VWolfe and the CompanionV

It was a day or two of recovery before Ryan found out the results of his fight. Eric proudly informed him that he had managed a rare feat. A tie. It was the only thing the ref could call when both fighters were knocked unconscious at the same time. Ryan's teammates viewed it as a victory. Everyone had congratulated him on a spectacular first fight. Hell, he'd even got a pat on the back from Speed.

As the days went by Ryan began to fall into a routine. His mornings started early as usual, always unable to sleep in late. He would then take a shower and get dressed before going down for a morning walk. The first morning he went out he was surprised to see Speed getting into the elevator at the same time. Ryan said good morning, Speed grunted what might have been a reply, and the two rode down in silence. It turned out that Speed was in the habit of going for morning walks as well. Ryan was pleasantly surprised when Speed ended up walking with him. They didn't speak the whole time, but Ryan got a feeling that it was an improvement of sorts for Speed to willingly stay in his presence.

A week later and they still had the same routine. Once or twice they had brief conversations, but nothing lasted long. Ryan knew he was lucky to get anything out of the quiet man. But it didn't help the…crush. And he felt like a teenager still in high school for even thinking of it as a crush. Speed showed absolutely no signs of being interested in anyone let alone the new kid. That was besides the point entirely because, undercover agents couldn't have feelings for someone they might potentially have to bust. The whole thing made Ryan's head hurt.

And his situation did not go unnoticed by the members of the team who he'd befriended. He knew that Tom and Temple at least knew he was attracted to Speed after catching him staring at his shirtless teammate. Since it was Tom and Temple who knew Ryan was sure the whole team knew or at least the ones who cared. That meant Eric and Danny knew. It also meant that, god forbid, Speed's adopted brothers knew. Ryan wasn't so sure he liked the idea of Ben, who still hadn't fully warmed up to him, knowing about his growing feelings for Speed.

He was just finishing his first report back to command when someone banged on his door. He quickly saved and encoded it and sent the report through a stealth software that was completely untraceable. There was another bang on the door as Ryan got up, pulled on a shirt, and made his way to the door before the person could bang again. He pulled it open and wasn't in the least bit surprised to see Eric on the other side, grinning widely.

"Bout time Wolfe, thought I was going to have to knock the door down," Eric teased.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "It's a thing called patience, Delko. You should invest in it."

"You should have learned by now that Eric has all the patience of a five year-old kicking and screaming to get his way," Temple commented as he joined them.

Ryan smirked and Eric's indignant squawk "What do you two troublemakers want?"

"I'm not a troublemaker!" Eric retorted.

"We're going out and you're going with us," Temple replied, not denying his status as a troublemaker. "You can find out why they say Tom and I are trouble."

Ryan was not a bar or club type person. Both places had two things in common. Too many people and too much noise, both of which gave him headaches. But he knew that other fighters frequented bars and clubs and that some drug deals probably went down in those shady places. At some point and time he was going to have to go and appeared that it was going to be sooner rather than later.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that I don't have a choice," Ryan said.

"Nope," his two teammates confirmed with wide grins.

"This outing is to celebrate your tie, which is not easy to achieve," Eric added. "Be ready to leave in an hour."

"Who's going?" Ryan asked, half dreading the answer.

"The Twins and Tom are going too."

Ryan groaned. "The Twins? Why do I have a feeling that this is a bad idea?"

VVVV

It was a bad idea and the feeling only got worse as they entered the shady club where anything and everything was allowed. It was the kind of club that Ryan had seen busted a million times. It made his skin crawl, but he tried not to look affected as he followed his teammates toward the main bar. Drinking was a bad idea too, he didn't have much of a tolerance for alcohol, but he knew he wouldn't get through the night without it. Mostly, his problem came with the inability to stop once he got started.

"Drinks are on us, Ryan," Eric informed him. "So drink up."

A beer was pushed his way and he did what was expected of him and started to drink it. Beer had never been his first choice as a drink, because when he drank it was usually not for a good reason and he went to a little harder stuff. He never drank for pleasure and he convinced himself that this time it was just part of the job.

"So then, Ryan, tell us about yourself. You've been with the team for a week now and we don't know anything about you," Kar said.

"Not much to say, really. I've led a pretty boring life," Ryan replied.

"Y'know, it's funny, I haven't been able to find any record of you in any kickboxing leagues," Ben commented.

Ryan's danger sense kicked in, but before he could reply Kar smacked his brother. "Not now, Ben, damn. We're celebrating here."

Ben snorted, turned his attention back to quietly nursing his beer. Ryan was fairly unnerved by Ben's comment. His unit was supposed to have planted records of him in a little known kickboxing league across the country. Either Ben was just trying to shake him up, hadn't looked hard enough, or his unit had failed that basic task. It would have been no surprise either what with as corrupted as the whole police force was becoming. He and John both knew that before undertaking the mission and they opted to accept even though moles on the inside could threaten their cover at any time.

