Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, just the plot.
WARNING: This FIC HAS BEEN RE-EDITED- AND I MEAN MAJORLY RE-EDITED, I re-read it, loved the original idea but can kinda see where there were plot holes and bits where I feel like I just lost 'it'. Oh, this round over gray's intial gayness is less obv, like less of 'i'm here, I'm queer' and all that jazz lol. Looking back, it seems way weird, tho obviously he's still gunna end up gayer than rainbow unicorns with sparkly butt tattoos but you know, maybe not like just dropping it around of the blue.
Also, I got kinda into fire-spirits during chap 5-7 and stuff and I'm gunna keep what I have (except I might edit out Akyuras) – cuz at that time I thought I was actually gunna get to see the final. Turns out, as most of u guys know – they only dubbed up to half season….so, you know- I'm kinda going to stick to season 1 characs. I mean, some less important season 2's are still there. Actually, I think that's why I gave up in the first place – because season 2 killed it for me…but I think I just might be able to fix it later.
Also, the plot's more obvious in this one. I know the crime syndicate thing seems 'out of the blue' like OMGWTF did that come from? But that was actually the original plot but I spent way too much time building up stuff that wasn't totally necessary so the fic had all the things I love, but was missing my soul.
Same warnings as before apply, boy love 3, make-outs, freak-outs, and everything that came with this fic before.
PAIRINGz: yet to be confirmed (but probably still the same stuff as before)
Summary:
[AU][YAOI][HET][DRAMA]
You can't put a price tag on life, but you can put one on how long it lasts – and Gray Michael Vincent would do anything to save his sister. Then a chance meeting sets him up with perfect opportunity – all the money he needs in return for one, insignificant year as Neon City's most (in)famous heir's bodyguard…and the newest pawn in the underground power struggle between Neon City's most nefarious crime syndicates.
Diamond in the Rough
--
Prologue: Chance.
-
Gray stared at the doctor in utter disbelief. The sum couldn't possibly be that much…the…the man had to be joking! He had to be!
"You…you are joking aren't you sir?" He managed to croak out, hoping his ears had deceived him.
Seeing the distraught young man in front of him, the doctor put on what he hoped was a consoling smile and patted the man on the shoulder. "I am sorry, but you heard me correctly. I'm afraid such a treatment is very expensive and to want it at such a short notice…the amount does total up."
"Short…short notice?" The blonde demanded amazed. Two years was short notice?
"Yes, two years for such a valued and prized treatment…unfortunately that is nearly impossible to achieve for someone of your…status. Perhaps it will be more affordable in ten years or so?"
Ten years? TEN YEARS? Gray resisted the urge to cry in front of the man and put on a polite smile, which he barely managed to muster. "Thank you sir, I'll get right back to you."
-
The door clicked shut behind him.
Outside, the summer sun shone down on the busy streets of Neon, the early afternoon charged with the buzz of shoppers and office-lunchers and longer queues than Gray had even thought possible.
Everything, the people, the heat – everything that should've impressed him – everything that had given him the little hope he had when he stepped out of the train seemed to be sucking the life out of him.
Every smile, every conversation, price-tag seemed to be another slap in the face.
So Gray did only thing he could do, he sat down – buried his head in his hands and tried to block it all out.
The amount of money needed was more than the whole income of Windtoon! And as he hated to admit it, there were some things even blood, sweat and tears could not accomplish.
He was the product of a death-by-birth mother and a somebody father. There was no long-lost fortune, no rich relatives – just a small country community that had tried to bring him and his sister with the best they could.
There was just no way. No single route left – and the thing was, Gray was pretty sure there had only ever been one way from the start.
He could feel himself giving up as tears threatened to burst through. He wasn't going to cry, damn it! Real men didn't cry, and oh, what the heck.
The tears rolled down his face and he didn't make a move to stop them.
-
A few minutes later, and a humiliating episode where a little boy picking his nose pointed out to his mom that, "look that guy's crying!" Gray had decided enough was enough.
He'd never been the crying-in-public type, heck, he'd never been the crying type and in then end, tears never got you anywhere.
Stapling that thought to his brain, he stood up, wiped his eye on the sleeve of his jacket and took a good hard look at 'the lighthouse of the world'.
Well, Gray thought as a busy mother-of three rammed into him at high speed, nearly crushing his foot with a pram – there were sure a heck load more people than he had ever seen before.
There were a lot of shops too, he noticed – clothes, hairdressers, cafés, food-marts, all sorts really. And then he saw it – hidden on the right corner of a bookstore, the miracle blessing – the HELP WANTED SIGN.
-
"Sorry, you just don't have the experience we need darling."
The woman smiled at him with fake sympathy as he turned to leave. The last twenty interviews had all had similar responses, he wasn't experienced enough, not of 'high society,' didn't understand enough, too young; the list went on and on.
