I wrote this and I don't know why...
...but I posted it over at SundaySnuggles, in blatant disregard for their word limit.
Anyway, here's a short story known as
Bars were not Tommy’s scene. Tommy snorted. Cities were not his scene. They were loud, so different from home. It was distracting, being constantly bombarded with sights, sounds, and especially the writhing energy of so many people in close quarters.
Tommy’s head was pounding from the neon and the cigarette smoke. Chest vibrating more with the intensity of the bass than his own heartbeat, he knocked back two aspirins. If he could just make it through the evening, he could get to work on his next job, whatever it was. Abe had been very vague.
Most of the faerie half-breeds who had chosen to live in the mortal world had somehow found a way to coexist with the chaos of humanity. Many of them did it legally. Then there were the ones like Tommy, who thrived in the underground. He was a modern mercenary, employing his finely honed and not-quite-human reflexes. Consequently he found himself always on edge, ready for the next fight.
In this environment, he was at a disadvantage. It was like being blind. Tommy cursed. All the swirling emotion dulled his ability to pick out individual minds. He was hard-pressed to tell the difference between the words people spoke and the ones they thought. It was so raw and unfiltered.
He was caught off-guard when a hand landed on his shoulder. Tommy swung around, his hand hurtling toward the solar plexus of…his employer. Damn. At the last moment Tommy was able to pull his punch, but he still contacted hard enough that Abe hit the floor, struggling to draw breath.
Oh, shit, he thought in a moment of panic. There went that contract. But the moment passed. This was Abe, after all. He hopped off his barstool and offered a hand, pulling Abe, who looked so tired that a stiff wind might knock him over, back to his feet.
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. Gotta work on that jumpiness. “You okay?” Tommy gathered tendrils of power back into himself, dimming whatever faerie thing added to his sense of the people around him. Better to be a little less aware than to get overwhelmed again.
And from Abe: “Jesus, Tommy, calm down a little.” Abe coughed a few times, bending over his knees, then stood straight with a half-smile. The expression did unacceptable things to Tommy’s insides. Lovely. “No harm, no foul.”
Abe slapped a hand on the countertop to get the bartender’s attention. “For me, a gin and tonic.” He eyed Tommy.
“A virgin Bloody Mary,” Tommy added. When Abe looked at him askance, Tommy said, “No drinks on the job, Abe, you know that.”
“Nervous about something, Tommy?” Abe smirked. His dark eyes crinkled at the edges. No one would believe this man to be one of the most notorious crime bosses of his time, but Tommy knew that Abe had at least 4 knives and a gun concealed on his person.
“Aren’t you?” Abe fell silent, lips pursed. “I told you we shouldn’t meet here, Abe. I hate shit like this, you know that.” But there was no venom in it.
“My cousin owns the place. C’mon, he’s letting us use his back room for a while.” Grabbing his drink, Tommy followed Abe cautiously into a hallway on the far wall of the dimly lit bar. He inspected the corridor, trying not to notice the curve of Abe’s ass. Lust is fine. Let it go no further.
Watching the tense set of Abe’s shoulders, Tommy asked, “Why did you decide to come yourself, instead of sending someone?”
“I thought I should be here to talk to you. This is important.”
“What’s wrong?” Tommy asked quietly. Abe’s walk got a little stiffer.
“Am I the boss or not? You’ll see soon enough.” This gave Tommy pause. It was true, he had forgotten himself. Abe was so easygoing that it wasn’t difficult to imagine they were friends. Every time Abe hired him, Tommy found it a little harder to maintain their professional relationship, to keep his cool. But if Abe is in danger... Fierce protectiveness flared for a second before Tommy could tamp down on it.
Still, it wasn’t like Abe to withhold information the way he had been. Since he had first called yesterday morning, Abe had neatly dodged all Tommy’s questions, answering without really saying anything.
Abe was being observed. That was the only thing to explain this strange behavior. How could Tommy not have noticed before? The hairs on the back of his neck rose. Who was after Abe? Tommy snorted. Who wasn't after Abe these days?
Tommy, lost in his own head, just barely managed to avoid walking into Abe. Tommy caught a whiff of Abe’s long hair and took a hasty step back, swallowing. God. Driving me crazy.
Abe didn’t seem to notice. He was concentrating on the door under his hand, muttering. After another few moments, Tommy heard a click as the door unlocked. Abe turned the handle and walked in. Tommy went to follow, and was almost knocked on his ass by the strength of the ward. He managed to wade through it, grimacing. Once Tommy got all the way into the plain room, he let out a sigh of relief. The ward blocked them in, and blocked everything else out. Abe was safe for now. And when did I stop worrying about my own safety?
Abe was already pacing. “I need your help.”
“I figured. What the hell has you so on edge?” In the isolated room, Tommy could feel Abe clearly. Exhaustion, anger, worry, nervousness, and a sharp spark of fear as Abe glanced up and met Tommy’s eyes. Tommy’s heart clenched. Disgusted with himself, Tommy closed off his perception, some part of him screaming.
