Chapter 6
Pike sat back with a sigh, patting his lean belly. “Good eats,” he said happily.
Pleased, Rupert smiled. “This is really nice,” he remarked, looking around the platform. “I wish I’d had something like this when I was a kid.”
“Yeah, Tank was a great dad, especially since he wasn’t my real dad. And he’d never had kids of his own, so he had no experience with them. But he still took great care of me. I’ll always owe him more than I can repay,” Pike said quietly. “If not for him, I’d be dead by now, or in prison, or running drugs. Or I’d be an addict like my parents, which is pretty much a death sentence anyway. He kept me on the straight and narrow. You know, I tried weed once. Got some from a guy at school. Tank caught me lighting up, and he beat the shit out of me. It wasn’t that he objected to grass normally, but both of my parents were junkies. He was afraid that I’d get started small and work my way up. I never touched the stuff again after that. And I appreciate him for it. The thought of EVER becoming like my parents…” he shuddered faintly.
“I know how you feel,” Rupert replied soberly. “That’s why I never touch alcohol. I can’t stand the thought of turning into my father. I remember when he used to come home drunk, and he and my mother would start fighting, and then he’d hit her…I used to be so scared. I hated him so much,” he shivered himself, his hands rubbing up and down his arms.
Pike surprised him by snorting. “This sounds less like a date and more like a support meeting for guys with dysfunctional families,” he quipped. “Let’s talk about something more fun, hmm?”
“Like what?”
Pike grinned. “How about sex? I know you’re a pure, untouched creature, but I bet even you have fantasies. Wanna tell me about ’em?”
He felt his cheeks heat a bit. “Not really,” he replied tightly.
Pike lifted a single brow. “Why not? Bet they’re really hot,” he teased.
Rupert glowered at him. “Because they’re MY fantasies, and I don’t feel like sharing them,” he growled.
“Maybe someday you will,” Pike remarked. “When and if you do, I expect full details, got that? Very specific.”
Rupert snorted. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said dryly.
They emerged from the movie theater together. “Hmm, not bad,” Pike remarked. “Some good action, anyway. What’d you think, Rupert?”
“Seemed pretty mindless to me,” he replied.
Pike laughed, and made him jump when he slid his arm around Rupert’s waist. “That’s the best kind. Didn’t you know that?” he said easily.
He looked down at the arm around his waist, then up to Pike’s face. A smirk slid across well-shaped lips. “Hey, we’re on a date, right?” Pike pointed out impudently. “This is what you do on a date. Unless you’d like to go back to my place and have lots of hot sex, instead? Cause I’d be up for that.”
Rupert sighed, but didn’t try to remove the arm. “Hey, Rupert. There’s this thing I’m going to be doing this Saturday, I was wondering if you wanted to come,” Pike said, bringing his attention back to the conversation at hand.
“What?” he asked.
“Well, you know the movie Fight Club? Illegal, undocumented street fighting?”
He felt the muscles in his abdomen tense up. “Yes, I’ve seen it,” he said shortly.
Pike slid him a sideways look. “This is an event that happens every year in my neighborhood. Guys get together to fight each other. Don’t worry; we don’t fight to the death or anything like that. And whoever wins the competition gets the pot. Everybody throws in a hundred dollars at the beginning, and since there’s dozens of competitors it can be up to ten grand. That money comes in handy for a guy who runs a not-very-profitable bar in a seedy part of town.”
“You’ve done this before?!” Rupert cried in horror.
“Yeah, this is my third year. And I’m still intact, as you can see,” he said, spreading his hands apart. “Not even any scars to show for it. Don’t worry, Rupert. I’ll be fine.”
His hands clasped together in front of him, and he began unconsciously twisting them together. “Pike, this is…you shouldn’t do it!” he cried in distress.
Pike stepped closer to him and reached up to gently cup his chin in his fingers. “Rupert, calm down. Remember what I did to those thugs who were threatening you? And I didn’t even get a scratch,” he pointed out. “You’ve seen what I can do. You don’t have a thing to worry about.”
He felt terror rush through him. Despite Pike’s assurances, all he could think of was visions of blood and broken bones and other horrors. Seeing his face, Pike sighed. “Guess I shouldn’t have told you,” he muttered. “Didn’t know you’d get this upset. Come on, Rupert. Over here. Sit down,” he coaxed Rupert down on a bench as his legs gave way under him.
“I-I’m s-s-sorry,” he stuttered, beginning to rock a little.
Pike’s hand rubbed his back comfortingly, his fingers caressing the back of Rupert’s neck. “It’s okay. I forget that you aren’t from this part of town. When you grow up on the streets, you get tough. You stop thinking about it after awhile. I’m sorry that I said anything to upset you. I just didn’t think.”
He bit at his lower lip. In his head, he could hear his mother’s voice. Screaming, begging his father not to hit her anymore…but he knew that his childhood traumas had nothing to do with the present situation. Pike wasn’t a helpless person, unable to protect himself. For God’s sake, he’d taken out at least a half-a-dozen thugs who had been threatening him, and he hadn’t even broken a sweat! He’d been…magnificent. Rupert was sure that if anyone could win this fight contest, it was Pike.