This was completely insane.
In fact, this whole idea – the whole trip here; how the hell had Gray ever thought that this crazy one last shot idea would ever work?
Had he really thought that all he'd need was to buy a train ticket and explain the situation to some smart-assed doctor without a lottery-inspired check?
And even now – what the hell was he trying to do anyway? Find a job? Find a job in one day that would somehow, miraculously give him enough the same amount of cash that you'd get from robbing a bank?
It wasn't like he had a college degree or anything – heck, he'd bailed out after the last compulsory high school year to look after Leanne and she still got worse anyway.
The more he thought about it all, the crazier and stupider the whole idea got.
He was completely off his head to think this would work.
To come to Neon City with no real plan, no money – no idea of what he'd expect, what would be expected of him and now…now worse of all, after giving her hope, he'd have to go back with empty hands, an emptier wallet and tell her impossible was just another word for reality.
He'd let her down.
For 17 whole years, he'd manage to be her rock – to always do the right thing, and now, now he was going to have to turn back and see that smile stretch until it cracked and listen to the muffled sounds of small hiccups between bouts of tears and he knew that it'd crush her.
Fuck, he thought as he looked down at his automatically clenched fist, there's no way I can just go back.
I've got to do something – something, no matter how insane or impossible, there's got to be something out there.
-
grrr.
A growl from his stomach reminded him that he was human and needed to eat.
The nearest café was just a few metres from his bench and while the prices seemed way too expensive (they wanted how much for a sandwich?), his body told him he needed to eat or die.
Five minutes later, he sat on the bench stool staring out of the front window as he waited for his tuna-sandwich to arrive.
Ten minutes later, the sandwich was still MIA and Gray had moved onto his favourite hobby, people watching.
An overweight woman walked past him with a little poodle tagging along behind her. Expensive looking track-pants and enough shiny jewellery to pass herself off as a statue.
A middle-aged man walked along with a roll of newspaper. His glasses repeatedly slid off his nose and every time that happened, he'd push them up only to drop the stack of papers he was holding.
A green-haired boy walked past.
Green hair?
Gray glanced back, blinked then took a second look to make sure. Woah, Neon City was sure heck not Windtoon – and the weirdest thing about the green hair was that it looked natural.
It wasn't like bright neon green or anything, and the guy wasn't even dressed weirdly. Actually, on closer inspection – he was dressed pretty smart. Combed hair, correctly knotted tie (something Gray had never mastered, or really needed to master anyway) and shoes so shiny that they gleamed. Everything looked neat and ironed and from the package in his arm, it almost looked like a very expensive uniform.
He looked a little older than Gray, maybe by a few years – eighteen, nineteen? Nineteen – maybe even twenty.
Gray craned his neck forward and then that's when he noticed it, a sliver cufflink in the shape feather half-curled around a shiny green emerald, arching out like a wing.
Automatically, his hands closed around the pendant on his own necklace as he noticed the startling similarities between the two items.
Gut instinct flared up and before he could even tell his body to stop, he was striding out the door after tall, green-haired with a emerald.
"Hey, don't you want your sandwich sir?"
The café door slammed shut, and lonely tuna-wich sat abandoned on the counter.
-
Two blocks later, a niggling voice in his head told him that this behaviour was usually classifed as 'stalking'.
Gray ignored that voice and told himself he was just taking a power-walk and he just happened to be going in the exact same direction that Emerald was going in. Yeah, nothing weird at all.
The streets were getting narrower, and even though there were less people, all the alleyways and shortcuts made his head hurt.
It felt like late afternoon, but as he got further and further into the side streets of Neon; everything seemed to look the same and the tall apartments encased the streets in shadow.
In fact, Gray wasn't even following the guy because he was interesting anymore. He was following the guy so he wouldn't get lost.
-
The streets had become oddly silent now, and the chill that down his back made him double his pace.
In front of him, Emerald stopped, looked to his right, then broke into a sprint into a left side-street.
Green disappeared around alleyways and bends, and Gray followed, footsteps pounding against gravel – desperate to keep his unknowing tour-guide within vision.
Another bend, another corner – this one, no, that other one – and then he was on a wide alley with empty boxes of bottles and discarded metal and there was no green-hair within vision.
Damnit. His breath was ragged as he slowed down, hands on his knees for support.
Where was he?
BANG.
SCHHRSCHHzzzz.
Right side, second opening – and again gut-instinct took over, spurring him into action. He rounded the corner, his hands already yanking his b-damon out of it's case.
Gravel. Emerald backed against the wall. Hands clutching tightly onto packaging. Sliver green gleam of metal.
Fear.
"B-DA FIRE!"