They broke eye contact. It had only been a moment. Abe, staring at the wall over Tommy’s left shoulder, said, “It’s Collins. He found out from Tasha that I fucked him over, now he’s pissed. He hired some muscle, which obviously didn’t work,” Abe smiled briefly. “So then he pulled out the big guns. Now there’s a fucking witch on my trail.”
Tommy kept his face carefully blank. “And what did you want me to do about it?”
“Cut the crap, Tommy,” Abe sighed. “You’re really good at hiding it, but I figured out a few months ago that you aren’t totally human. I need to know if you’re good enough to stand up to a witch, whatever you are.”
Tommy was silent. Inside his mind was in uproar. Abe knew? Christ, no wonder he was afraid of Tommy. But on the outside Tommy was composed as he said, “I can’t take down a witch by myself, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“God, no!” Abe looked horrified. “I would never ask you to do that for me. But defensively, do you think the witch could get past you?”
“No.” Not if it’s you I’m protecting.
Abe blew out a breath. “Good.” And then he hesitated, opening his mouth before shutting it again. “While I have people working to get the witch, I need someone to protect me at all times. You’re the only person I even considered asking. I trust you.”
Tommy said nothing, just watched. He was so tempted to peek at Abe’s emotions, but what if he found fear there again? So he waited, neck tense, hands balled into fists.
Abe finally, finally, met Tommy’s eyes and said, “Tommy, I don’t want this to be awkward. But I think you need to know that my feelings for you are not entirely...professional.”
Tommy’s stomach dropped and his eyes widened. Against his better judgment, he opened up his head and let Abe’s emotions roll in. Tommy flinched back from that same fear and nervousness. Just as he was about to end the connection, though, it started to change. Resignation and...hurt?
Understanding slammed into Tommy’s mind. I’m an idiot. Tommy’s glass slipped from his fingers and exploded against the floor. Abe had been turning to go, but jumped at the crash. Tommy wasn’t really listening, but he thought Abe was apologizing.
Tommy reached out and grabbed Abe’s shoulder, pulling him into a searing kiss. He caught Abe with his mouth open, mid-word, which Tommy promptly took advantage of. Abe tensed momentarily, then relaxed with a groan.
They broke apart, gasping. Abe looked questioningly into Tommy’s eyes. “This is okay?”
Tommy wound a hand through Abe’s hair and said, “This is perfect.”
He was thinking: I love you. I will protect you from the world.
Anyway, here's a short story known as
Bars were not Tommy’s scene. Tommy snorted. Cities were not his scene. They were loud, so different from home. It was distracting, being constantly bombarded with sights, sounds, and especially the writhing energy of so many people in close quarters.
Tommy’s head was pounding from the neon and the cigarette smoke. Chest vibrating more with the intensity of the bass than his own heartbeat, he knocked back two aspirins. If he could just make it through the evening, he could get to work on his next job, whatever it was. Abe had been very vague.
Most of the faerie half-breeds who had chosen to live in the mortal world had somehow found a way to coexist with the chaos of humanity. Many of them did it legally. Then there were the ones like Tommy, who thrived in the underground. He was a modern mercenary, employing his finely honed and not-quite-human reflexes. Consequently he found himself always on edge, ready for the next fight.
In this environment, he was at a disadvantage. It was like being blind. Tommy cursed. All the swirling emotion dulled his ability to pick out individual minds. He was hard-pressed to tell the difference between the words people spoke and the ones they thought. It was so raw and unfiltered.
He was caught off-guard when a hand landed on his shoulder. Tommy swung around, his hand hurtling toward the solar plexus of…his employer. Damn. At the last moment Tommy was able to pull his punch, but he still contacted hard enough that Abe hit the floor, struggling to draw breath.
Oh, shit, he thought in a moment of panic. There went that contract. But the moment passed. This was Abe, after all. He hopped off his barstool and offered a hand, pulling Abe, who looked so tired that a stiff wind might knock him over, back to his feet.
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. Gotta work on that jumpiness. “You okay?” Tommy gathered tendrils of power back into himself, dimming whatever faerie thing added to his sense of the people around him. Better to be a little less aware than to get overwhelmed again.
And from Abe: “Jesus, Tommy, calm down a little.” Abe coughed a few times, bending over his knees, then stood straight with a half-smile. The expression did unacceptable things to Tommy’s insides. Lovely. “No harm, no foul.”
Abe slapped a hand on the countertop to get the bartender’s attention. “For me, a gin and tonic.” He eyed Tommy.
“A virgin Bloody Mary,” Tommy added. When Abe looked at him askance, Tommy said, “No drinks on the job, Abe, you know that.”
“Nervous about something, Tommy?” Abe smirked. His dark eyes crinkled at the edges. No one would believe this man to be one of the most notorious crime bosses of his time, but Tommy knew that Abe had at least 4 knives and a gun concealed on his person.
