A/N— This is the Pleasnt Proding Spike (named spelled this way on purpose). This is a one-shot challenge dedicated to . She posed the challenge and we at The Love of Our Lust listened. Love reviews, no haters and the like. This is a two-parter, which is most likely to get me in trouble. But it's long. That should count. There are faces as scene breaks. Please, disregard them as nothing to worry about.
Warning: Male on male romance, love, lust, and sex. Also some hardcore partying meant to be harmless, but doesn't turn out that way. Slight alcohol usage.
Summery: Boog wants to take Lenny to a party to unwind and possibly for a bit more. BoogxLenny
Disclaimer: Do Not Own, though we can all dream.
The Challenge: Party in the Closet
Boog stifled a yawn, messy dirty blond hair rumpled from sleeping in too late. Holding onto his pink work shirt slung over his shoulder, he lazily walked down the street, eyes straying over different things every few seconds. He had opted for the late shift that day, knowing Lenny wanted to leave early. Lenny didn't come outright and say it though. Boog just happened to be listening when they were making up their schedules the week before. He changed a few things around once Lenny walked off, not that it had to be known.
Boog figured he could get something in return from the lithe man, some type of gift or repayment for his kindhearted deed. He was going to get something for his troubles. Though he knew the one thing he really wanted would be denied to him. But what was it that he truly wanted from Lenny, the thing that he knew would be denied?
True, he thought of his coworker a little too often. He focused on what Lenny said, even when he was talking to himself on the other side of the store. He even chose to work when the thin man begged him to do something. But he always complained when he was playing his games. He loved his Chimp Chomp, even had his own machine at home. In actuality, he used it as a good excuse to watch Lenny bustle around the store.
Boog stopped and looked up at the sky. Why was he so fixated on Lenny?
No matter how he looked at it, Boog would remain the bullying ditz, and Lenny would stay aloof and detached from anything he tried to say honestly. Not that he showed it that often after being rejected and not taken seriously. He happened to be a little brighter than anyone gave him credit for. Including Lenny. His coworker would never look at him twice. That shouldn't bother him though, should it?
A sigh puffed out his chest as he continued down to the Frosty Mart, stuffing one hand into his pocket. A piece of paper crumbled as his hand pushed down into the confined space. Mystified by the sound, Boog pulled out the contents of his pocket and saw a scrawled note on the back of a receipt. A light went on in the back of his memory as he read the address written down.
A young preppy punk from down the street from his house was throwing a party. Boog saw him pacing the sidewalk as he was leaving the house that morning. As soon as the guy noticed him, he came rushing over and started spewing out some tall tale about some chicks wanting him at the party. Boog just pushed the kid aside and kept walking. The prep yelled out something about him being a "badass" and that was exactly what he needed to get all the girls there. Boog couldn't help being intrigued by that. Sure, he had always considered himself the best, but he never thought others would go along with it.
Boog had looked back at the kid, and asked if he could bring someone along. The punk said he didn't care as long as he showed up. Boog crumbled the paper back up and stuffed it in his pocket. Maybe that's what he should do. He would invite Lenny to the party and see if he could get him to unwind a bit. After all, if it was a rich kid throwing the party, then all bets were off and anything could happen.
He smiled to himself. He liked the idea more and more as ideas swam through his head. Now, how was he going to convince Lenny to go with him?
:o…..o:
Fanboy and Chum Chum casually skipped along, debating the matter of wizards, Manartica, and what was for lunch. So deep were they in their own world that they didn't notice Boog as they ran into him in the Frosty Mart parking lot. For what it was worth, Boog wasn't paying attention to them either.
"Hey, superheroes crossing here!" Fanboy rubbed his nose, looking up at the offender. "Oh, Boog! Uh…I'm sorry about that. Didn't mean to get so – into myself."
Boog secretly rolled his eyes, sliding his work shirt on. "Listen, twerp. Out of the kindness of my heart will I let you leave."
Fanboy looked at Chum Chum, confused. "That's…great, Boog. Thanks."
