Aaand the next part.
Title: Walk on the Wild Side.
Pairings: Ian/Anthony, mentions of Ian/others
Ratings/Warnings: NC-17. Underage (not graphic). Prostitution.
Summary: Ian is a part time prostitute. One night he gets a customer who changes his life.
A/N: I feel like this story wrote itself, and I was just there to type it. This fic deals with some dark themes, but it isn't too depressing. Also LJ is being a bitch cause the post is too large. 11,000 words is not that much, right :p
Previous chapters: none.
It must have worked because he was woken by the smell of coffee, and the sun that was shining directly in his face. When he managed to fully open his eyes he saw Anthony bring a tray over to him, filled with delicious food from the room service trolley. Ian sat up straighter and took the tray from Anthony.
“Breakfast in bed? You really weren't joking about the whole boyfriend thing, were you?” Ian quipped. Anthony's expression darkened for a moment, but he simply winked at Ian and grabbed his own tray. They ate in companionable silence. Ian ate as much as he possibly could. It had been a long time ago since he had eaten such good food. Anthony silently gave him his own croissant which Ian also devoured.
“Should I order some more?” Anthony jokingly asked. Ian shook his head. “Nah, I'm good. Thank you.”
Ian knew that now was the time to have sex with Anthony one more time, and that he should leave then. For some reason the prospect of returning to his small and empty apartment didn't seem very alluring. Ian hated to admit it, but he would rather stay with Anthony. Ian carefully placed the empty tray next to the bed, and turned on his side to face Anthony. Anthony was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, hands folded behind his head. His breakfast tray had miraculously disappeared already.
Ian inched closer, eventually laying his head on Anthony's chest. Anthony lazily reached out with his right hand and gently stroked Ian's hair. Ian slowly ran his own right hand over Anthony's tight stomach, all the way down until he reached his cock. Anthony was half hard, so Ian used his fingers to get him fully erect. Anthony never stopped looking at the ceiling, and neither of them spoke. The only thing that gave away the moment that Anthony came was the warm fluid suddenly coating Ian's hand.
Ian rolled back on his back and sat up. That got Anthony's attention.
“Stay with me.”
Ian frowned. “Okay...” He laid down again.
“No, not like that,” Anthony said softly, “I meant, today. The whole day. I'll pay you another 500. I don't even have to have sex.”
“Then why do you want me here then?” Ian responded, utterly confused. People always wanted something from him, whether it was a hamburger or sex. There must be something Anthony wanted from him. And how could a young man like Anthony possibly have a thousand dollar to spend on Ian?
“I just want your company, Ian,” Anthony answered, “as you might have guessed, I'm not exactly poor. If you want you can take your money right now. My wallet's over at the table. Being rich has a downside too, though. You never have real friends, they all want something from you. I get lonely sometimes. You seem honest to me, you're not trying to become my friend, and that's why I like you.”
Ian couldn't help but chuckle. Apparently he was not the only one who only met people who wanted things from him. The only difference was the direction of the money flow. Ian was still not sure if he should stay. He really wanted to check up on his apartment. It would be very easy to break in now that his window was broken.
“It's okay if you don't want to, you know,” Anthony said, “just say so if you want to leave.”
“No, it's not that.” Ian explained his problem. Anthony nodded. “We can just drive by your apartment, if you want. Check to see if everything is alright. Maybe after we can grab a movie or something?” Anthony suggested hopefully.
Ian decided to throw all caution to the wind and just go with it. “Sure.”
They took a quick shower and got dressed. Ian took a moment to admire the view from the suite. It really was beautiful. When they arrived at Ian's place, Ian was a bit unsure if he should bring Anthony inside with him, but it was quite cold so Ian decided to take Anthony with him anyway. They entered the building Ian lived in, and he could see that Anthony had never been in a place like this. To his credit though he didn't comment on Ian's neighbor who was passed out on the second flight of stairs, beer bottle still in his hand.
Ian opened the door to his room, allowing Anthony to enter first. Ian had boarded up his window, but it was still cold inside. The wooded board in front of his window was still there, so Ian knew no one had broken in. Anthony meanwhile, was looking around, eyes moving from Ian's small bed to the cluttered desk in the corner. Ian grabbed some change from under the mattress, where he also hid his laptop.
“I'm gonna call the company that is gonna fix my window now, if you don't mind,” Ian said to Anthony, “but the payphone is outside, so let's go.”
Anthony held out his mobile phone. “You can use mine, if you want.” Ian took the phone gratefully. The old payphone was missing a few buttons and broke down most of the time. He quickly dialed the number he had memorized yesterday. The conversation was brief, but it turned out that the the repair guy could only come and fix it the day after tomorrow. Ian ended the call, disappointed that it couldn't be done this afternoon or tomorrow. He gave Anthony his phone back. Anthony, who had apparently guessed the problem, immediately dialed the number again. Before Ian could ask him what he was doing, the other guy had already picked up.
“Hi. A minute ago you spoke to a friend of mine about a broken window that could only be fixed the day after tomorrow? Yeah, I don't agree with that. I think you should come fix it this afternoon. Who I think I am? My name is Anthony Padilla. Yes. The Anthony Padilla.”
Anthony might have said more, but Ian had stopped listening after Anthony had said his full name. Holy crap. The guy standing in a room with him was Anthony Padilla. Ian had slept with Anthony Fucking Padilla. Ian wasn't interested in celebrities at all, but even he had heard of Anthony Padilla. He was like the biggest thing in Hollywood at the moment, playing in the best movies, getting Oscar nominations left and right. Ian vaguely remembered that Anthony might have actually won some of them too. He looked up at Anthony, who was still talking on the phone. Now he knew who Anthony was he could easily see it. For a short moment Ian wished he had friends whom he could share this with.