Aqua slices through the air slams into the arm of the hooded figure. Black legs staggered backwards from the impact and then vaulted up the fire escape, disappearing into an open door.
For a moment, all Gray feels is adrenaline pumping through him, everything he is, he was concentrated in the thump-thump-thump of his heart.
Then he looks down and sees Emerald slumped against the wall and his brain switches itself on again.
"Hey, you alright there?"
No response. Gray kneels next to him, gravel scraping at his knees through thin fabric.
"Hey, um, can you hear me?"
There is a faint groan. Then eyelids flutter girlishly, then half-lidded intense, definitely not girl-eyes look up into his.
"I'm fine, just a little – a little disorientated."
Emerald slowly stands up, using the wall for support and as Gray watches the older boy stagger to his feet it occurs to him that he probably should've offered to help and kicks himself mentally for just standing there.
"Thank you, for intervening." Emerald smiles, and it strikes that Gray that a), he feels dwarfed standing next to this guy and b) embarrassingly enough, this guy has a nice smile. "I'm mostly alright, thanks to you."
"It's nothing," Gray mumbles, suddenly awkward and shy in-front of this complete stranger that he's kinda stalked for over thirty minutes. "Just did what anyone'd do."
"I wouldn't say that you know, you don't even know me and you could've put yourself in serious danger." Suddenly the stranger's voice seems more serious, tight – and Gray involuntarily rocks back on his heel.
Sensing discomfort, another smile softens the comment. "I meant that anything could've happened – and I'm just really glad you were there.
Emerald takes a step forward and stretches out a hand, Gray tenses up but doesn't back away. Not yet.
"Thank you, again," then the hand freezes in mid-frame and for a second Gray swears he can see cogs grinding away behind forest-green eyes, "oh, I'm so sorry – I've just been standing here babbling on and I haven't even asked for your name!"
"It's Gray." The blonde lets out a inner sigh of relief – at last something he knows how to respond to. "Gray Michael Vincent."
The edge of Emerald's mouth twitches in badly hidden laughter and suddenly Gray is aware of exactly how much he'd sounded like a cowboy in a bad western movie.
"My name is Joshua," Eme-Joshua says and then extends his hand forward again, "pleased to meet you."
-
There is a awkward silence as Gray simply stares at the hand and then the embarrassing surge forward as he realises he's meant to shake it.
The grasp is awkward, and somewhere between the handshake, both remember that it's polite to actually look the other person in the eye.
Eye-contact is just as awkward as the impromptu hand shake; green locks on to green and there seems to be a sudden intensity that makes the hair rise on the back of Gray's neck and that ever-present blush crawl across his cheeks.
A moment later, Gray realises that they've been staring at each other for far too long – and he realises his hand is actually warm from the hand-shake that's turned into hand-holding.
Automatically Gray disentangles himself and takes three steps backward, redness enflaming his face as he hides the tainted hand behind his back.
They stand. Silence reigns.
Silence continues.
They stood there as the silence continued.
"You alright then Joshua?" he asks for the second time. "Oh, yeah, you said already, sorry," he hurriedly adds, and makes a mental note to just not talk in the future.
"Thanks to you," Joshua lip twitches again, "and I suppose I've said that five times too, haven't I?" The twitch curves into a smile, and something about the older boy makes Gray smile back.
"Yeah, sort of."
Bzzzttt.
The low hum from Joshua's left pocket distracts both of them, and consequently causes Joshua to look to his right arm for the time. "Look, I'm really sorry to rush out on you like this but this delivery is really of utmost importance right now…"
"-I could come."
Joshua looks up, surprised and Gray stares back, equally surprised at his own words.
"You know, just incase – they come back." "Or something."
Gray digs into his pockets, "Or just until we head back to the main street. I, I'm not really a local…" He trails off, hoping he doesn't have to explain that he's kind of, completely l-o-s-t out here.
Thankfully, Joshua gets it – or doesn't ask. "Why not?", another easy smile, "I'm sure I could find some way of properly thanking you after."
Instantly, Gray's mouth opens, "No, it's fine, honest. I don't need anything."
"Don't be ridiculous." Joshua turns back, aghast, "Of course you do. You really did save me back there."
"No, I mean it," is the instant reply, accompanied by rapid head-shaking, "–it's fine."
"No, no, really I insist."
Then there was more hand-waving, protesting, insisting and head-shaking and then it repeated on itself as the duo navigated their way through the maze of side-streets back onto the main avenues of the Lamplight District.
And somewhere through it all, through increasingly casual conversation and easy smiles – it vaguely occurred to Gray that this day was turning out much better than he thought I'd be.
Two steps ahead of him, Joshua (now package free) gestured towards the open café door and as Gray followed suit, there was a small, but definite smile across his face.
Yeah, this day had gotten a lot better.
-