Just as the duo was about to walk away, an instantaneous idea hit Boog in the face. He could use them. He could set up a bet where he ends up winning. Fool-proof! "Wait."
Glancing back at the worker, the superheroes cocked their heads. "Yeah?"
"I didn't say you could go yet." A malicious smirk showed gleaming teeth as Boog cracked the knuckles of one hand into the other. "That is…if you don't want to get hurt."
"O-okay," Chum Chum gulped. "Just don't do that. It's bad for your hands."
Confusion made Boog pause as he dropped his hands. 'These kids…' He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Look, just come here and don't breathe a word of this. Got it?"
The pair had a silent conversation between themselves before coming to an agreement. "Do we get Frosty Freezy Freezes?"
"Actually, that was what I was just going to mention…"
Evil plotting grins smeared the duo's faces as they came closer. "Tell us what we need to do."
O.o
Boog entered the Frosty Mart, stretching his arms over his head. His first reaction was to seek out his coworker with his eyes. Lenny was absentmindedly swishing a mop over the faux tile floor near the freezy freeze machine, glancing over at his entrance. A frown clearly made its way to his lips as he went back to mopping.
"You're late, you know?"
A calm happiness quickly turned to a gloomy disappointment. "I know." Walking over to his beloved Chimp Chomp, Boog turned on a new game, his heart lurching at the reproach. "I left on time, but some punk stopped me on the way here. Why? You feel like reporting me for tardiness?" A bit of his anger slid out before he could bite it back, regretting the words instantly.
Lenny huffed, sloshing the mop into the bucket of water near the register and putting his hands on his hips. "That's not what I was saying. I need to know if I can trust you to be here on time. I just wanted to know if you actually had an internal clock or not." Picking his mop back up, he turned his back on Boog, swishing water around in front of the counter.
"Lenny…"
Seeing the pout and the tight grip on the handle of the mop, Boog mentally berated himself. Why was it so hard to talk to him? Balling his hand into a fist, he sighed and decided it was now or never. He couldn't let this heartache weigh him down, especially when he was so close to getting what he wanted. He left his game and strode over to his coworker, watching the slender back tense at his approach. Reaching out a hand, he hesitated to touch the rigid shoulder. He dropped his hand, hoping he could touch him later if he was lucky.
Boog leaned in as close as he dared, whispering, "You're right. I'm sorry."
Lenny jumped at the quiet words breathed into his ear, his face heating at the thrill his body felt. Boog didn't dare stay to see the rest of his reaction, opting to return to his forgotten video game, his nerve abandoning him. Heart racing, Lenny couldn't stop himself from wanting it to happen again, whatever it was. Not wanting to know, but feeling like he had to, he turned and saw the muscular blond back at his game. A part of him was saddened by the distance while the other felt relief at the nice reprieve from rising emotions.
"You didn't have to do that, you know?" His voice had returned, unbidden.
Boog never once looked back at him, smiling at the flashing screen instead. "I know." Movement caught his attention outside as he glanced over, noticing some customers walking up. "Can I make it up to you?"
Elation and fear welled up from the pit of his heart, but Lenny refused to show interest. He shrugged noncommittally. "How?"
"Care to make a bet with me?"
"On what? Who can take inventory first? No contest there."
Boog snorted, and hitched a thumb toward the window. "Not really. I was thinking more about them." Two masked kids were making their way toward the sliding front doors. "We'll bet on what flavor they'll get. Fair?"
Lenny raised a brow, something bothering him about the idea. "What…are we betting for, exactly?"
Boog gathered up his courage and pointed at himself, plastering on a goofy grin and feeling giddy. "If you win, I'll take the whole weekend shift for you. If I win, you'll come to a party with me tonight. Deal?"
"A party?" Nervous at the thought, Lenny kept his gaze on the floor. "I-I've never really been to a party."
Boog rolled his eyes, keeping the fact that he already knew that to himself. "That's alright. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You can have a chance to relax and have a little fun. Okay?"