His thoughts were interrupted by Anthony hanging up. He was grinning. “Your window is gonna get fixed this afternoon.”
Ian crossed his arms, feeling patronized by Anthony's actions. “I can take care of things just fine, you know. I don't need your help, your charity!” Ian knew his voice was rising but he was pretty pissed off. He had been taking care of things since he was sixteen years old, and now some actor thought he could do it better? Anthony's eyes grew wide.
“Ian, I'm sorry! I just wanted to help, that's all.”
“I'm not a child anymore, I don't need anything from you, you're not my father or something!” Ian spat.
“Dude, chill out,” Anthony growled back, “I just wanted to help you. I like you, and I just thought I could do something for you. That's what friends do, you know?”
Ian wanted to say something back, he knew that with a few words he could hurt Anthony and scare him off. However, he realized that that was not what he really wanted. He shrugged.
“You're right. Thank you. Should we wait for the repair guys then?” Ian hoped Anthony would let it go, he was not in the mood for a fight. Fortunately Anthony seemed even less inclined to argue with Ian.
“They're gonna be here at three, it is now eleven. Let's go see a movie or something, and we can get back in time for the repairman.”
Ian nodded and followed Anthony out. He hadn't missed Anthony's use of the word “we” when he talked about waiting for the repairman. Well, whatever. He had started to like Anthony, so the more time they could spend together the better. When they were in the car again, Anthony waited a moment to drive away.
“Ian... do you know who I am?” Anthony asked, sounding genuinely curious, not arrogant at all.
Ian nodded. “I figured it out when you were on the phone. I'm not very up-to-date on movies and stuff, otherwise I would have seen it sooner.”
Anthony smiled. “It doesn't matter who people think I am. It is not who I really am, you know. What you saw of me yesterday, and this morning, that's who I really am. But I must warn you. If we go to the cinema now, people will recognize me. They'll wanna know who you are. I'm not ready to come out so I will tell them that you are an old friend. Is that okay with you?”
Ian couldn't help but laugh. “I'm a whore, Anthony. Do you really think that I've never been lied about?”
To Ian's surprise, Anthony's eyes turned sad. Without warning he moved closer and pressed a kiss on Ian's forehead. Before Ian had time to react Anthony had pulled back and started his car. After a short drive Anthony parked his car in the parking garage of the cinema and they went upstairs to get tickets. Anthony had not been lying when he said that he would be recognized. Within moments they were surrounded by a small group of fans, but after Anthony had given them all an autograph they left them alone. When one girl had bravely asked who Ian was, Anthony had told her the lie about Ian being an old friend. Anthony managed to bring it so natural that Ian could see why he was such a famous actor. When they were finally relatively alone in the dark theater Ian whispered:
“Why don't you have a bodyguard?”
Anthony shrugged. “I do have one when I'm in LA, but here people are usually not on the lookout for celebrities, so I get recognized less often. And if they do know who I am they're usually quite polite. But lately I have been thinking I really should get a personal bodyguard, just to be safe.”
Ian giggled. “I'll be your bodyguard for today then.”
Anthony laughed. “I'd like to see you try to keep hordes of teenage girls away from me!”
Ian laughed with him, but added: “I might surprise you. I've learned a lot of things living on the streets,” and added with a more serious tone, “I have faced worse things than teenage girls.”
Anthony looked over at him and gently brushed a stray hair from Ian's forehead. “Ian... If you ever want to talk about it or something... I know we've only just met, but if you ever need help with something, or just need a friend around, I'll be there for you.”
Ian didn't say anything, just leaned his head on Anthony's shoulder and continued watching the pre-movie commercials.
That afternoon they went back to Ian's place and hung out while Ian's window was getting fixed. They talked about everything and nothing, and when the time came for Anthony to leave Ian actually felt sorry to see him go. Anthony kissed him one last time and pressed the money he owed Ian in his hand before he walked hurriedly down the stairs.
Ian slumped down on his bed, suddenly exhausted. He looked at the money in his hand, wanting to count it just to be sure, when something caught his eye. It was a little note, with a phone number on it. Above it Anthony had written: Call me if you wanna hang out, as friends or whatever you want it to be. X Anthony.
This was hardly the first time Ian had gotten a phone number from a client, but Anthony's was the first one Ian didn't want to throw away immediately. He carefully folded up the note and placed it under his mattress, with the rest of his valuable possessions. Despite his exhaustion, it took a long time for Ian to fall asleep that night.
A week later Ian was hurrying home from his daytime job. He and Anthony had spoken on the phone yesterday and they were going out for dinner tonight. It was the first time they would see each other again, and Ian was nervous. He wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a date or not, and he was even less sure what he wanted it to be. Anthony would pick Ian up near his apartment, but Ian was running a bit late. He decided to take a shortcut through the alley near his workplace. It was winter, so it was already dark at seven o'clock, but Ian wasn't worried about going off the well-lit streets. He reckoned that the real creeps only came out after ten.
It came as a surprise then when he actually ran into somebody in the middle of the alley. It was an even bigger surprise when Ian saw that it was one of his former clients. Ian pretended that he didn't recognize the man and tried to walk past him.
“Well if it isn't Max,” the man drawled, blocking Ian's escape, “don't tell me you didn't recognize me. I sure remember you, you little slut.”