“I…I don’t want to be there,” he began slowly. “I can’t watch. B-But I’m not going to try to talk you out of it, Pike. I know that you’ll do well.”
Silence, then Pike laughed softly. “You’re pretty cool, Rupert,” he said, his fingers sliding into his hair and caressing it. “When I win the pot, I’ll take you on a fancy-schmancy date. High-class, all the way. I’ll wine you and dine you. Would you like that?”
He laughed in a cracked sort of way. “That sounds great,” he said in a voice that only trembled slightly. “Are you going to wear black tie? That’ll go with the mohawk, anyway.”
Pike laughed uproariously, then slid his fingers under Rupert’s chin again. But this time, he lifted his head and kissed his mouth. He moaned, forgetting for the moment his worries about Pike and this fighting contest. There was only here and now, and Pike’s tongue sliding into his mouth in a leisurely fashion…
Pike pulled back, smiling as he tapped Rupert’s cheek with a finger. “I like you, Rupert,” he purred. “You never act like I expect you to. Makes you a lot of fun.”
He smiled a bit, tremulously. “I’m glad that you find me entertaining,” he husked.
Pike’s eyes ran in an insolent manner over his body. “Maybe someday soon I’ll find you even more entertaining,” he said throatily, and Rupert felt a surge of heat run over his limbs.
Rupert stared blankly down at the pile of papers on his desk. It was Friday, and all he could think about was the fact that Pike’s fighting contest took place tomorrow. He couldn’t concentrate on his work. All he seemed able to do was worry. He knew he shouldn’t; Pike was perfectly able to take care of himself. He knew that after having watched Pike take on those thugs and beat them all down without even trying. But what if he got hurt? What if he…?”
Rupert moaned a little, setting his head in his hands. How was he going to get through tomorrow? He’d go insane, waiting to hear whether Pike was all right or not. He definitely wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight. Maybe he’d be so tired in the morning that he’d worry less…
Yeah, right. Rupert sighed and rubbed at his face with his hands. Tonight and tomorrow were going to be a long, long space of time…an eternity subjectively. And all he could do was try to get through it. He hated waiting; and this was going to be the longest wait of his entire life…
Pacing. Rupert suspected that he’d worn a trail in his carpet, but he didn’t care. Back-and-forth, back-and-forth he went, his dry, slightly-swollen eyes half-closed against the light streaming in through the windows. He muttered to himself, a long diatribe about Pike and his own foolishness about dating someone so violent. Pike LIKED fighting, that was clear. How crazy was he to want to be with someone who was like that? He was an idiot. A total idiot. He should just break it off now before he got hurt.
Oh, hell, it was too late for that. He already cared about Pike. He couldn’t just walk away without a backward glance, and pretend that he’d never even met Pike. He harshed out a laugh that was half a sob. God, he suspected that he might already be in love with Pike! Maybe not as deeply as he might come to love him, but his heart had already opened to let Pike in. It was simply too late to walk away. He was totally fucked.
Rupert sank down on his couch and put his hand over his mouth. If anything happened to Pike…what would he do? He closed his eyes, tears running down his cheeks. Being in love kind of sucked. Because when you were, it was so easy to get hurt, and you worried about that other person constantly, and you couldn’t stop thinking about them…he whimpered miserably, burying his face in his hands.
A knock on his front door made him jump about three feet in the air. He lifted his head, staring at the closed door with wide eyes. He got slowly to his feet and stumbled over, and as he got close he heard a familiar voice bark: “Hey, Rupert, let me in! Come on!”
“Pike?” he choked, then he was unlocking the door and pulling it open with trembling fingers.
Pike was standing outside, a bandage on one cheek and his left eye turning dark. But otherwise he seemed untouched, and he grinned widely at Rupert. “Hey, just thought I’d come by and relieve your anxieties. See? Not dead, nothing broken, it’s all good,” he spread his hands wide, showing off his intact body. “And I can take you out to that dinner now,” he added in satisfaction.
“You won?” Rupert said, numbly.
Pike nodded. “You got it. It was no competition, really.”
Rupert moved, He flew forward and closed his arms over Pike, bowing his head as he held on tight. He never wanted to let Pike go again. “Hey, now, no crying,” Pike said sternly, though his hands were gently stroking all over Rupert’s back and sides. “This is a celebration, Rupert. We’re gonna party like crazy,” he said, patting Rupert’s ass.
He jumped at this, pulling back enough to give Pike an outraged look. He grinned widely, shrugging. “No more tears, eh?” he said with a wink. “Now how about you give the champion a kiss, huh? To show him how proud you are of him for winning?”
Rupert snorted, wiping at his eyes. “And who says that I’m proud that you beat the crap out of other people?” he asked tartly.
Pike shook his head. “You’re not a very good cheerleading section, you know that?” he said in amusement.
“Well, I guess I’ve been a little bit distracted worrying about you,” Rupert replied sharply. “It’s hard to shake your pom-poms with any enthusiasm when you’re scared to death.”
Pike nodded. “I’m sorry you were scared, Rupert. I’m sorry I made you worry. Is there any way I can make it up to you?” his concern touched Rupert, who sighed.
“Oh, shut up and kiss me,” he muttered, which made Pike laugh just before he pulled Rupert’s head down and did just as he’d been told…
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