"Oh…uh. O—"
"We have ARRIVED!" The ding of the sliding doors drew the attention of the coworkers, cutting off Lenny from his answer. Fanboy and Chum Chum posed dramatically on the floor-mat, not allowing the doors to close behind them. When they received no applause, the pair shrugged and began to peruse the store.
Boog caught a glance of his befuddled friend sighing in relief. Or was it, possibly, in annoyance? He rubbed his forehead to ease a small ache forming in his temple and decided to get his answer one way or another. Boog wandered behind the counter and leaned over, tapping Lenny on the shoulder. His coworker repressed the urge to jump, distinctly remembering that he heard the muscular teen approach. A shiver traveled down his spine instead, a point of heat focusing on the place where the fingers had touched his shoulder.
Lenny slouched against the counter, keeping his gaze on the two boys wreaking havoc. His mind was making a mental clean up list as he propped the mop up next to him. "What is it?"
"What flavor do you think they'll go for?"
The dark-skinned boy huffed, trying to hide the rising blush that inflamed his face. "How should I know? They change all the time, or they can never make a decision. What would you pick?"
Boog smiled, hearing the curiosity in his voice. "No way. Either way that I see it, you come out on top with this bet, so you pick first."
Lenny flinched, mental images fluttering through his mind's eye before he could tamp them down. "On…t-t-t-top?"
"Hmm?" Boog settled onto his elbows, not sure if he heard correctly. "What'd you say?"
Lenny took a deep breath and let it out, tucking his mind back into mundane, normal things. He shook his head just in case and laughed feebly. "I said…cherry?"
"Cherry?"
"I mean, pink. Pink! Gah!" Lenny felt himself spaz a bit at his loose tongue and hurried off into the aisles, quickly restocking the skewed items.
Boog watched Lenny freak out at the mess and yell at the kids to get something or get out. He couldn't help himself from gazing at his coworker. There were so many different sides to him, and he wanted to see them all. "Can't believe I'm getting sentimental," he snorted to himself. "Pink wasn't a bad choice though."
He saw the pair giving Lenny a hard time, hanging all over him and demanding his attention. A flare of jealousy stabbed his heart. "Guess I was a little too lenient." Taking his instant anger and turning it on the heroes, he cupped a hand against his mouth and shouted, "You've got five seconds before my fists turn to bopping. You got that?"
The duo paled and let go of Lenny, running for the freezy freeze machine. A grateful smile was turned his way before disappearing under anticipation as he focused on the two masked kids. They chattered away to each other, slyly keeping an eye on Boog as they fretted over what flavor to get.
Fanboy sidled closer to his companion, making sure to whisper. "Pssst! Hey, Chum Chum?"
The bubbly brunet pretended to be making his decision, glancing at his friend from the corner of his eye. "What is it, Fanboy?"
"Do you think they'll finally get together?"
Chum Chum shrugged, pursing his lips. "I don't know. They need an awful lot of help and they still haven't said anything to each other. It's kinda upsetting."
"You said it. This time it should definitely work though."
"Kyle has everything, right?"
"Yep. We'll go spying later."
Content with the situation, the boys turned their sights to the freezy machine and made their decision, hiding what color they were getting from view. Boog let out a frustrated huff and saw Lenny trying to find a good angle to see what they were up to. He had wanted to make sure they went for the right one, but watching Lenny so curious was fun in its own way. The heroes approached the counter and deposited their drinks to pay. Lenny scrambled back to the counter to man the register, focused on seeing what was in the cups.
Boog raised his brows in amazement and smirked. "Well, I'll be damned."
Lenny ran behind the counter and skid to a halt in before the boys, looking from Boog to the cups and back. "What? What? Is it bad?"
Boog shrugged and went back over to Chimp Chomp. "I wouldn't say so, no."
Lenny scanned the cups, making sure to see inside for the flavor. He stared in confusion before paling. The boys had mixed the flavors. Pink swirled with blue and mismatched polka dots of color radiated from the freezes. "Why…why mix the flavors?"