Ian said nothing but turned around to walk back the way he had come. The man would have none of it though. He grabbed Ian's arm and bodily pressed him into the wall. Ian hit his head and for a moment everything went black, but he recovered in time to turn his face away when the man tried to kiss him. Ian could smell the alcohol on the man's breath.
“Let me go. I'm not working today.” Ian growled. His head was hurting, but the adrenaline kept him from feeling the full effects.
The man laughed. “You're a dirty whore, scum like you doesn't get any days off. Now be a good boy and drop to your knees for me.” The man started to press down on his shoulders. Ian didn't hesitate. He brought his knee up, hard. The man yelped, letting go off Ian to grab his balls which Ian had hurt pretty good. Ian shoved the man back and made a run for it. Behind him he could hear the man running too. Normally Ian would have easily outrun him, but his head was pounding and he was dizzy.
He cursed when he realized he didn't bring his knife with him. When he was prostituting he always had a knife with him for protection, but now he had just been working at the Burger King. He had never used his knife, but it had scared off a robber once. Before Ian could think of what his options were the man had caught up and slammed him to the ground. The air was momentarily forced from his lungs. The man lying on top of him tried to pull Ian's pants down, but with little success. He yanked Ian's hips up and fumbled with the button. Ian tried to kick backwards but he was still too disorientated to do much damage. He did eventually manage to elbow the man in the face. The man threw his head back and Ian tried to crawl away from him, but before he could get very far the man had already yanked him back by his leg. Ian tried calling for help but before he could call out more than once he saw a fist coming towards his face and everything went black.
When he came to he saw a pair of friendly eyes stare at him. The eyes were chocolate brown and seemed very familiar to Ian. He blinked slowly. He noticed that the eyes were not only friendly, they were also filled with concern. Ian blinked again and everything came rushing back. He tried to get up, get away, but pain shot through his body and he was forced to lie still.
“Ian! Calm down, you're safe!” A voice urgently said. A hand reached out and touched his shoulder. Ian instinctively tried to back away, but he cried out when he found that he couldn't. He dimly noticed that he was still lying on the dirty pavement of the alley, but that he was no longer pressed down by his assailant. Had he left? Had he raped Ian, and then left him to die? Ian didn't really feel any pain in his behind but that didn't say anything.
He glanced up again and suddenly recognized the man in front of him. It was Anthony.
“Ian, hey man, are you okay?” Anthony asked concerned. “I've already called an ambulance, but don't move okay?”
Ian groaned. He didn't want an ambulance, he just needed to rest for a bit and he'd be fine. He was gonna rest right now, he decided. Just for a little while. He could feel his eyes closing. He wished Anthony would stop calling his name, it kept him from falling asleep. Eventually though he could feel his body growing heavy and he completely closed his eyes. It didn't matter that he was cold, he was only gonna sleep for a little while anyway. Just for a few moments...
The second time Ian woke up he was no longer in pain. He felt a bit woozy, sure, but the blinding pain in his head was gone. He looked around him, immediately recognizing that he was in a hospital. He tried to remember what had happened. There had been a man, yes... He had hurt Ian... And then... Anthony. Yes. Anthony had been there. But where was he now?
Ian's eyes scanned the room. It was empty. Ian ignored the pang of disappointment. He moved to sit up a little bit and tried to assess his injuries. His head was bandaged, as was his torso. Ian recognized the way his ribs were bound: they were either broken or cracked. He suspected that he had a concussion as well. Ian wondered again if he had been raped, but something told him that hadn't happened. He was pulled from his thoughts when the door opened. It was Anthony, holding a cup of coffee. Anthony looked tired, dark bags under his eyes making his face seem even paler. However, when he saw that Ian was awake a bright grin lit up his whole face.
“Ian! How are you? Hold on, I'll call a nurse.” Anthony moved to the call button near Ian's bed, but Ian stopped him.
“In a minute. I would first like to know what happened before I get a bunch of doctors harassing me.”
Anthony looked dubious, but Ian opened his blue eyes as wide as possible, knowing that it made him look sweet and innocent. Anthony sighed.
“Fine. What do you remember?”
Ian told him what he knew, right until the point where the man had knocked him unconscious. Anthony nodded.
“I was already waiting for you near your apartment, when I heard some commotion in the alley nearby. I walked over to take a look, when I heard you call out for help. I ran into the alley and saw you lying on the ground, with a man on top of you. He was punching you, so he didn't see me coming. I kicked him in the face, knocking him out. I called the police after I had called you an ambulance. You have a mild concussion and a few cracked ribs, nothing more, thankfully.”
They were both silent for a while.
“Thank you,” Ian finally managed to say, “you saved my life.”
Anthony shook his head. “I don't think he would have killed you.”
Ian shrugged. “Well at least you prevented him from raping me.”
Anthony flinched at the word “rape”. Ian cocked his head.
“Does that word make you uncomfortable?” He asked curiously.
Anthony shook his head, then nodded. “For a moment I feared I was already too late. I thought that maybe he had already...”
Ian placed his hand on top of Anthony's. “He didn't. Thanks to you. I'm sorry our date got canceled though.”
Anthony looked down at their hands, and then back up to Ian. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Ian's forehead.
“Don't worry about that. I'm just glad you're still in one piece, more or less.”
Ian felt himself smile. It felt good to have someone care about him. He had been so incredibly lonely for the past eight years. He sat up even more and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
“Ian, stop! What are you doing?!” Anthony grabbed his shoulders, trying to push him back on the bed. Ian might be weakened by his ordeal, but he was also stubborn and refused to lie back down.
