Chapter 11
"Hey, Pike?" Rupert's voice made the other man look up from his dinner.
"Yeah?"
Rupert hesitated, but finally spoke what had been weighing on his mind for some time. "We've been together for about three months now," he began hesitantly.
Pike frowned thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess that's about right," he conceded. "Why?"
Rupert sighed, twining his fingers together in front of him on the tabletop. "I was just wondering...are you happy?" he blurted out, anxiety making his voice go a bit high.
Pike's black brows drew down in puzzlement. "Happy?" he repeated. "What do you mean?"
Rupert squirmed in his chair. "I mean...are you happy...with ME?!" he squeaked.
Pike was now frowning. "Happy with you?" he said. "I don't get it. What are you trying to say, Rupert?"
His shoulders lifted defensively. "It's just...you told me that you'd never dated anybody before this, and now we've been going together for over three months, and sometimes I worry...I worry that you'll get bored with me and go back to the way you were before we got together."
Pike set his fork down on his plate. "Rupert," he said, his voice now having a thread of anger in it, "Have I ever lied to you?"
Startled, he shook his head. "No, not that I know of," he said.
Pike nodded. "And when do I NOT tell you what I think about stuff? Do you think that I'm such a pussy that I wouldn't tell you that I was getting bored with you if I were actually feeling that way? If I was gonna dump your skinny ass, I'd just do it. You can count on that."
His heart was pounding in his chest. "Really?"
"Yeah, really. If I get bored, I'll let you know. But until and unless I actually do, you should chill and stop worrying about stuff. You'll give yourself a heart attack if you don't stop being so uptight."
He felt a surge of happiness well up in him, in spite of Pike's brusque tone. "I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. "It's just...I really care about you, Pike. I don't want to lose you. So I worry. But I'll try not to anymore."
Pike's black eyes were studying his face. "You really care about me, huh?"
He felt his face flush a bit. "Yeah, I really do," he said manfully.
Pike's lips lifted in the faintest of smiles. "That's cool. YOU'RE cool, Rupert. That's why I'm still with you. You're pretty awesome."
Surprised, he stared at Pike across the table. "I am?"
"You sure are. Looking at you, so buttoned-down and kind of nerdy-looking, people wouldn't guess that you're pretty awesome. But you are. And I like you, Rupert. Just the way you are."
If he could have melted into a puddle of mush on the floor at these words, he would have. No one could ever receive a better compliment than to be told by someone they loved that they were liked for just who they were. Seeing his expression, Pike chuckled and shook his head. "Eat your food, Rupert," he said, attending to his own dinner with vigor.
He resumed eating his own food, feeling much better for having aired his worries aloud. Pike's matter-of-fact response to his words had totally reassured him. Pike really was the kind of straightforward guy who would break up with him openly and honestly, with no prevarication or lies, if he ever got bored with the relationship. And he could handle that much better if it ever happened than not being sure about where he stood with Pike.
Later, he lay snuggled up to Pike's side on the couch. Pike had casually thrown an arm around him, and Rupert was drowsily only half watching the television. As usual, Pike was watching something he didn't really care about. But he didn't mind; it was great to just be able to be with Pike, to feel his strong body and listen to his even breathing. He couldn't really imagine a better evening than this; not even going to the opera or to a fancy party somewhere. He and Pike still went out together, to see movies or go to dinner(usually at the Italian restaurant owned by his friend's family), but Rupert preferred staying in with Pike.
He was glad that Pike only had to run his bar two days a week, when his bartender/manager had his days off. He always felt so lonely on those days, and he didn't like to hang out at Pike's Peak. The patrons stared at him like he had two heads, and frankly most of them scared him stiff. Pike found his terror of them amusing, which annoyed him sometimes. He couldn't help it. While he'd never been afraid of Pike, a bunch of strange, dangerous-looking men staring at him was terrifying.
"Hey, Rupert?" Pike said, catching his attention.
He blinked sleepily, glancing up at Pike's face. "Yeah?" he replied, trying not to yawn.
"I was thinkin' that I should teach you how to fight," Pike began.
He frowned a bit, slowly sitting up. "Fight?" he repeated.
"Uh huh. I mean, not on a professional level or anything, but at least enough that you could defend yourself. I was thinkin' about how I met you," he added. "If I hadn't shown up, those guys would have kicked your skinny ass ten ways to Sunday. And there wouldn't have been anything that you could do about it. I'd like you to be able to defend yourself, just in case I'm not around the next time something like that happens."
"Oh," Rupert said. "Umm...I don't know. I mean, I'm not exactly Mohammad Ali or anything..."
"I know," Pike said teasingly, making Rupert scowl at him. "But that doesn't mean anything. I can teach you how to fight dirty, to make up for your spaghetti arms," he squeezed one of Rupert's biceps, his black eyes gleaming with laughter.
