Edited, rewritten and polished in October 2006. You know the drill.
Contains slash, (boy hearts boy) and like I said a while back, I don't own and please don't flame.
Justin woke at eleven and blinked. Pony had woken him to ask if he minded sharing the bed. Justin chuckled still at the depth of chivalry required to ask someone if they minded him getting in his own bed. Pony had thrown an arm around him in his sleep and Justin moved around him to avoid waking him. Two Bit passed out on the couch earlier to reserve energy so he could get plastered at Justin's workplace with vigor. Justin chuckled as he got his clothes out. He changed in the bathroom and wondered if he'd take some heat for the stitches. He looked again, wincing. Well, Pony was right. It made him look more tuff. He wasn't sure if that would attract the kind of people he liked.
Two Bit followed Justin to his truck and the drive was filled with over excited questions about the bar. Justin answered them with patience and parked, motioning Two Bit to follow him. Two Bit stayed close as Justin entered the back door and led him to the bar. Justin let him out from behind the bar and he sat at a stool.
"What can I get you? Drinks are on the house." Justin said, smiling.
"Surprise me." Two Bit's grin invited trouble and Justin turned to make the drink.
"Hey Justin. I handled all the drinks for now, just check around in a few minutes for any refills." The bartender looked at Justin and turned him around, holding his face to look at the stitches. "How'd that happen?"
"Got in a rumble." Justin's smile was sweet and the bartender rolled his eyes.
"Be more careful. Another server should be coming in soon, must be running late. You're okay for a few minutes without any help?"
"Yeah." Justin said.
"All right. Take care of yourself kid."
"All right boss. Drive safe." Justin said, putting a parasol into Two Bit's drink. The man left and Two Bit's eyes widened.
"That's your boss?"
"Yes. Something wrong?" Justin handed him the cocktail glass.
"Dunno. I guess I picked this place as more of a rough and tumble bar, less of a high class, kinky bar." Two Bit said. Two Bit learned that word from Justin.
"It's quieter even if it is kinky. Music is better too. Classical and jazz singers. Has a nice ambiance." Justin smiled.
"And you still get tips by wearing leather?" Two Bit asked, downing the drink.
"More so here than any rough and tumble bar." Justin said, smiling.
"I suppose so. You fit in with the ambiance of a quiet bar. You're pretty classy for one of us." Two Bit said.
"Yeah but being one of you also earns me a little more credibility."
"Would you rather have class or credibility?" Two Bit asked.
"I'd rather be myself."
Justin had a good night as far as wages and tips went because the second server never showed up (he got overtime for that) and he was wearing his leather pants. Two Bit had an especially good night since Justin kept the drinks flowing and he had time to ask random questions to random people.
Justin left when the next shift came in and helped Two Bit out to his truck. He drove to Two Bit's house and helped Two Bit to his bedroom, cursing as his shin found every other piece of furniture. Two Bit flopped down, taking a startled Justin with him.
"Sorry little buddy. Can't quite function after so many cocktails. You really know how to make them." Two Bit slurred his words. Justin stayed down for a moment, feeling Two Bit's arm still slung around him. He was a dead weight and Justin's back gave out under the strain. Justin fidgeted on top of Two Bit.
"Not a problem. Are you going to be okay?" Justin asked.
"Yesh, I'll probably be back tomorrow for some hangover medicine." Two Bit laughed. "You can carry leather well, can't ya?"
"Yeah." Justin never really mentioned how uncomfortable drunk people made him. Didn't make sense to work in a bar and hate the way people acted when they drank. Then again, he didn't care if he didn't know them. He just reminded himself that drunken people said what they wouldn't normally say and most of the rambling had some significance. It didn't matter with strangers.
"Ya know Justin, you're all right." Two Bit's hand found his cheek and gave him a pinch. Justin flinched and blinked in the darkness. "I never thought we'd find another Greaser to hang around with. I was right, you ain't a Greaser." Justin knew drunken people kept the same grammar and blinked, Two Bit would've said that sober too. "You're just Justin."
"That's all I want to be." Justin said, very quiet.
"And that's all we want. Go on home and get some sleep. I know I need sleep." Two Bit leaned forward, pulling him closer by his neck and planting a sloppy kiss on his forehead. It was platonic and brotherly and Justin thanked God and everything holy. Two Bit would regret any non-platonic advances. Two Bit liked girls like that; he liked Justin as a brother, not like that. Justin chuckled as he used Two Bit's method of reasoning.
Justin groaned when he saw both Soda and Steve had passed out on the couches. Probably waiting for him to come home. It was almost six in the morning. The sun was rising. Justus groaned. Winter was irritating. It was cold. Justin took a few steps and realized his legs were about to give out. He collapsed on the armchair and sighed. He didn't even have energy to change out of the leather. He reconsidered as the pocket zipper jabbed him. He changed in the bathroom and walked back out. Soda and Steve would've stayed asleep if he hadn't found the coffee table with his shin (that was about the seventh article of furniture to meet his shin that night) and his muffled curse woke them.
"Hey Justin. You all right?" Soda asked.
