallowed as the blond shoved his hips down to take him in.  Tai let him adjust a little before giving a few shallow thrusts, then pushed deep, stopping just short of his prostate.

Pausing as the guy bucked, he enjoyed the responsiveness, and let the tip of his finger bump against the guy’s sweet spot teasingly.  The blond let out a long moan, ground his hips back so hard it jarred Tai’s finger.  He slipped his middle finger in on the next thrust, shooting straight for his prostate. 

He spared a thought for his neighbors when the guy voiced his approval with a loud whine, pleased that he had seemed to drop the theatrics.  Tai fucked his fingers in deep, rotating his thumb along the puffy skin of his rim.  The wet, intimate nose made his own dick harden fully, and he allowed himself a tight grind against the guy’s leg. 

Stroking his thumb along the rim more firmly, he spread the lotion around as he gave the guy’s cock a few more pulls.  The blond jerked frantically when he continued forward, with tip of his thumb pressing tightly to the skin just behind his balls.  Tai gave in, let himself go back for another taste of the guy, slipping his tongue around the head of his cock to clean away the fluid smeared on his skin.

“Fuck!  Put your dick in…” the blond was gulping huge breaths of air between each inward thrust.

He ignored him, slipped another finger inside while he sucked the guy’s cock down his throat.  The uncircumsized dick filled him up completely, differently.  Made him reluctant to graze his teeth over skin that seemed more fragile, so he just sucked harder.  The blond kicked his foot to the side reflexively, and Tai could tell he was close.

“Fuck,” the guy wheezed, and started grinding his pelvis in bottomless, frantic circles.

Tai backed off, and leaned forward on his bad hand.  He sucked a fast bruise into the blond’s neck, licked his way down to make a nipple peak as he pulled his fingers free.  It made a wet sound that had him fast forwarding a few minutes, cock starting to ache with anticipation.  Grazing his teeth over the pink, taut skin of his nipple, Tai sat back completely.

“Turn over,” he murmured.

The blond’s stomach clenched visibly as he struggled to sit up.  Tai scooped another handful of lotion, and smoothed a little over his cock.  He guided the guy up to his hands and knees, petting the curve of his ass with one hand as he bit a condom wrapper open, and peeled it over his feverish skin.  It was one of those ribbed, bumpy ones that sounded better in theory, but really didn’t do too much for him.  The ribbing was too thin, bumps too minimal. 

He’d take what he could get.

Slicking up with more lotion, he then pressed his cockhead against the blond’s anus and held it there.  He always loved the feeling of tension that preceded the smooth slide inside him, the tease of what was coming.  Tai rubbed his hand along the blond’s right asscheek, round, firm skin made so much more accessible now that he was on his elbows and knees.

“Oh god, fucking do it,” the blond hissed, pressing against him furiously.

He slowly let the head get swallowed, and toyed with the blond’s rim a little by pulling it back out, pushing it in, pulling it back out again.  The guy let loose a low whine from the back of his throat that had Tai jerking forward, no longer teasing.  The tight, clenching drag felt like it would suck his dick right off if he moved too fast.  Even through the latex, it felt sweaty inside him.  Tai kept sliding in until his pubes were tight against the blond’s round cheeks, rotating his hips a little without thrusting.  He smoothed his fingers along runner’s thighs, and up to his obliques.

He wondered why he didn’t do this more often.

“Shit…shit.”

The blond was so tight, his body completely tense, though he ground back against Tai in an attempt to get him moving.  His inner muscles were fucking wringing the blood from his cock, still too tight to consider thrusting.  The guy’s breath was coming in shallow pants through gritted teeth, his fingers wound too forcefully in Tai’s sheets. 

“You…” Tai leaned over the blond’s back and brushed sweaty hair from the back of his neck.  “You have done this before, yeah?”

“It’s been…a while.” The guy glanced over his shoulder, slumping forward a little as his muscles relaxed slightly. 

Apprehensive, his tone and expression were so apprehensive for one of Riley’s fucks.  The moron had supposedly given him a test drive, but he hadn’t even fucked the guy, which seemed uncharacteristic.  He really doubted that Riley would settle on a blow-job, with five-hundred dollars down…and everything suddenly made a lot more sense.

“You fucked him,” Tai started thrusting shallowly, holding tightly to his mounting anger. 

“Who, Riley?  Everybody has.”  He shifted to prop his upper body back up with his hands, ground back against him as he shot Tai a briefly puzzled glance over his shoulder.  “Ah…that’s fucking good…you never fucked him?”

It burned a little, even though it shouldn’t have. 