Rupert used one of his bony elbows to drive his ire home in Pike's side, making his lover grunt. But Pike was still grinning, the bastard. He pouted. "Come on, Rupert," Pike said wheedlingly. "I just want to make sure that you can take care of yourself. I don't want anything to happen to you."
His words made Rupert's ire drain away, and a feeling of warmth settled over him instead. "All right," he said. "I'll do it. For you, Pike."
Pike's hand caressed his hair lightly. "Thanks, Rupert. We'll start tomorrow on the roof of the bar."
Rupert settled back against Pike's side. While he wasn't sure that he wanted to learn how to fight, even to defend himself, he liked the fact that Pike worried about him. It meant that he cared. Which is why he was willing to learn, even though he doubted that he could actually turn into a fighter of any kind. He couldn't even imagine himself fighting. He'd always pretty much been a total pacifist. Which was funny in a way, considering the fact that he was in love with a guy that loved to pummel other people...
He grinned to himself. "What's so funny?" Pike's voice asked in his ear.
He snuggled even closer to that hard body. "Nothing," he replied simply. "Nothing at all."
"You're coming along, Rupert," Pike's voice said.
Rupert, standing still and panting as he fought for breath, pushed his sweaty hair out of his eyes and fought back a moan. This was even harder than he'd thought it would be. He wished that he could be anywhere but here, on the roof of Pike's Peak while Pike showed him how to fight dirty. He thought longingly of his couch, and an evening spent snuggled up to Pike before they went into the bedroom to have lots and lots of hot sex. He blinked sweat from his eyes miserably.
"Are we almost done for today?" he whined, not caring that he sounded like a little boy.
Pike shook his mohawked head. "Come on, Rupert, we've only been up here for an hour."
"Please, Pike," he begged miserably. 'I'm really tired."
Pike snorted. "Wussy," he jeered affectionately. "Fine, we'll stop for the day. Come down to my apartment and I'll get you a glass of water."
"Thank you!" Rupert cried.
Pike grinned and led the way off the roof. Rupert stumbled after him, his muscles all feeling stiff. This fighting stuff was really hard. The holds and kicks and punches that Pike was showing him were simple, but still very strenuous. And in the back of his mind was the thought that if he ever put any of this to use, he'd end up hurting someone. He wasn't sure that he could do that, even if his life was in danger. Still, he was trying for Pike's sake. If this made him feel happier, then Rupert would keep doing it. Even if it killed him.
He settled gingerly on Pike's ratty couch, groaning at the feel of his muscles pulling and aching. His lover brought him a glass of water, which he gulped down readily. Pike sprawled next to him on the couch, putting an arm around his shoulders. "It'll get easier, the more practice you get in, Rupert," he said reassuringly.
He nodded, though he didn't really believe this. He only agreed to make Pike happy. He was absolutely sure that he'd eventually die from this, and that he'd be happy to go when the time came. They sat in silence for a moment, then a strong hand began to massage his shoulder. Rupert moaned, this time in pleasure. Pike chuckled, then began to rub his shoulders for him. Rupert relaxed back into his touch, going totally limp.
"I've gotta say, Rupert, I like this," Pike commented.
He blinked sleepily. "Wha...?" he asked incoherently.
"Teaching you how to fight. And then kinda hanging out together afterward. It's fun."
While he wasn't so sure about the fun part, he was just happy to be here with Pike. He leaned into the massage, loving the feeling of Pike's strong hands on him. "I've gotta say," Pike went on musingly. "That I like this whole 'boyfriends' thing. I wasn't sure that I would, when you first asked me out. But it's pretty cool."
His eyes opened. "It is? You like it?" Rupert asked hopefully.
Pike's lips quirked up on one side. "Yeah," he replied. "I really do. I guess I'll keep ya, Rupert."
Despite his aches and pains, he'd never been happier in his entire life than he was right at this moment. Joy was swelling up inside of him. He scooted a little closer to Pike, resting his head on the shorter man's shoulder. "I'm glad," he breathed. "Really glad." He hesitated, then said shyly what he’d been feeling for so long but had been afraid to express before this. "I love you, Pike."
Silence, then Pike blew out a long breath and kissed the top of his head. "That’s totally cool, Rupert," he said. “Cause i‘m pretty sure that I feel the same way about you,” he went on casually, making Rupert‘s heart jump in his chest and begin to beat wildly. "So...you wanna rest for a bit, then maybe climb Pike's peak?" The leer in his voice told Rupert exactly what he was talking about, and he laughed.
"Definitely," he replied. "I definitely want to try to scale that prominence, Pike."
"Good. I'll get out the climbing gear in a little bit."
Rupert laughed, and turned into Pike's embrace. He could have remained here forever, he thought hazily. And, God willing, perhaps he might actually be able to do that...