"Yeah, that damn coffee table will be the end of me." Justin hopped over to the armchair and sat.
"How you doing buddy?" Steve said, rather hesitant.
"I'm all right." Justin rubbed his shin.
"I'm sorry about earlier. I'm an idiot. I shouldn't treat a friend like that if they don't like it." Steve said.
"Thank you for apologizing. Forget it happened." Justin said. Soda let the tense moment of silence pass.
"Yeah, we're all buddies again." Soda hugged Justin's neck.
"So Justin, when are you going to take us to that bar you work at?" Steve's grin was priceless in the semi darkness.
"Don't you worry friend, you'll get your chance to get drunk the high society way." Justin said, smiling.
"I'm going to bed." Soda said, shaking his head and getting up. He headed for his room. Steve got up and retrieved two spare blankets and pillows.
"Thanks Steve." Justin said, yawning as he settled on the freed couch. Steve rested on the other couch and yawned.
"No problem." A yawn interrupted him. "So what can we call you for a nick name?"
"Do I really need one?"
"Yeah." Steve said.
"You don't have one." Justin said.
"I'll think of one just for you. How about Justy?" Steve asked.
"No." Justin said.
"I'll think of something."
(la la la a night and day pass)
Darry got out of his truck the next evening and groaned. It'd been a long day. He walked in the house and noted the pillow and blanket on the couch. Steve had spent the night. He'd seen him this morning. Justin hadn't left a thing in disorder in Darry's house. Darry rolled his eyes. What a cute kid. Darry looked around and noted the absence of his family. He found a note that said they were at the lot, playing. Darry blinked and wondered if they'd started drinking early.
He took a shower and decided to head out to the lot. He didn't usually just hang around with the gang when they stayed at their usual haunts. His usual excuse was he didn't have time. He learned what he needed to make time for.
Darry stopped and rolled his eyes at the rough and tumble game of football going on. Soda had Pony in a headlock, messing his hair and Steve was chasing Two Bit. He kept out of their sight to avoid being drafted and the ensuing argument over who got him last time and so on. Justin wasn't playing.
Darry stumbled over something and felt his shoe connect with something that yielded a startled yelp.
"Jesus, I didn't see you." Darry dropped next to Justin on the blanket he hadn't noticed (maybe he needed to pull his head out of wherever it was residing these days and mind his feet, like Soda had said). Justin looked tired and he clutched his side.
"Yeah, wasn't a good idea to sleep on the ground. It's all right Darry, I'm okay." Justin rested on his back to prove the point.
"It's a bit cold to sleep on the ground anyway." Darry smiled down at him as Justin propped himself up. Darry propped himself up on his elbow solely to look down at Justin. Justin smiled up at him, rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah, I would've woken up to beg a jacket off of someone, you just made it a startled awakening."
"I don't think anyone is wearing one. Jesus, you're all hoodlums." Darry muttered. He noted that the slim hoodlum laid out next to him had a tight tee shirt on. It crept up his mid drift, exposing the waistband of his pants and a millimeter of his marbled skin. Darry wondered why he made the comparison; marble was cold and unbending but Justin's skin was warm and forgiving. He hoped.
"Jacketless hoodlums." Justin corrected.
"Yeah. How are you feeling?" Darry asked.
"I'm very tired. And your boot wasn't a good edition to my side." Justin said. Darry had never seen Justin pout with a direct intention to get his attention. And it was a pout.
"I said I was sorry." Darry said.
"No you didn't." Justin said, fluttering his dark eyelashes as he resettled against the blanket, using his hands as a cushion for the back of his head. The motion caused his shirt to ease higher, more of his stomach rising to meet the occasion. And his hipbones.
"Well I am sorry." Darry ignored the part of his mind that commented how sorry he was to see another bruise wrought on Justin's frame. That portion of his mind wouldn't be ignored and proved its validity by his next comment. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"
"I think it would be appropriate." Justin said. Darry pinned Justin's hands with his own and slid lower on Justin's frame, kissing the skin exposed near Justin's stomach.
"As I recall, you cracked me in the side." Justin said. Darry knew he'd be flushing.
"Hmm, clumsy over sight." Darry said, kissing the side of his ribs, pushing his shirt to get his clean skin not the cotton of his shirt.
"Other side." Justin said. Darry laughed and readjusted his position, ending the game with a raspberry planted at the indicated spot. The raspberry was to lighten the mood and to get a firmer taste of Justin. Justin laughed and Darry blinked up at him.
"Do I amuse you?" Darry asked.
"You gave me a raspberry. What am I, three?" Justin laughed and Darry wondered if he'd paid attention to Darry's precise aim for the previous healing kisses.
"That wasn't what I was implying." Darry was somewhere between purring and growling, very glad the make shift game of football had carried the gang further away. He wondered if Justin knew he'd picked a secluded spot. Justin would pick a secluded spot to avoid getting accidentally kicked, not in order to receive raspberries from Darry. (That was Darry's thought, at least.)
"What were you implying?" Justin asked. Darry eased himself down until he rested flat against Justin.
"I'm not sure." Justin met his gaze and looked away.