He thrust hard, reflexive jerking of hips that he couldn’t prevent, and pulled him into the movement, until his pubes smashed against the curve of asscheeks.  The blond dropped back to his elbows, head bowed down low against his arms, and groaned loudly.  It felt spectacular, the friction and heat against his cock, as he pulled back again, the guy’s walls conforming around his dick like liquid Styrofoam.

“Sh…shit,” he muttered, and forced his cock forward, running a hand along the blond’s side, up to his right nipple, which was still slightly damp from his mouth.

He could feel the body under him shudder, chest pushing against his hand, as he pinched the protruding skin between his thumb and pointer finger.  Twisting roughly, he used the grip to guide him into a quick series of thrusts that made the corner frame of the bed ram the wall a couple times.  The blond just grunted, and moved against him, rubbing out the burn.

Tai tightened his grasp, twisting the other direction, and stroked forward with his cock, slow and deep, until his fingers started tingling with numbness.  The guy scrabbled to pry his hands off swollen skin, even while pushing into his thrusts to avoid straining it further.  Tai wrapped an arm around his chest, and pulled him upright, sucked a doe soft earlobe into his mouth.

“Hands against the wall,” he murmured quietly.

The blond nodded, and they inched closer to the headboard, keeping his cock inside gracelessly.  When the guy’s hands were spread wide against the wall, ass pushing back until he sunk deeper, Tai mouthed the skin on the side of his neck, sucked it between his teeth.  He reached his right hand back up to toy with the undoubtedly tender nipple, lightly brushing his fingertips over the tightened skin, drawing little circles with his thumb. 

“Are you going to tell him everything?” Tai whispered, and carded his fingers through soft, overly dry blond hair. 

His response was a groan, and he started thrusting again, short, firm motions that made his balls slap between his legs, ran his bandaged hand down the blond’s left flank.  How he’d always liked to be touched, hands everywhere, a perfect balance of rough and soft that kept a body pinging with awareness.  He gripped short strands of hair gently, and tugged his head back, running his tongue up the side of the exposed neck.

“What will you say?” He repeated, delivering three deep, hard thrusts that made the guy suck shaking breaths in and hold them tight.  “Tell me,” Tai gave him another thrust, and forced himself to stay pressed tight against the blond’s back, dragged his palm up his firm thigh, his cock, his stomach.

“That…” the blond’s breath exploded from his mouth.  “That you put your dick inside me.”

“Hmm,” Tai rolled his pelvis away and back languidly, each time forcing his balls tight against the blond.  “What else?”

He gripped the other nipple with his good hand, gave it a slight twist as he pulled on it.  The skin in his fingers tightened, and he could feel goosebumps spreading out across the blond’s chest.  He gave him another deep thrust that caused him to squeeze his eyes shut, tip his head back against Tai’s shoulder.  His cock had forgotten just how great it felt, a friction too tight to be imitated by a mouth or hand.

“What else?” He prompted, slipped his tongue behind the blond’s ear.

“I’ll tell him whatever you want!”

“What’s your name?” Tai backed off again, keeping his motions shallow, playfully taunting.

“Gage.”

“Can you take it harder, Gage?”

Gage didn’t answer, just slid his hands down the wall, until his body was parallel to the bed, and he was pushing hard to shove Tai’s dick deeper inside him.  His knuckles were stark white bumps where they grabbed the plain metal headboard, elbows painfully straight as he used his whole upper body to move into the thrusts.

Tai’s hipbones were starting to ache where they hit the guy’s bony ass.  He leaned forward and gripped the headboard next to Gage’s hands, using leverage that made his eyes water, no longer worried he was being rough.  It wasn’t going to be enough, the blond jerking back against him, making little breathy noises that reeked of authenticity.

“Just-” he ran a hand up his spine, over his neck, and into his scalp, fisting strands of hair between his fingers.  “Just a little more.”

“I’d be...yeah,” he panted into the pillow under his face.  “You could choke me.  I wouldn’t,” Tai rutted hard against him.  “I wouldn’t mind.”

“I,” he started, almost groaned as his dick gave an enthusiastic, traitorous spasm at the idea.  “I’m not into the edge shit.  S’dangerous.”

“Like DP?”  Gage ground back, asscheeks tight against Tai’s pelvis as he rotated slightly so the dick inside him slipped deeper.  “I heard all about the three of you.”

Tai felt his fingers clench tighter in Gage’s hair, but it was too short to really get a good grip.  Fucking Riley and his giant mouth.  He slid his hand down to brush Gage’s neck, and couldn’t stop himself from wanting to squeeze, thinking about how that pulse would feel beneath his skin.  But, he couldn’t take his anger out on the guy like that.