“I need to go Anthony. I'm not insured, so I need to get out of here.” Ian explained hurriedly. He knew that leaving like this was illegal, but technically he hadn't asked to be brought in in the first place. If only Anthony would just let go of his shoulders! He tried to swat Anthony's hands away, but Anthony wouldn't budge.
“Lie back down, Ian. I already took care of that little technicality. Come on man, you'll hurt yourself struggling like this.”
“You paid for my treatment?” Ian asked incredulously. He was so surprised that he let himself be pushed down again.
“Yes I did, and I don't want to hear anything about it.” With that Anthony pushed the call button and they waited for the doctor in silence.
Ian was released three days later, under strict orders not to do anything too strenuous. Anthony interpreted that as orders to stay in bed all day, and since Ian would be unable to take care of himself he took him to his place. Ian had initially protested, but after Anthony told him he had a jacuzzi in his house Ian was finally persuaded to go home with him.
Ian stayed with Anthony for a whole week. All he had to do was lie in bed and let Anthony take care of him. After two days Ian finally persuaded Anthony to sleep in the same bed as him, claiming that he slept better that way. Anthony had not made any advances at all, only chastely kissing him sometimes. It was driving Ian insane. He had finally admitted to himself that he liked Anthony more than he should, and he was certain that Anthony had feeling for him too. The problem was that Anthony was still convinced that Ian was badly hurt and needed 24 hour care. That last part might have been Ian's own fault. He didn't want to be kicked out of the house, so he frequently claimed headaches. He must be the only person on the planet to claim a headache to get sex later.
The truth was that he was feeling great, even the bruising on his upper body was nearly gone. Now he just wanted to sleep with Anthony, without there being any money involved. He woke up every morning with a boner, desperate for Anthony's touch. He knew Anthony had the same problem, if his hasty departures from the bed in the mornings were any indication.
One morning Ian had enough. It was obvious he needed to take the first step, Anthony sure wasn't gonna do it. It was still early in the morning, but he was already wide awake. He turned to his side and looked at Anthony sleeping peacefully next to him. Ian reached out with his hand and brushed Anthony's hair away from his face. Anthony shifted a bit but didn't wake up. Ian moved closer and pressed his lips on Anthony's mouth. This got a reaction: Anthony slowly opened his brown eyes and stared right into Ian's blue ones.
“What are you doing?” He whispered.
“Isn't it obvious?” Ian responded, kissing Anthony once again.
Anthony pulled back. “You're hurt. We shouldn't do this.”
Ian shook his head. “I'm feeling great, to be honest. And they say that sex is healthy. So what are we waiting for?”
Anthony still looked doubtful, but didn't resist when Ian kissed him again. This time Ian didn't pull back though. He waited until he could feel Anthony begin to respond. Things got heated pretty quickly. Ian slid over and moved so he was lying on top of Anthony, grinding their boxer-clad erections together. Anthony groaned and pushed his hips up, seeking more friction. With one hand Ian pulled down his boxers, while Anthony was already trying to kick his own off.
When their cocks made contact they both moaned at the sensation. Ian was about to ask if Anthony had lube anywhere when Anthony suddenly stopped grinding their groins together. He grabbed Ian's hips as well, stopping his movements. Ian looked at him quizzically.
“Listen Ian... I need to know that this is what you really want. Like... That this is not something that you do because you think that you should.” Anthony's eyes were everywhere but on Ian.
“What do you mean?” Ian asked confused.
Anthony attempted to sit up, but Ian was still on top of him and refused to move. Anthony sighed. “What I'm trying to say is that this shouldn't be a... payment of sorts. Or a thank-you, or something.”
Ian suddenly understood. Once a whore, always a whore, right? Within moments he was out of bed and halfway dressed. He was angry, but mostly disappointed. He had thought that Anthony was different, that he could maybe see Ian like a person, and not just a commodity. He had been wrong apparently. He turned around to where Anthony was still lying in bed, completely confused. Ian didn't care that he was tearing up, he just needed to say one last thing to Anthony.
“Don't come to me ever again.”
Ian turned around and walked away, openly crying for the first time in eight years. He was almost out the front door when a heavy body slammed into him, pressing him against the closed door. The person behind him pinned his arms above his head and pressed his whole body against him. It took Ian a second but then he realized it was Anthony, who was still very naked. Ian struggled, attempting to break free, but Anthony was a big guy and had him at a disadvantage.
“Listen,” Anthony hissed, “listen, you idiot!”
Ian stopped struggling, more because his ribs began to hurt again than out of interest in what Anthony had to say.
“Good,” Anthony said softly, “just hear me out please. If you still want to go after I'm done, you are free to go. I won't come after you, I promise. I'm sorry if what I said earlier offended you. I was just uncertain about your motives for sleeping with me. I would hate myself if I found out that you thought that you owed me something. I took care of you because I like you a lot, and I don't want anything in return for that. Judging by your reaction just now, you also wanted sex because you liked me, not for other reasons. So, if you don't hate me too much, do you think we can still do that?”
With that Anthony let go of Ian's hands and stepped back. Ian took a moment before turning around, eyes on the floor. He wasn't sure what to say to Anthony. He was just so utterly confused about everything. His life had been the same for eight years, not great, but not horrible either. Now he suddenly had someone who genuinely cared about him and who wanted to sleep with him because of who Ian was, not what he was.
He slowly looked up at Anthony before blurting out: “I've never had sex with someone without getting paid for it.”
Anthony opened and closed his mouth a few times, too stunned to say anything. Eventually he reached out a hand. “Care to rectify that situation?”
Ian took the offered hand, all doubt disappearing.
“Definitely.”
I noticed that LJ messed up my format AGAIN! But it's really late here so I'll fix it tomorrow. Sorry!