The End
"Hey, Pike?" Rupert's voice made the other man look up from his dinner.
"Yeah?"
Rupert hesitated, but finally spoke what had been weighing on his mind for some time. "We've been together for about three months now," he began hesitantly.
Pike frowned thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess that's about right," he conceded. "Why?"
Rupert sighed, twining his fingers together in front of him on the tabletop. "I was just wondering...are you happy?" he blurted out, anxiety making his voice go a bit high.
Pike's black brows drew down in puzzlement. "Happy?" he repeated. "What do you mean?"
Rupert squirmed in his chair. "I mean...are you happy...with ME?!" he squeaked.
Pike was now frowning. "Happy with you?" he said. "I don't get it. What are you trying to say, Rupert?"
His shoulders lifted defensively. "It's just...you told me that you'd never dated anybody before this, and now we've been going together for over three months, and sometimes I worry...I worry that you'll get bored with me and go back to the way you were before we got together."
Pike set his fork down on his plate. "Rupert," he said, his voice now having a thread of anger in it, "Have I ever lied to you?"
Startled, he shook his head. "No, not that I know of," he said.
Pike nodded. "And when do I NOT tell you what I think about stuff? Do you think that I'm such a pussy that I wouldn't tell you that I was getting bored with you if I were actually feeling that way? If I was gonna dump your skinny ass, I'd just do it. You can count on that."
His heart was pounding in his chest. "Really?"
"Yeah, really. If I get bored, I'll let you know. But until and unless I actually do, you should chill and stop worrying about stuff. You'll give yourself a heart attack if you don't stop being so uptight."
He felt a surge of happiness well up in him, in spite of Pike's brusque tone. "I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. "It's just...I really care about you, Pike. I don't want to lose you. So I worry. But I'll try not to anymore."
Pike's black eyes were studying his face. "You really care about me, huh?"
He felt his face flush a bit. "Yeah, I really do," he said manfully.
Pike's lips lifted in the faintest of smiles. "That's cool. YOU'RE cool, Rupert. That's why I'm still with you. You're pretty awesome."
Surprised, he stared at Pike across the table. "I am?"
"You sure are. Looking at you, so buttoned-down and kind of nerdy-looking, people wouldn't guess that you're pretty awesome. But you are. And I like you, Rupert. Just the way you are."
If he could have melted into a puddle of mush on the floor at these words, he would have. No one could ever receive a better compliment than to be told by someone they loved that they were liked for just who they were. Seeing his expression, Pike chuckled and shook his head. "Eat your food, Rupert," he said, attending to his own dinner with vigor.
He resumed eating his own food, feeling much better for having aired his worries aloud. Pike's matter-of-fact response to his words had totally reassured him. Pike really was the kind of straightforward guy who would break up with him openly and honestly, with no prevarication or lies, if he ever got bored with the relationship. And he could handle that much better if it ever happened than not being sure about where he stood with Pike.
Later, he lay snuggled up to Pike's side on the couch. Pike had casually thrown an arm around him, and Rupert was drowsily only half watching the television. As usual, Pike was watching something he didn't really care about. But he didn't mind; it was great to just be able to be with Pike, to feel his strong body and listen to his even breathing. He couldn't really imagine a better evening than this; not even going to the opera or to a fancy party somewhere. He and Pike still went out together, to see movies or go to dinner(usually at the Italian restaurant owned by his friend's family), but Rupert preferred staying in with Pike.
He was glad that Pike only had to run his bar two days a week, when his bartender/manager had his days off. He always felt so lonely on those days, and he didn't like to hang out at Pike's Peak. The patrons stared at him like he had two heads, and frankly most of them scared him stiff. Pike found his terror of them amusing, which annoyed him sometimes. He couldn't help it. While he'd never been afraid of Pike, a bunch of strange, dangerous-looking men staring at him was terrifying.
"Hey, Rupert?" Pike said, catching his attention.
He blinked sleepily, glancing up at Pike's face. "Yeah?" he replied, trying not to yawn.
"I was thinkin' that I should teach you how to fight," Pike began.
He frowned a bit, slowly sitting up. "Fight?" he repeated.
"Uh huh. I mean, not on a professional level or anything, but at least enough that you could defend yourself. I was thinkin' about how I met you," he added. "If I hadn't shown up, those guys would have kicked your skinny ass ten ways to Sunday. And there wouldn't have been anything that you could do about it. I'd like you to be able to defend yourself, just in case I'm not around the next time something like that happens."
"Oh," Rupert said. "Umm...I don't know. I mean, I'm not exactly Mohammad Ali or anything..."
"I know," Pike said teasingly, making Rupert scowl at him. "But that doesn't mean anything. I can teach you how to fight dirty, to make up for your spaghetti arms," he squeezed one of Rupert's biceps, his black eyes gleaming with laughter.