“No.”

Gripping Gage’s hips with the tips of his fingers, he pulled him back onto his cock with as much force as he could.  His sore hand ached, so he slipped it down to stroke twice at Gage’s slippery cock.  The blond bucked back against him, breaths irregular, his own fingers shaking with the effort.

“Why are you so mad?” He mumbled between gasps for air. 

And Tai was, he felt fucking furious, really allowed himself to feel it.  He pushed against Gage’s back until his chest was flat against the wrinkled sheets, let his hand fist blond strands of hair tightly, forced his head down.  He balanced himself on his good hand as he bucked ruthlessly, so hard his cock felt like it was being skinned.

“Fuck!” Gage groaned, still pushing back into Tai’s thrusts, although it had to be hurting him.  Tai knew all about that.  “Harder…fuck me hard as you can.” 

He mouthed at the bedding, his saliva turning the sheets a darker shade of navy blue that radiated outward.  Too rough, he couldn’t stop himself from being rough.  The little blond was loving it, and it made him wonder what kind of games Riley had really been up to in his shiny, trendy clubs.

Tai slid his body tight against Gage’s, tilted his hips up just a little more to provide the perfect angle to really give him what he wanted.  He howled into each plunge of Tai’s cock, up against his prostate and grinding hard into the sensitive area.  Tai hauled his right ankle up, bent it against his shoulder, so he could get just a little deeper.  Gage stretched his shoulders, gripped the headboard again, and squirmed against Tai’s pelvis.

“Oh, fuck,” he mouthed the sheets.  “Please…please…please.”

“Please?” Tai sped his thrusts up a little, awkwardly reached his hand under the leg propped up on his shoulder to stroke along Gage’s shaft.  It was difficult to reach, his fingers already tingling painfully, so he dropped the leg, and leaned back.

Pulling Gage into his lap, Tai was able to use his weight to thrust with a little more force, albeit slower.  He ran his fingers up Gage’s neck, into his hair, and pulled his head back.  Tai sucked on the skin beneath his earlobe, dragged his teeth across the aftermath. 

Gage reached back and guided his fingers to his throat, pressing demonstratively.  He sighed, and circled his fingers around the neck, but didn’t squeeze.  He stroked the tips of his index and middle fingers down stubbled skin, making Gage shiver.  Bringing his good hand up, he covered his nose and mouth, then pressed his gauze wrapped hand over the top.  Gage’s eyes squeezed shut, and he started bouncing on Tai’s dick, making these little wheezing, desperate sounds.

Tai’s cock firmed unexpectedly to painful, and he used his hands to help pull him further onto his erection.  Gage’s own dick was now spurting little drops of precome constantly.  Tai watched over his shoulder as his stomach muscles quivered, his chest started puffing and deflating pointlessly.  He snaked his unbandaged hand down to pull on his cock, and that was all it took to set him off.

A drop hit Tai under the chin as he mercilessly continued to stroke him off while snapping his hips as hard as he could.  It hurt, the tender skin of his anus pulling uncomfortably with the motion.  Even with the pain, the rhythmic contraction of Gage’s muscles around his cock was so perfect, he knew he wouldn’t hold off much longer, but promised himself he’d fuck the man again before he allowed him to leave.

He pulled out, shifting the blond to his stomach and jamming a pillow under his hips.  Spreading his cheeks wide with his fingers, Tai slipped his dick back inside, fucking his way completely in with short thrusts that felt like bliss on his aching skin.  His breath came faster as he pummeled his cock inside, orgasm on the tip of his tongue, until Gage reached a hand back and dug his nails into Tai’s asscheek.  He came with a grunt, burying his face against the blond’s neck while his hips jerked instinctively. 

It felt like exactly what he’d needed.

_________________

Tai woke from his light sleep, almost missing the sharp wrap on his door.  Ajenia.  He glanced over at Gage’s sleeping form, spread across the mattress on his stomach in the shameless sprawl of the truly fucked out. 

Oh well; he’d made his choice. 

“Gage,” he murmured, and pressed his lips against the back of his neck, sucked softly at the skin there.  The blond burrowed deeper into the pillow.  “Time to go.”

“Hm?” He turned over and rubbed at his eyes with a fist, looking nothing like the guy who had been begging for breathplay a few hours ago. 

“A…friend is here, I need you to get dressed and leave, okay?”

“Can’t I just stay?” He blinked tiredly, and wilted forward against Tai.

“Sorry, he’s a shy one.”  Tai kissed him briefly, dipped his tongue inside just to enjoy the thrill of playing top for once.  “I’d love to fuck you again, but I had plans.”