Pairings: Ian/Anthony, mentions of Ian/others
Ratings/Warnings: NC-17. Underage (not graphic). Prostitution.
Summary: Ian is a part time prostitute. One night he gets a customer who changes his life.
A/N: I feel like this story wrote itself, and I was just there to type it. This fic deals with some dark themes, but it isn't too depressing. Also LJ is being a bitch cause the post is too large. 11,000 words is not that much, right :p
Previous chapters: none.
It must have worked because he was woken by the smell of coffee, and the sun that was shining directly in his face. When he managed to fully open his eyes he saw Anthony bring a tray over to him, filled with delicious food from the room service trolley. Ian sat up straighter and took the tray from Anthony.
“Breakfast in bed? You really weren't joking about the whole boyfriend thing, were you?” Ian quipped. Anthony's expression darkened for a moment, but he simply winked at Ian and grabbed his own tray. They ate in companionable silence. Ian ate as much as he possibly could. It had been a long time ago since he had eaten such good food. Anthony silently gave him his own croissant which Ian also devoured.
“Should I order some more?” Anthony jokingly asked. Ian shook his head. “Nah, I'm good. Thank you.”
Ian knew that now was the time to have sex with Anthony one more time, and that he should leave then. For some reason the prospect of returning to his small and empty apartment didn't seem very alluring. Ian hated to admit it, but he would rather stay with Anthony. Ian carefully placed the empty tray next to the bed, and turned on his side to face Anthony. Anthony was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, hands folded behind his head. His breakfast tray had miraculously disappeared already.
Ian inched closer, eventually laying his head on Anthony's chest. Anthony lazily reached out with his right hand and gently stroked Ian's hair. Ian slowly ran his own right hand over Anthony's tight stomach, all the way down until he reached his cock. Anthony was half hard, so Ian used his fingers to get him fully erect. Anthony never stopped looking at the ceiling, and neither of them spoke. The only thing that gave away the moment that Anthony came was the warm fluid suddenly coating Ian's hand.
Ian rolled back on his back and sat up. That got Anthony's attention.
“Stay with me.”
Ian frowned. “Okay...” He laid down again.
“No, not like that,” Anthony said softly, “I meant, today. The whole day. I'll pay you another 500. I don't even have to have sex.”
“Then why do you want me here then?” Ian responded, utterly confused. People always wanted something from him, whether it was a hamburger or sex. There must be something Anthony wanted from him. And how could a young man like Anthony possibly have a thousand dollar to spend on Ian?
“I just want your company, Ian,” Anthony answered, “as you might have guessed, I'm not exactly poor. If you want you can take your money right now. My wallet's over at the table. Being rich has a downside too, though. You never have real friends, they all want something from you. I get lonely sometimes. You seem honest to me, you're not trying to become my friend, and that's why I like you.”
Ian couldn't help but chuckle. Apparently he was not the only one who only met people who wanted things from him. The only difference was the direction of the money flow. Ian was still not sure if he should stay. He really wanted to check up on his apartment. It would be very easy to break in now that his window was broken.
“It's okay if you don't want to, you know,” Anthony said, “just say so if you want to leave.”
“No, it's not that.” Ian explained his problem. Anthony nodded. “We can just drive by your apartment, if you want. Check to see if everything is alright. Maybe after we can grab a movie or something?” Anthony suggested hopefully.
Ian decided to throw all caution to the wind and just go with it. “Sure.”
They took a quick shower and got dressed. Ian took a moment to admire the view from the suite. It really was beautiful. When they arrived at Ian's place, Ian was a bit unsure if he should bring Anthony inside with him, but it was quite cold so Ian decided to take Anthony with him anyway. They entered the building Ian lived in, and he could see that Anthony had never been in a place like this. To his credit though he didn't comment on Ian's neighbor who was passed out on the second flight of stairs, beer bottle still in his hand.
Ian opened the door to his room, allowing Anthony to enter first. Ian had boarded up his window, but it was still cold inside. The wooded board in front of his window was still there, so Ian knew no one had broken in. Anthony meanwhile, was looking around, eyes moving from Ian's small bed to the cluttered desk in the corner. Ian grabbed some change from under the mattress, where he also hid his laptop.
“I'm gonna call the company that is gonna fix my window now, if you don't mind,” Ian said to Anthony, “but the payphone is outside, so let's go.”
Anthony held out his mobile phone. “You can use mine, if you want.” Ian took the phone gratefully. The old payphone was missing a few buttons and broke down most of the time. He quickly dialed the number he had memorized yesterday. The conversation was brief, but it turned out that the the repair guy could only come and fix it the day after tomorrow. Ian ended the call, disappointed that it couldn't be done this afternoon or tomorrow. He gave Anthony his phone back. Anthony, who had apparently guessed the problem, immediately dialed the number again. Before Ian could ask him what he was doing, the other guy had already picked up.
“Hi. A minute ago you spoke to a friend of mine about a broken window that could only be fixed the day after tomorrow? Yeah, I don't agree with that. I think you should come fix it this afternoon. Who I think I am? My name is Anthony Padilla. Yes. The Anthony Padilla.”
Anthony might have said more, but Ian had stopped listening after Anthony had said his full name. Holy crap. The guy standing in a room with him was Anthony Padilla. Ian had slept with Anthony Fucking Padilla. Ian wasn't interested in celebrities at all, but even he had heard of Anthony Padilla. He was like the biggest thing in Hollywood at the moment, playing in the best movies, getting Oscar nominations left and right. Ian vaguely remembered that Anthony might have actually won some of them too. He looked up at Anthony, who was still talking on the phone. Now he knew who Anthony was he could easily see it. For a short moment Ian wished he had friends whom he could share this with.