Without realizing he had finished the first beer and started on a second, which Tom had graciously ordered for him. The conversations went on around him and he listened in as Eric and Kar described instances of Tom and Temple's trouble making affairs. They kept the booze flowing and by the fourth beer Ryan began to relax enough to laugh along with them. Before long he was drunk enough to lose most of his inhibitions and allowed Eric to drag him out on the dance floor. He wasn't really a dancer, not to say he didn't have the rhythm for it, but he just didn't find any pleasure in it. But he went along with Eric's movements and lost himself in the music.

The feeling of a body close behind his own brought him out of his daze and he glanced over his shoulder at the person. The young man behind him was slightly taller with a pale complexion, deep eyes, and wildly styled blond hair. There was somewhat of cocky grin on his face and for some reason Ryan couldn't explain he really liked that.

"Come here often?" The stranger asked with a somewhat teasing tone.

Ryan had to laugh at that. "Do you actually use that pick-up line?"

"Made you laugh, didn't it?" The man pointed out. "Greg Sanders, and you are?"

"Not that easy," Ryan retorted and slid away into the pulsating body of people.

Ryan separated himself from the crowd, briefly wondering where Eric had gotten off to, as he sat a side bar at one corner. His cop instincts told him he had been followed by the persistent Greg, which was verified when the blonde slid into a seat beside him. Ryan glanced over at Greg and the blonde grinned widely at him before ordering two beers and pushing one to Ryan. Ryan raised an eyebrow at that, but accepted the offering and took a swig.

"So, what's your name?"

"You think buying me a drink buys my name?"

"Is there a reason you're playing hard to get?"

"Is there a reason you're still playing?"

Greg smirked. "You're really hot and I want to get into your pants."

Ryan blinked, looking over at the blunt young man with a shocked expression. Greg laughed at the look on his face. Ryan quickly composed himself and was torn between glaring at the blunt man or going along with it. What he decided on was more alcohol. He finished the beer and went for something a little stronger. He ordered a shot of vodka and heard Greg laugh at him. Ryan went to order another one, but Greg beat him to it and ordered two shots of tequila.

"Gross," Ryan muttered.

Greg smirked at him. "Not for you."

"Wha...?"

Ryan trailed off as Greg put salt on the back of his hand. He didn't even have time to tell him no before Greg's hot, wet tongue licked it off in one swipe. It sent tingles down his arm and straight to his groin. He watched Greg's throat as he swallowed the tequila shot and then sucked on the lemon. It was the first body shot Ryan had taken part in and it was a lot more arousing than he imagined someone licking his hand would ever be. More startling was the fact that he wanted Greg to do it again. A thrill of excitement rushed through him when Greg tilted his neck and put the salt there. Ryan gave a low moan at the deliciously hot swipe of Greg's tongue that sent sparks of arousal through his whole body. It felt so good and it had been so damn long since his job allowed him any time for this kind of pleasure. The fight was gone from him by the time Greg made his next move.

Greg kissed him. And it wasn't a short peck either. It was hard and demanding and when a hand bravely groped him Greg used Ryan's startled gasp to deepen it. Ryan's brain was fried and he couldn't even think clearly enough to respond, which seemed fine with Greg who was content to take what he wanted. Eventually the need to breathe forced Greg to end the kiss, but by then Ryan's brains may as well have leaked out of his ears.

The next thing he was properly aware of was being shoved against a wall in a dark corner while Greg kissed all sense out of him. More surprising was the fact that he was kissing back. Ryan moaned softly when Greg slipped one hand under his shirt. Ryan broke away to try and catch his breath, but his breathing hitched when Greg nibbled on his neck. White-hot desire flashed through him as he tilted his head to give Greg more room to work. By then the alcohol was mixing with the overpowering lust and the last thing he remembered was being led out of the club.

VVVV

Warm. The first thing Ryan was aware of was the fact that he was very, very warm, almost too warm. But he was comfortable despite that. Of course, the next thing that came to him was just how much his damn head hurt. The more he woke up, the more he realized it hurt. But it was when he was fully aware of his surroundings, and his own body for that matter, that he became aware of the biggest shock. There was an arm draped over his stomach with the fingers curled around his hip.

That jolted Ryan fully awake. He kept his body perfectly still as he turned his head to look at the owner of the arm, which he could tell was male. All he could see was wild blond hair as the guy was laying on his stomach with his head turned away. Ryan groaned softly and rubbed his face with his hands. He could only remember bits and pieces of the previous night, mostly flashes of pleasure, and that was not a good feeling at all. He hadn't drank that much since he was in college and he really didn't like not remembering what happened. And he really, really didn't like dealing with hangovers.

Just the thought of a hangover suddenly turned his stomach and he scrambled out of bed and for the bathroom. His head throbbed mercilessly as the lost the contents of his stomach into the toilet. God did he ever hate hangovers and he really wished he would have drank water between alcoholic drinks. Finally his rebellious stomach quieted and he stood up to rinse his mouth out when he looked into the mirror and saw someone standing in the doorway. Ryan yelped in surprise and spun to face the stranger. No...not stranger. Greg, the man's name was Greg Sanders and it came to him out of nowhere.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," Ryan snapped, before turning back to the sink. It only registered a second later that Greg was standing behind him as naked as the day he was born and that he himself was still very naked.. "Oh god what did I do last night?"