“Aren’t you?” Abe fell silent, lips pursed. “I told you we shouldn’t meet here, Abe. I hate shit like this, you know that.” But there was no venom in it.
“My cousin owns the place. C’mon, he’s letting us use his back room for a while.” Grabbing his drink, Tommy followed Abe cautiously into a hallway on the far wall of the dimly lit bar. He inspected the corridor, trying not to notice the curve of Abe’s ass. Lust is fine. Let it go no further.
Watching the tense set of Abe’s shoulders, Tommy asked, “Why did you decide to come yourself, instead of sending someone?”
“I thought I should be here to talk to you. This is important.”
“What’s wrong?” Tommy asked quietly. Abe’s walk got a little stiffer.
“Am I the boss or not? You’ll see soon enough.” This gave Tommy pause. It was true, he had forgotten himself. Abe was so easygoing that it wasn’t difficult to imagine they were friends. Every time Abe hired him, Tommy found it a little harder to maintain their professional relationship, to keep his cool. But if Abe is in danger... Fierce protectiveness flared for a second before Tommy could tamp down on it.
Still, it wasn’t like Abe to withhold information the way he had been. Since he had first called yesterday morning, Abe had neatly dodged all Tommy’s questions, answering without really saying anything.
Abe was being observed. That was the only thing to explain this strange behavior. How could Tommy not have noticed before? The hairs on the back of his neck rose. Who was after Abe? Tommy snorted. Who wasn't after Abe these days?
Tommy, lost in his own head, just barely managed to avoid walking into Abe. Tommy caught a whiff of Abe’s long hair and took a hasty step back, swallowing. God. Driving me crazy.
Abe didn’t seem to notice. He was concentrating on the door under his hand, muttering. After another few moments, Tommy heard a click as the door unlocked. Abe turned the handle and walked in. Tommy went to follow, and was almost knocked on his ass by the strength of the ward. He managed to wade through it, grimacing. Once Tommy got all the way into the plain room, he let out a sigh of relief. The ward blocked them in, and blocked everything else out. Abe was safe for now. And when did I stop worrying about my own safety?
Abe was already pacing. “I need your help.”
“I figured. What the hell has you so on edge?” In the isolated room, Tommy could feel Abe clearly. Exhaustion, anger, worry, nervousness, and a sharp spark of fear as Abe glanced up and met Tommy’s eyes. Tommy’s heart clenched. Disgusted with himself, Tommy closed off his perception, some part of him screaming.
They broke eye contact. It had only been a moment. Abe, staring at the wall over Tommy’s left shoulder, said, “It’s Collins. He found out from Tasha that I fucked him over, now he’s pissed. He hired some muscle, which obviously didn’t work,” Abe smiled briefly. “So then he pulled out the big guns. Now there’s a fucking witch on my trail.”
Tommy kept his face carefully blank. “And what did you want me to do about it?”
“Cut the crap, Tommy,” Abe sighed. “You’re really good at hiding it, but I figured out a few months ago that you aren’t totally human. I need to know if you’re good enough to stand up to a witch, whatever you are.”
Tommy was silent. Inside his mind was in uproar. Abe knew? Christ, no wonder he was afraid of Tommy. But on the outside Tommy was composed as he said, “I can’t take down a witch by myself, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“God, no!” Abe looked horrified. “I would never ask you to do that for me. But defensively, do you think the witch could get past you?”
“No.” Not if it’s you I’m protecting.
Abe blew out a breath. “Good.” And then he hesitated, opening his mouth before shutting it again. “While I have people working to get the witch, I need someone to protect me at all times. You’re the only person I even considered asking. I trust you.”
Tommy said nothing, just watched. He was so tempted to peek at Abe’s emotions, but what if he found fear there again? So he waited, neck tense, hands balled into fists.
Abe finally, finally, met Tommy’s eyes and said, “Tommy, I don’t want this to be awkward. But I think you need to know that my feelings for you are not entirely...professional.”
Tommy’s stomach dropped and his eyes widened. Against his better judgment, he opened up his head and let Abe’s emotions roll in. Tommy flinched back from that same fear and nervousness. Just as he was about to end the connection, though, it started to change. Resignation and...hurt?
Understanding slammed into Tommy’s mind. I’m an idiot. Tommy’s glass slipped from his fingers and exploded against the floor. Abe had been turning to go, but jumped at the crash. Tommy wasn’t really listening, but he thought Abe was apologizing.
Tommy reached out and grabbed Abe’s shoulder, pulling him into a searing kiss. He caught Abe with his mouth open, mid-word, which Tommy promptly took advantage of. Abe tensed momentarily, then relaxed with a groan.
They broke apart, gasping. Abe looked questioningly into Tommy’s eyes. “This is okay?”
Tommy wound a hand through Abe’s hair and said, “This is perfect.”
He was thinking: I love you. I will protect you from the world.