His thoughts were interrupted by Anthony hanging up. He was grinning. “Your window is gonna get fixed this afternoon.”
Ian crossed his arms, feeling patronized by Anthony's actions. “I can take care of things just fine, you know. I don't need your help, your charity!” Ian knew his voice was rising but he was pretty pissed off. He had been taking care of things since he was sixteen years old, and now some actor thought he could do it better? Anthony's eyes grew wide.
“Ian, I'm sorry! I just wanted to help, that's all.”
“I'm not a child anymore, I don't need anything from you, you're not my father or something!” Ian spat.
“Dude, chill out,” Anthony growled back, “I just wanted to help you. I like you, and I just thought I could do something for you. That's what friends do, you know?”
Ian wanted to say something back, he knew that with a few words he could hurt Anthony and scare him off. However, he realized that that was not what he really wanted. He shrugged.
“You're right. Thank you. Should we wait for the repair guys then?” Ian hoped Anthony would let it go, he was not in the mood for a fight. Fortunately Anthony seemed even less inclined to argue with Ian.
“They're gonna be here at three, it is now eleven. Let's go see a movie or something, and we can get back in time for the repairman.”
Ian nodded and followed Anthony out. He hadn't missed Anthony's use of the word “we” when he talked about waiting for the repairman. Well, whatever. He had started to like Anthony, so the more time they could spend together the better. When they were in the car again, Anthony waited a moment to drive away.
“Ian... do you know who I am?” Anthony asked, sounding genuinely curious, not arrogant at all.
Ian nodded. “I figured it out when you were on the phone. I'm not very up-to-date on movies and stuff, otherwise I would have seen it sooner.”
Anthony smiled. “It doesn't matter who people think I am. It is not who I really am, you know. What you saw of me yesterday, and this morning, that's who I really am. But I must warn you. If we go to the cinema now, people will recognize me. They'll wanna know who you are. I'm not ready to come out so I will tell them that you are an old friend. Is that okay with you?”
Ian couldn't help but laugh. “I'm a whore, Anthony. Do you really think that I've never been lied about?”
To Ian's surprise, Anthony's eyes turned sad. Without warning he moved closer and pressed a kiss on Ian's forehead. Before Ian had time to react Anthony had pulled back and started his car. After a short drive Anthony parked his car in the parking garage of the cinema and they went upstairs to get tickets. Anthony had not been lying when he said that he would be recognized. Within moments they were surrounded by a small group of fans, but after Anthony had given them all an autograph they left them alone. When one girl had bravely asked who Ian was, Anthony had told her the lie about Ian being an old friend. Anthony managed to bring it so natural that Ian could see why he was such a famous actor. When they were finally relatively alone in the dark theater Ian whispered:
“Why don't you have a bodyguard?”
Anthony shrugged. “I do have one when I'm in LA, but here people are usually not on the lookout for celebrities, so I get recognized less often. And if they do know who I am they're usually quite polite. But lately I have been thinking I really should get a personal bodyguard, just to be safe.”
Ian giggled. “I'll be your bodyguard for today then.”
Anthony laughed. “I'd like to see you try to keep hordes of teenage girls away from me!”
Ian laughed with him, but added: “I might surprise you. I've learned a lot of things living on the streets,” and added with a more serious tone, “I have faced worse things than teenage girls.”
Anthony looked over at him and gently brushed a stray hair from Ian's forehead. “Ian... If you ever want to talk about it or something... I know we've only just met, but if you ever need help with something, or just need a friend around, I'll be there for you.”
Ian didn't say anything, just leaned his head on Anthony's shoulder and continued watching the pre-movie commercials.
That afternoon they went back to Ian's place and hung out while Ian's window was getting fixed. They talked about everything and nothing, and when the time came for Anthony to leave Ian actually felt sorry to see him go. Anthony kissed him one last time and pressed the money he owed Ian in his hand before he walked hurriedly down the stairs.
Ian slumped down on his bed, suddenly exhausted. He looked at the money in his hand, wanting to count it just to be sure, when something caught his eye. It was a little note, with a phone number on it. Above it Anthony had written: Call me if you wanna hang out, as friends or whatever you want it to be. X Anthony.
This was hardly the first time Ian had gotten a phone number from a client, but Anthony's was the first one Ian didn't want to throw away immediately. He carefully folded up the note and placed it under his mattress, with the rest of his valuable possessions. Despite his exhaustion, it took a long time for Ian to fall asleep that night.
A week later Ian was hurrying home from his daytime job. He and Anthony had spoken on the phone yesterday and they were going out for dinner tonight. It was the first time they would see each other again, and Ian was nervous. He wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a date or not, and he was even less sure what he wanted it to be. Anthony would pick Ian up near his apartment, but Ian was running a bit late. He decided to take a shortcut through the alley near his workplace. It was winter, so it was already dark at seven o'clock, but Ian wasn't worried about going off the well-lit streets. He reckoned that the real creeps only came out after ten.
It came as a surprise then when he actually ran into somebody in the middle of the alley. It was an even bigger surprise when Ian saw that it was one of his former clients. Ian pretended that he didn't recognize the man and tried to walk past him.
“Well if it isn't Max,” the man drawled, blocking Ian's escape, “don't tell me you didn't recognize me. I sure remember you, you little slut.”
Ian said nothing but turned around to walk back the way he had come. The man would have none of it though. He grabbed Ian's arm and bodily pressed him into the wall. Ian hit his head and for a moment everything went black, but he recovered in time to turn his face away when the man tried to kiss him. Ian could smell the alcohol on the man's breath.