"That much to drink, huh?" Greg teased.

Ryan shot a glare at him. "Do you always take advantage of drunk people?"

"You didn't seem that drunk to me," Greg replied calmly and with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Great observational skills you must have," Ryan snapped.

"You seemed ready and willing last night. Besides, I'm not paid to back off just because a client has had just a little too much to drink," Greg said.

Ryan snapped around to look at the other man, ignoring his nakedness for the moment. "You're whore?"

"We prefer Companion," Greg corrected with just a hint of edge to his voice.

Ryan frowned and rinsed out his mouth before looking back at the Companion. "I paid for you?"

Greg laughed and shook his head. "You don't seem like the type with the guts to approach a Companion. Why don't you brush your teeth and take a shower. Then we can talk some more."

Ryan opened his mouth to object. He wanted to know just what the hell was going on. But he did feel really dirty and his mouth still had that awful after taste of vomit. He relented to Greg's suggestion and showered first letting the hot water sooth him and wash away all evidence of the previous night's activities. When that was done he was feeling a little better, though he knew that he wouldn't feel completely right until he re-hydrated his body. He brushed his teeth and smooth down his hair before wrapped a towel around his waist and exited the bathroom. He found a dressed Greg sitting in the living room watching TV and quickly scampered past him back into the bedroom where he closed the door before getting dressed.

By the time he reappeared in the living room Greg was still watching TV, but there was a glass of water and pills sitting on the table. Ryan hesitated a moment before joining Greg on the couch. He downed the pills and drank the rest of the water before he turned his attention to Greg. The other man was still focused on the TV and laughed at whatever was going on, but Ryan was not in the mood. He grabbed the remote and shut it off.

"I see you're ready to talk," Greg said calmly.

"I want explanations," Ryan demanded.

Greg sighed. "Wow, if I had known it was going to be this much trouble I would have told Eric to shove his money up his ass."

"Eric? Eric paid you?"

"Look," Greg cut in before Ryan could get ranting. "They've done it for every new teammate after their first fight. It's a present. Most guys are pretty damn happy to receive my services."

"I'm not in the habit of jumping into bed with just anyone," Ryan retorted.

Greg smirked. "Yeah, I got that."

"Hey--."

"Relax I'm joking," Greg quickly said before Ryan could get fired up again. "I'm sorry okay. But when they pointed you out I almost said I'd do it for free. I really didn't think you were that drunk or I seriously wouldn't have made a move. I have more respect for any Dragon than that."

Ryan sighed and rubbed his face. He should have known his crazy teammates would do something like that. It was right up their alley. And it wasn't like it hadn't been good. On the contrary he was starting to remember it was very, very good. What got him was how easily he could have let something slip. He shouldn't have let it happen, but at the same time he really couldn't say he regretted it. He did however regret the report he was going to have to make about it.

"I guess you're not used to the guys you sleep with freaking out when they wake up, huh?" Ryan finally asked after he allowed himself the time to calm down.

"It's okay, I'll just give Eric hell for it. Maybe make him pay extra next time," Greg replied with a big grin. "Now, how about we go to breakfast?"

VVVV

"Hey Greg, nice of you to join us," Danny said while giving him a knowing grin.

"You guys are horrible," Greg scolded, but the grin on his face betrayed his tone. "And that's the last time I do surprise jobs. For just a moment I thought he was going to kick my ass this morning."

The other men at the table shot Ryan surprised looks, but it was Eric who spoke up. "You were mad?"

"Well, I don't care about the rest of you, but I'm not a one night stand kind of guy. If I hadn't been fairly drunk I wouldn't have done anything."

"Takes a strong man to resist Greg's charms," Danny said, eyeing the Companion.

Greg grinned smugly. "See something you like Danny-boy?"

"You know it."

"Okay, you two, keep the horny level down at the breakfast table," Eric said, trying to sound firm. He looked back at Ryan and sighed. "Alright Ryan, I'll come clean. We do have the tradition of hiring a Companion to celebrate a teammate's first fight. However, there was more to it than that."

"Everyone at this table knows you have a thing for Speed and don't even try and deny it," Danny added at the end when Ryan opened his mouth to argue.

Ryan blinked, then started to look angry. "So what, you thought I'd be distracted by a one night stand?"

"Well, you were pretty distracted last night," Greg said making Ryan blush. "Whatever you think about their tactics there's something else you should know."

"What's that?"

"Speed looked ready to murder me when he saw us walk in together," Greg said, nodding his head subtly in the direction of the older man.

Ryan sat up a little straighter. "Really?"

"Really." Greg confirmed. There were nods around the table confirming it and that brought a smile to Ryan's face.

Eric patted his friend on the back. "There's hope for you yet."