“Okay,” he stood up shakily, and started gathering his clothing.  “I’m good.  You get my number from that whore of your’s.”  Gage grinned, and stepped into his jeans carefully.

Tai nodded, and hurried to get the front door, allowing himself one last glance at the little blond fighting his way into his t-shirt.  He swung his door open, pleased that Ajenia had actually waited to be let in this time.  He wore a blue and white t-shirt with comfortable looking jeans that clung to his thighs, and he was fucking stunning. 

“You are late.”

Ajenia ignored him and toed his boots off tiredly, before slumping down in his usual spot on the couch.  He located the remote control immediately, magically, and set it on the armrest next to him.  Shoulders shuddering minutely as he did another one of those contained stretches that drove Tai insane, the redhead glanced at him expectantly. 

“Well now, this must be why Riley’s so cranky lately,” Gage smirked from the bedroom door, his rumpled clothing making no secret of what they’d been up to.  Ajenia stared at him, his eyes seeming a little wider than usual, scowl firmly etched on his face.  “That is one fine piece of ass.” 

Tai felt his good mood slipping away.  He didn’t like Gage’s tone, especially didn’t like the way he paused to eye fuck him before making his way to the front door.  Ajenia didn’t seem to appreciate it, either.  He was bereft of his typical fury, though, just seemed a little like he didn’t know what to do with the attention.

“Hey,” Tai reprimanded, pissier than he meant to be.  “You should go now.”

“Sure, sure,” he fumbled into his coat, stepping closer to the couch, never taking eyes off Ajenia.  “I could stay?” He grinned broadly, and ran a palm over his head.

“No,” he grabbed the cast-off NYU sweatshirt from the floor, pushed the cloth into his arms.  “And tell Riley to lose my number for good this time.”

Gage nodded, surprised, and Tai grabbed his elbow to lead him past Ajenia, who seemed to have recovered his normal personality.  His face was deadly cold.  Shoving an unresisting Gage through the door, he slammed it behind him, and rested his forehead against the wood.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured quietly at the door, feeling miserable for reasons he couldn’t pin down.

When the silence stretched long enough to make him feel more awkward, he chanced a peek at the redhead.  Ajenia just sat there, staring him down.  It was better than leaving, as he’d expected, but he hadn’t even moved.  Cold blue eyes gleamed in the light from his lamps, the threat of violence easily perceived in the tightness of his lips.

“I didn’t think you were coming,” he wasn’t sure why he felt so guilty.  “He’s a friend…just some guy I don’t even know.”

Ajenia raised his eyebrow in response, saying so much without saying anything.  He shifted back to face the TV, but didn’t move to turn it on.  Tai felt a chill spread across his neck at the stillness of the face he saw reflected in the black TV screen.

“Ajenia,” he sighed, and rubbed at the headache forming behind his forehead.  “Can we just watch a movie and not talk about it?”

The redhead must have understood, because he nodded stiffly, and turned the TV on.

___________________

TBC

______

Reviewer Responses: Thanks for the input about the lyrics being annoying, I’ve hopefully toned them down so it works better.  I didn’t realize it wasn’t translating from my head to the story very well.  I’m not doing away with the lyrics completely, though, so I apologize if they bother you.  The fic got its title for a reason.  Always appreciate a little concrit, especially when it’s well intentioned instead of bitchy.  MiraMira-Thank you for the lengthy review!  So lovely to hear your impressions of everything.  Tai is no less a slut than he was before, but I think he’s getting his head together piece by piece.  I guess Riley is also upholding the status quo with his continued manipulation of Tai; his friends are really no better, either!  In return, thank you for filling out your rec section (although the recent update seems to have made it all a little wonky for everyone)!  I agree, love not having to wade through a lot of fics to get to the ones worth the time of reading.  I have yet to see Naruto, but once I catch up, I’ll have to check out your fic.  Also, you get a giant cup of chai for spelling Ajenia’s name right, I’m very impressed ^_^ Thanks again for reading and reviewing!  Writing Writer: Thanks a lot, I’m hopefully going to be posting more often now that I have a little more time to spend on AMT. It really helps to know what’s working for a fic, even if it’s “imagery that made me cringe”!  On a side note, I’ve got your Max fic bookmarked, and I have to say I’m intrigued by the summary; looking forward to reading it eventually.  Lividfire: Ha, love the description of “hard but real fluff, and they don’t even need to fuck” ^_^ Thanks for not losing hope in this fic, I can absolutely promise that it will be completed!  Hopefully not at the snail’s pace I’ve been working at, but cross your fingers that I don’t have a dry spell like last time.  Thanks again for reading, and I appreciate the review!