“Let me go. I'm not working today.” Ian growled. His head was hurting, but the adrenaline kept him from feeling the full effects.
The man laughed. “You're a dirty whore, scum like you doesn't get any days off. Now be a good boy and drop to your knees for me.” The man started to press down on his shoulders. Ian didn't hesitate. He brought his knee up, hard. The man yelped, letting go off Ian to grab his balls which Ian had hurt pretty good. Ian shoved the man back and made a run for it. Behind him he could hear the man running too. Normally Ian would have easily outrun him, but his head was pounding and he was dizzy.
He cursed when he realized he didn't bring his knife with him. When he was prostituting he always had a knife with him for protection, but now he had just been working at the Burger King. He had never used his knife, but it had scared off a robber once. Before Ian could think of what his options were the man had caught up and slammed him to the ground. The air was momentarily forced from his lungs. The man lying on top of him tried to pull Ian's pants down, but with little success. He yanked Ian's hips up and fumbled with the button. Ian tried to kick backwards but he was still too disorientated to do much damage. He did eventually manage to elbow the man in the face. The man threw his head back and Ian tried to crawl away from him, but before he could get very far the man had already yanked him back by his leg. Ian tried calling for help but before he could call out more than once he saw a fist coming towards his face and everything went black.
When he came to he saw a pair of friendly eyes stare at him. The eyes were chocolate brown and seemed very familiar to Ian. He blinked slowly. He noticed that the eyes were not only friendly, they were also filled with concern. Ian blinked again and everything came rushing back. He tried to get up, get away, but pain shot through his body and he was forced to lie still.
“Ian! Calm down, you're safe!” A voice urgently said. A hand reached out and touched his shoulder. Ian instinctively tried to back away, but he cried out when he found that he couldn't. He dimly noticed that he was still lying on the dirty pavement of the alley, but that he was no longer pressed down by his assailant. Had he left? Had he raped Ian, and then left him to die? Ian didn't really feel any pain in his behind but that didn't say anything.
He glanced up again and suddenly recognized the man in front of him. It was Anthony.
“Ian, hey man, are you okay?” Anthony asked concerned. “I've already called an ambulance, but don't move okay?”
Ian groaned. He didn't want an ambulance, he just needed to rest for a bit and he'd be fine. He was gonna rest right now, he decided. Just for a little while. He could feel his eyes closing. He wished Anthony would stop calling his name, it kept him from falling asleep. Eventually though he could feel his body growing heavy and he completely closed his eyes. It didn't matter that he was cold, he was only gonna sleep for a little while anyway. Just for a few moments...
The second time Ian woke up he was no longer in pain. He felt a bit woozy, sure, but the blinding pain in his head was gone. He looked around him, immediately recognizing that he was in a hospital. He tried to remember what had happened. There had been a man, yes... He had hurt Ian... And then... Anthony. Yes. Anthony had been there. But where was he now?
Ian's eyes scanned the room. It was empty. Ian ignored the pang of disappointment. He moved to sit up a little bit and tried to assess his injuries. His head was bandaged, as was his torso. Ian recognized the way his ribs were bound: they were either broken or cracked. He suspected that he had a concussion as well. Ian wondered again if he had been raped, but something told him that hadn't happened. He was pulled from his thoughts when the door opened. It was Anthony, holding a cup of coffee. Anthony looked tired, dark bags under his eyes making his face seem even paler. However, when he saw that Ian was awake a bright grin lit up his whole face.
“Ian! How are you? Hold on, I'll call a nurse.” Anthony moved to the call button near Ian's bed, but Ian stopped him.
“In a minute. I would first like to know what happened before I get a bunch of doctors harassing me.”
Anthony looked dubious, but Ian opened his blue eyes as wide as possible, knowing that it made him look sweet and innocent. Anthony sighed.
“Fine. What do you remember?”
Ian told him what he knew, right until the point where the man had knocked him unconscious. Anthony nodded.
“I was already waiting for you near your apartment, when I heard some commotion in the alley nearby. I walked over to take a look, when I heard you call out for help. I ran into the alley and saw you lying on the ground, with a man on top of you. He was punching you, so he didn't see me coming. I kicked him in the face, knocking him out. I called the police after I had called you an ambulance. You have a mild concussion and a few cracked ribs, nothing more, thankfully.”
They were both silent for a while.
“Thank you,” Ian finally managed to say, “you saved my life.”
Anthony shook his head. “I don't think he would have killed you.”
Ian shrugged. “Well at least you prevented him from raping me.”
Anthony flinched at the word “rape”. Ian cocked his head.
“Does that word make you uncomfortable?” He asked curiously.
Anthony shook his head, then nodded. “For a moment I feared I was already too late. I thought that maybe he had already...”
Ian placed his hand on top of Anthony's. “He didn't. Thanks to you. I'm sorry our date got canceled though.”
Anthony looked down at their hands, and then back up to Ian. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Ian's forehead.
“Don't worry about that. I'm just glad you're still in one piece, more or less.”
Ian felt himself smile. It felt good to have someone care about him. He had been so incredibly lonely for the past eight years. He sat up even more and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
“Ian, stop! What are you doing?!” Anthony grabbed his shoulders, trying to push him back on the bed. Ian might be weakened by his ordeal, but he was also stubborn and refused to lie back down.
“I need to go Anthony. I'm not insured, so I need to get out of here.” Ian explained hurriedly. He knew that leaving like this was illegal, but technically he hadn't asked to be brought in in the first place. If only Anthony would just let go of his shoulders! He tried to swat Anthony's hands away, but Anthony wouldn't budge.