Rupert used one of his bony elbows to drive his ire home in Pike's side, making his lover grunt. But Pike was still grinning, the bastard. He pouted. "Come on, Rupert," Pike said wheedlingly. "I just want to make sure that you can take care of yourself. I don't want anything to happen to you."
His words made Rupert's ire drain away, and a feeling of warmth settled over him instead. "All right," he said. "I'll do it. For you, Pike."
Pike's hand caressed his hair lightly. "Thanks, Rupert. We'll start tomorrow on the roof of the bar."
Rupert settled back against Pike's side. While he wasn't sure that he wanted to learn how to fight, even to defend himself, he liked the fact that Pike worried about him. It meant that he cared. Which is why he was willing to learn, even though he doubted that he could actually turn into a fighter of any kind. He couldn't even imagine himself fighting. He'd always pretty much been a total pacifist. Which was funny in a way, considering the fact that he was in love with a guy that loved to pummel other people...
He grinned to himself. "What's so funny?" Pike's voice asked in his ear.
He snuggled even closer to that hard body. "Nothing," he replied simply. "Nothing at all."
"You're coming along, Rupert," Pike's voice said.
Rupert, standing still and panting as he fought for breath, pushed his sweaty hair out of his eyes and fought back a moan. This was even harder than he'd thought it would be. He wished that he could be anywhere but here, on the roof of Pike's Peak while Pike showed him how to fight dirty. He thought longingly of his couch, and an evening spent snuggled up to Pike before they went into the bedroom to have lots and lots of hot sex. He blinked sweat from his eyes miserably.
"Are we almost done for today?" he whined, not caring that he sounded like a little boy.
Pike shook his mohawked head. "Come on, Rupert, we've only been up here for an hour."
"Please, Pike," he begged miserably. 'I'm really tired."
Pike snorted. "Wussy," he jeered affectionately. "Fine, we'll stop for the day. Come down to my apartment and I'll get you a glass of water."
"Thank you!" Rupert cried.
Pike grinned and led the way off the roof. Rupert stumbled after him, his muscles all feeling stiff. This fighting stuff was really hard. The holds and kicks and punches that Pike was showing him were simple, but still very strenuous. And in the back of his mind was the thought that if he ever put any of this to use, he'd end up hurting someone. He wasn't sure that he could do that, even if his life was in danger. Still, he was trying for Pike's sake. If this made him feel happier, then Rupert would keep doing it. Even if it killed him.
He settled gingerly on Pike's ratty couch, groaning at the feel of his muscles pulling and aching. His lover brought him a glass of water, which he gulped down readily. Pike sprawled next to him on the couch, putting an arm around his shoulders. "It'll get easier, the more practice you get in, Rupert," he said reassuringly.
He nodded, though he didn't really believe this. He only agreed to make Pike happy. He was absolutely sure that he'd eventually die from this, and that he'd be happy to go when the time came. They sat in silence for a moment, then a strong hand began to massage his shoulder. Rupert moaned, this time in pleasure. Pike chuckled, then began to rub his shoulders for him. Rupert relaxed back into his touch, going totally limp.
"I've gotta say, Rupert, I like this," Pike commented.
He blinked sleepily. "Wha...?" he asked incoherently.
"Teaching you how to fight. And then kinda hanging out together afterward. It's fun."
While he wasn't so sure about the fun part, he was just happy to be here with Pike. He leaned into the massage, loving the feeling of Pike's strong hands on him. "I've gotta say," Pike went on musingly. "That I like this whole 'boyfriends' thing. I wasn't sure that I would, when you first asked me out. But it's pretty cool."
His eyes opened. "It is? You like it?" Rupert asked hopefully.
Pike's lips quirked up on one side. "Yeah," he replied. "I really do. I guess I'll keep ya, Rupert."
Despite his aches and pains, he'd never been happier in his entire life than he was right at this moment. Joy was swelling up inside of him. He scooted a little closer to Pike, resting his head on the shorter man's shoulder. "I'm glad," he breathed. "Really glad." He hesitated, then said shyly what he’d been feeling for so long but had been afraid to express before this. "I love you, Pike."
Silence, then Pike blew out a long breath and kissed the top of his head. "That’s totally cool, Rupert," he said. “Cause i‘m pretty sure that I feel the same way about you,” he went on casually, making Rupert‘s heart jump in his chest and begin to beat wildly. "So...you wanna rest for a bit, then maybe climb Pike's peak?" The leer in his voice told Rupert exactly what he was talking about, and he laughed.
"Definitely," he replied. "I definitely want to try to scale that prominence, Pike."
"Good. I'll get out the climbing gear in a little bit."
Rupert laughed, and turned into Pike's embrace. He could have remained here forever, he thought hazily. And, God willing, perhaps he might actually be able to do that...
The End