Fanboy puffed out his chest and Chum Chum followed suit. "Well, I was never one for it before. I was, and still am, a purist for the beloved Frosty Freezy Freezes. They should be kept separated, but I had a moment of temporary insanity," he winked at his partner. "Hence, I have mixed them for a new, bold taste sensation."
Chum Chum nodded vigorously. "Yeah, what Fanboy said."
"Thank you, my friend."
Lenny kept quiet during the rest of the transaction and watched the pair skip out of the store, hyper delusions beginning to fog their brains. He turned to his concentrating coworker and put his head in his hand. "So…?"
Not seeming to pay attention to the outside world, it surprised Lenny when Boog replied. "So what?"
"Uh…well, what did it mean then? They mixed the flavors."
Boog lost on purpose and turned away from the game, tapping his fingers next to the buttons. "Well, in my educated opinion…" Lenny snickered, earning a soft glare from the blond. "Since you didn't really decide on what flavor you wanted…"
Lenny felt his heart lurch at the end of the fun, of nothing to keep him waiting around to see Boog. "O-oh. Well then, I guess that settles it."
Boog rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets, standing on the other side of the counter. "I didn't say that. You wanted pink, right? Kind of a half-assed decision, but it was one. So, to me, we both win."
Lenny pouted, trying to figure out how he reached that conclusion. "How do you get that?"
"Those two mixed the flavors. I had blue since you picked pink. From what I can see, you still have to go with me to the party and I have to cover your weekend shift. Sound about right?"
Lenny twitched, processing the information as best as he could. "I…I don't know. I mean, that's a lot of trouble that you have to go through—"
Boog slammed his hands down on the counter, leaning over until his face was inches away from the nervous boy. "It's a yes or no, Lenny. All I want is an answer."
"Uuh…" Lenny's mouth dried out as he licked his lips, staring into the deep green depths. He had the urge to lean forward and see what would happen. Quickly checking his rampant thoughts as he remembered the muscle surrounding his coworker, he laughed weakly and backed away. "Okay, yes. That's…that's fine."
Boog frowned as he watched Lenny's reaction. For a second, he thought Lenny was going to come on to him. The way he was backing away said a whole different story though. Boog wanted to try, at least give it one more shot to see if this would all be worth it in the end, or if he should give up completely. Gathering the last of his courage for a long while, Boog shifted his hand and reached for Lenny's face, just able to touch his cheek with rough fingertips. Lenny inhaled sharply at the brush of fingers, not understanding why Boog was torturing him.
"I'll come get you after work. Sound good to you?"
Lenny couldn't trust himself to breathe, much less talk, but he refused to stay silent. "That-I-yes-um…" He blushed at his lame composure and felt himself wilt with shame, gazing at the floor as if it were dancing. "Yes. I'll be ready."
Boog's heart melted at his embarrassment. He got the answer that he needed. "I'll see you then." He retracted his hand and saw Lenny look up with sad eyes at the loss. Oh, he had definitely gotten his answer.
Lenny felt idiotic just standing there as Boog walked away, not for the first time that day. "You better be here on time for the weekend. I don't need the boss coming down on me for your mistakes." Boog just waved at him, acting as though he wasn't paying attention.
His heart tugged him in two directions at once. One said he was only being teased while the other wanted to hold out hope. Quieting the inner struggle within himself, Lenny decided to clean the aisles of the mess the superheroes had left and forget about his coworker for a while.
O-O
Boog watched Lenny leave not too long after the hero boys went on their merry way. He counted down the time until he could race home as well, trying to distract himself by getting lost in Chimp Chomp. His precious game didn't help; he kept on daydreaming about Lenny. His image would float unbidden through his mind. As distressed as he felt about the whole ordeal, he was way too excited to get out of work and be with Lenny outside of this damned FrostyMart.
As soon as his shift ended, Boog rushed home and picked up his phone, staring at it in awe. He was going to do it. He was going to call Lenny.