“Lie back down, Ian. I already took care of that little technicality. Come on man, you'll hurt yourself struggling like this.”
“You paid for my treatment?” Ian asked incredulously. He was so surprised that he let himself be pushed down again.
“Yes I did, and I don't want to hear anything about it.” With that Anthony pushed the call button and they waited for the doctor in silence.
Ian was released three days later, under strict orders not to do anything too strenuous. Anthony interpreted that as orders to stay in bed all day, and since Ian would be unable to take care of himself he took him to his place. Ian had initially protested, but after Anthony told him he had a jacuzzi in his house Ian was finally persuaded to go home with him.
Ian stayed with Anthony for a whole week. All he had to do was lie in bed and let Anthony take care of him. After two days Ian finally persuaded Anthony to sleep in the same bed as him, claiming that he slept better that way. Anthony had not made any advances at all, only chastely kissing him sometimes. It was driving Ian insane. He had finally admitted to himself that he liked Anthony more than he should, and he was certain that Anthony had feeling for him too. The problem was that Anthony was still convinced that Ian was badly hurt and needed 24 hour care. That last part might have been Ian's own fault. He didn't want to be kicked out of the house, so he frequently claimed headaches. He must be the only person on the planet to claim a headache to get sex later.
The truth was that he was feeling great, even the bruising on his upper body was nearly gone. Now he just wanted to sleep with Anthony, without there being any money involved. He woke up every morning with a boner, desperate for Anthony's touch. He knew Anthony had the same problem, if his hasty departures from the bed in the mornings were any indication.
One morning Ian had enough. It was obvious he needed to take the first step, Anthony sure wasn't gonna do it. It was still early in the morning, but he was already wide awake. He turned to his side and looked at Anthony sleeping peacefully next to him. Ian reached out with his hand and brushed Anthony's hair away from his face. Anthony shifted a bit but didn't wake up. Ian moved closer and pressed his lips on Anthony's mouth. This got a reaction: Anthony slowly opened his brown eyes and stared right into Ian's blue ones.
“What are you doing?” He whispered.
“Isn't it obvious?” Ian responded, kissing Anthony once again.
Anthony pulled back. “You're hurt. We shouldn't do this.”
Ian shook his head. “I'm feeling great, to be honest. And they say that sex is healthy. So what are we waiting for?”
Anthony still looked doubtful, but didn't resist when Ian kissed him again. This time Ian didn't pull back though. He waited until he could feel Anthony begin to respond. Things got heated pretty quickly. Ian slid over and moved so he was lying on top of Anthony, grinding their boxer-clad erections together. Anthony groaned and pushed his hips up, seeking more friction. With one hand Ian pulled down his boxers, while Anthony was already trying to kick his own off.
When their cocks made contact they both moaned at the sensation. Ian was about to ask if Anthony had lube anywhere when Anthony suddenly stopped grinding their groins together. He grabbed Ian's hips as well, stopping his movements. Ian looked at him quizzically.
“Listen Ian... I need to know that this is what you really want. Like... That this is not something that you do because you think that you should.” Anthony's eyes were everywhere but on Ian.
“What do you mean?” Ian asked confused.
Anthony attempted to sit up, but Ian was still on top of him and refused to move. Anthony sighed. “What I'm trying to say is that this shouldn't be a... payment of sorts. Or a thank-you, or something.”
Ian suddenly understood. Once a whore, always a whore, right? Within moments he was out of bed and halfway dressed. He was angry, but mostly disappointed. He had thought that Anthony was different, that he could maybe see Ian like a person, and not just a commodity. He had been wrong apparently. He turned around to where Anthony was still lying in bed, completely confused. Ian didn't care that he was tearing up, he just needed to say one last thing to Anthony.
“Don't come to me ever again.”
Ian turned around and walked away, openly crying for the first time in eight years. He was almost out the front door when a heavy body slammed into him, pressing him against the closed door. The person behind him pinned his arms above his head and pressed his whole body against him. It took Ian a second but then he realized it was Anthony, who was still very naked. Ian struggled, attempting to break free, but Anthony was a big guy and had him at a disadvantage.
“Listen,” Anthony hissed, “listen, you idiot!”
Ian stopped struggling, more because his ribs began to hurt again than out of interest in what Anthony had to say.
“Good,” Anthony said softly, “just hear me out please. If you still want to go after I'm done, you are free to go. I won't come after you, I promise. I'm sorry if what I said earlier offended you. I was just uncertain about your motives for sleeping with me. I would hate myself if I found out that you thought that you owed me something. I took care of you because I like you a lot, and I don't want anything in return for that. Judging by your reaction just now, you also wanted sex because you liked me, not for other reasons. So, if you don't hate me too much, do you think we can still do that?”
With that Anthony let go of Ian's hands and stepped back. Ian took a moment before turning around, eyes on the floor. He wasn't sure what to say to Anthony. He was just so utterly confused about everything. His life had been the same for eight years, not great, but not horrible either. Now he suddenly had someone who genuinely cared about him and who wanted to sleep with him because of who Ian was, not what he was.
He slowly looked up at Anthony before blurting out: “I've never had sex with someone without getting paid for it.”
Anthony opened and closed his mouth a few times, too stunned to say anything. Eventually he reached out a hand. “Care to rectify that situation?”
Ian took the offered hand, all doubt disappearing.
“Definitely.”
I noticed that LJ messed up my format AGAIN! But it's really late here so I'll fix it tomorrow. Sorry!