"When you are sure, we should talk." Justin said. Darry ran his fingers through Justin's hair even though it was clear Justin was done accepting raspberries.
"You look tired." Darry said.
"I didn't sleep much last night." Justin said.
"I can't see why, those couches are damn comfortable." Darry said, smiling.
"Yeah well, Steve snores and I had to work." Justin said, smiling. He was breathing heavier than usual because Darry was resting all of his weight on him. Darry wasn't petite. But it was worth it to have Darry pressed flush to Justin's frame, all of Darry.
"You have a job?" Darry asked.
"Yeah. I work the graveyard shift. That's why no one really notices." Justin said.
"Where do you work?" Darry asked.
"I don't want to invoke your parental instincts." Justin said, flushing. Darry wasn't sure what caused the flush. Shortage of air induced or otherwise, it was adorable.
"You won't invoke any parental instincts." Darry said.
"All right. I woke at a classy bar." Justin said. Darry recognized the phrasing from Two Bit's rambling about various drinking establishments but thought of it as an oxy moron. When you want to get drunk, you want to get drunk whether you're classy or not. Justin was right to worry about invoking parental instincts.
"What? Do they know how old you are?" Darry asked.
"I make a mean cocktail, martini or otherwise so they didn't really ask." Justin smiled.
"You're enjoying my reaction." Darry said.
"A little." Justin grinned.
"You are a hoodlum." Darry shook his head and chuckled as his hand rested on Justin's stomach. "Stop laughing."
"I can't help it. That shocked, scandalized expression is priceless. Besides, you're tickling me." Justin flushed again as Darry's hand lingered on his stomach.
"I'm not doing anything." Darry said, his smile and glinting eyes far from innocent.
"Lies." Justin caught Darry's other hand before it could reach Justin's stomach and smiled. Darry entwined their fingers.
"Yeah." Darry tickled Justin until he captured Darry's other hand.
"Ha, no hands left." Justin said, smiling at small victories.
"I don't need hands." Darry pinned Justin's hands down with his own and lowered himself, kissing Justin near the waistband of his pants. Darry looked up at him and noticed how relaxed he seemed.
"So what are you implying this time?" Justin asked. Darry pulled himself up, resting flat against Justin's frame again.
"I'm still not sure." Darry said, a smile lingering on his face.
"Well, when you're sure, we'll talk." Justin said with a very stoic, serene expression on his face.
"About what?" Darry said.
"About what you're sure about." Justin said.
"Can we talk now?" Darry asked. Justin nodded. "Do you really trust me?" Darry asked.
"I trust you enough to give me a raspberry, that should tell you something." Justin said. Darry couldn't tell if he was making light of the situation or being sincere. Maybe a combination.
"Really?" Darry asked.
"Yes. Touch means a lot of things and I know what it doesn't mean with you." Justin said.
"What doesn't it mean with me?" Darry asked.
"It doesn't mean you want to hurt me." Justin said.
"I never thought about it like that." Darry said.
"I have different experiences than you." Justin shrugged his shoulders.
"Like what?" Darry asked.
"Darry, I don't want to talk about it." Justin was very still under Darry.
"You said you trusted me." Darry said.
"I do but I'll hurt you." Justin said.
"What do you mean?" Darry asked.
"I can hurt you by telling you or I can hurt you by not telling you."
"How is that?" Darry asked.
"If you're hurt because I don't tell you that would imply you don't understand trust. If you were hurt by my past, that would imply you care way too much for me." He glanced at Darry with tired eyes, noting the proximity of Darry's lips and feeling Darry's breath mingle with his. "The question is, what kind of hurt do you want Darrel?" Justin said.
"Tell me." Darry said without hesitation. Justin bit his lip and averted his gaze.
"You may be ready to listen, but I'm not ready to talk."
"All right. I understand." Darry touched his face for a split second before letting his hand drop and wondering how that touch would've been perceived.
"I knew you would. Can I ask you a question after this interrogation that bordered on torture by raspberries?" Justin asked, grinning up at his would be captor.
"All right. Shoot." Darry said.
"Could you get off of me so I can remove the rock that's slowly impaling itself in my back?" Justin and Darry both laughed and Justin pushed Darry off, if only temporarily. He sat up and got the rock and it was a rather pointy rock.
"Nice." Darry shook his head.
"It's not my fault you're such a hulking mass of twitching muscles there, Superman." Justin said, chuckling.
"Well it's not my fault that you're a topper." Darry said. Justin started, mouth hung open. He flopped onto his back in laughter and Darry rolled his eyes. "I don't always say what I'm thinking-"
"And that was one of the rare instances that you did? I can see avoiding that." Justin held his ribs as he laughed.
"Hey guys." Pony said, walking up to them with some new grass stains on his jeans.
"What's wrong with Short stuff?" Steve said. His hair was in quite a state.
"That's not a nick name I'd use." Darry said, chuckling as the flush grew on his cheeks.
"He called me a topper damn it, I deserve to laugh my ass off."
Ahh, Darry fluff is always fun. I guess you can tell where this is headed... Or can you? You tell me. Luvs to all my peeps, author personness.
Once again, it's been edited la la la. Leave me a review please.