XoX
Lenny pulled hanger after hanger of clothing out of his closet, tossing them behind him in a heap. He didn't know what to wear. He had nothing to wear!
"Gah! I can't do this!" He gripped a mass of them and pulled the clothing free, tossing them in the air with a small amount of animosity. He panted at the effort and looked at his room, dejection setting in at the large mess he had just created. "Uh-huh-hun…this sucks."
Lenny dropped to the floor and drooped his head. A shrill ringing made him jump in terror and seize an oversized bear he kept in the corner of his room. Heart hammering, he reasoned with himself and pried his arms loose, searching through the strewn clothes for his phone. Moving a silky purple top, the phone danced on the floor, announcing an incoming call. Boog's number flashed on the caller ID.
Hand shaking, he picked up the phone and stared at the small screen with the number running across it. He was nervous. That fact made him want to throw the phone. He grit his teeth and pushed the green button, putting the phone up to his ear.
"Hello?"
Silence greeted his inquiry.
"Boog?"
An immediate click followed by a dial tone reached his ear. He laughed to himself and hung up. At least he wasn't the only one that was nervous.
He went to put the phone back in its charger when it went off in his hand. Rolling his eyes, he looked at the screen and smiled. Pushing the send button, he raised it up again.
"Yes?"
"Lenny? Yeah, sorry about that. The line got disconnected somehow. Crazy, huh? Well, anyway, I wanted to know if you were still up for tonight. I mean, that's if you want to. If you don't, that's completely cool. I can just see you later at work. Hey, I'll still cover you for the weekend though. Go have fun. I guess I'll—"
"BOOG!"
The other line halted its babbling. "…What?"
Feeling jittery again, Lenny sat down on the edge of his bed and looked at the floor. "I don't know what to wear…"
He heard Boog chuckle to himself, something rustling in the background. "Doesn't matter. Wear whatever you feel comfortable in. As long as it's not sweat pants."
"Pfft! I don't have any of those." Lenny tossed a pair onto the floor and scooted them nonchalantly under his bed.
"You just put down some, didn't you?"
Lenny's jaw moved up and down, no sound coming out. "Are…are you stalking me?"
Boog shook his head, staring into his closet. "No, not quite. I just like to believe that I know you."
Lenny shifted around uncomfortably, looking over all the clothes he had deposited on the ground. "Kinda like to think the same, but…Boog…aren't we just coworkers?"
A sharp intake of breath came over the line. Lenny worried his bottom lip, thinking he had pushed the envelope too far, especially right now.
Boog cool voice broke through his thoughts. "Yeah, that's right, Lenny. We're coworkers. Kinda like friends, but not really."
Squeezing his free hand into a fist, Lenny took in a shaky breath and cleared away the muddled thoughts in his mind. "That-that's not what I meant. We are friends, Boog. Maybe…maybe tonight will help." He kept to himself what he hoped it would help.
"It should. Make you relax a bit too. This'll be good. So-uh…I called to let you know I would come get you around seven. That gives you about an hour. Okay?"
Lenny nodded and stopped, reminding himself that Boog couldn't see him. "Sure. That sounds fine. I'll be ready."
"Good. See you then."
Lenny found himself shaking. "Yeah. Okay. Bye."
The click of the line made him lower the phone and push the red button. He dropped the phone back on the floor and sigh, putting his head in his hands. "Stupid, Lenny. Just stupid."
-T-T-
Boog lowered the phone and slammed the side of his fist against the wall. All of his energy dissipating, he placed his head against the wall and tried to focus on the cold plaster against his skin. He was so confused. For every step he took forward, there was a wall or some pit of anguish he had to cross. He needed an answer and, if he didn't get one tonight, he would have to stop. He would have to quit Lenny.
DUNoDUNoDUN
A/N: Yes, I know. Everyone hates cliff-hangers. But, I want the sex to be good and that will come in the second part. Drama always fuels great sex. Most of the time. Second part will be up as soon as possible. Already working on it.
