Fic: Across a Crowded Room
Yeah, I... I don't think Trickster pays much attention to the news stories if they're not about him ^_^;;
Title: Across a Crowded Room
Author: Katzedecimal
Rating: M for lingo and concepts (two guys talking about shagging, okay)
Characters: Pied Piper, Trickster (tolja he'd be along)
Summary: The appearance of another Rogue means a sudden change in plans for the Trickster
It was a bright and sunny day. The lilacs were blooming and their fragrance wafted through the open windows of the auditorium. Hank McKenna, current mayor of Keystone, now running for state governor, was about to give his speech. No one noticed that his smile was just a trifle on the glassy side.
Almost no one. And his body language seemed a little strange, a little unnatural. The blue eyes that had noticed were accustomed to noticing such things. Their owner hunkered down behind a second-storey pillar to watch.
Perhaps not? The speech was delivered, sounding as speeches always sound. McKenna was moving and speaking more normally. For a moment, the hidden observer wondered if he hadn't been mistaken, if the man had simply been nervous. A subtle movement, a brief glimpse of green and the blue eyes frowned - was there someone standing in the shadows over there? He looked... and found he couldn't. So he tried looking out of the corner of his eyes and sure enough, there was.
Well well. Someone he could see but couldn't see, and the mayor acting jusssst a tiny bit odd. Curiouser and curiouser. He took out a mirror and turned around, turning the mirror until it reflected the shadowed area. The blue eyes stared for a moment, then he took out the magnifying mirror to try to get a better look at the distant shape.
Oh my!
The question period started and McKenna's glassy look returned. The hidden man listened with half an ear then abruptly looked up, Did he just say that?!? He turned and looked down and found his eyes once again sliding off the figure in the shadows. He bit down laughter as the mayor answered another question with considerably more honesty than one would expect of anyone running for governor.
Shock and laughter were running through the assembly. One of the reporters asked a few questions about the mess with former police chief Bugatti, and a few other scandals. The answers were rocking the house but the hidden man turned the mirror again. Is she doing that? Is she controlling him somehow?
Evidently someone else had suspected the same thing. A team of security guards came in, wearing earmuffs. Sound hypnosis? Like the Fiddler? Even more interesting. He'd heard that there was a sonic hypnotist in the Twin Cities but he hadn't paid much attention. This must be the Pied Piper, then, he thought. He tried to recall what he knew about the Piper, which wasn't much. Some sort of social activist, right? That fit with what was going on here.
Now that the jig was up, the shadowed figure stepped out of the shadows. From this distance, he couldn't see much and the dark green cloak obscured the rest, but the movements, solid, graceful and sure, were pleasing. He dug out his binoculars and tried to get a better look. He caught a glimpse of an elfin face then was dazzled by the coppery hair.
The security guards were firing. They were just blanks but blanks could still hurt, but they never touched the green-clad figure. She blew a sharp blast on her flute and the guards screamed as their sound-damping earmuffs cracked apart.
Apparently, the jig was not up! The Piper played another tune and made the guards dance a perfect Macarena. The hidden man burst out laughing and the sharp sounds echoed around the auditorium. Taking advantage of the distraction, the Pied Piper bolted for the exit. Merda! I'm going to lose her! Giving up all of his plans, the man leaped from hiding and soared down, running on air. Cackling wildly, he slapped the mayor in the face with a banana cream pie, then ran out after the redhead.
The Piper ran out onto the auditorium roof and leaped, landing in a breakfall on the subroof below. She rolled smoothly to her feet and ran on. She scaled down the suicide ladder and leaped across to the roof of the theater, then hid in the lee of the elevator tower and played a quiet tune on her flute. The sounds of pursuit faded.
Most of them. He'd really had to run to keep her in his sight and he tried to get his breath back -- can't make a good impression when one is panting like a dog. She seemed to be listening intently. As he drew closer, the Piper glanced over her shoulder, leaning a little to peer around the side of the elevator tower.
There was a man standing there wearing eye-bleeding blue and yellow stripes and a royal blue cape. He was blond and blue eyes sparkled behind the domino mask. He also wore a pair of silly-looking elf shoes that were floating almost a meter off the surface of the roof. He smiled a dazzling smile and bowed with overcourteous theatricality, "I wasn't aware that the Twin Cities had a warrior for social justice as lovely as you, my lady," he said, "Some call me the Trickster but you, you may call me James Jesse."
The Piper stared blankly then blinked a few times and tipped her head. The long coppery hair fell free over the cloaked shoulder and the silly stocking cap flopped to one side. The one eye that he could see was filled with apprehensive puzzlement, and was the prettiest shade of sky blue. "Speechless with wonder and you haven't even seen what I have cooked up for these intolerant politicians," the Trickster continued easily, "Banana flavoured righteousness, if you wish to partake of some of the spares later?"
Piper stepped out of the shadows, "What the hell are you talking about?"
The Trickster stepped back in shock. "You're... you... Holy shit!!" The Pied Piper was a man!? ...the Pied Piper was even more attractive close up... "Ummm... Well, we should just get this done annnnnd I guess I owe you a drink," Trickster babbled, flustered. How the hell could he have misread him so badly? How could he have been so far off? Was he losing his skills?
Piper rolled his eyes and sighed resignedly - another idiot mistook him for a girl. Maybe he should lose the hair? Pity, though, despite the stripes and the horrible pixie-boots, this guy's a real hotty.
"I'm sorry, man -- no harm no foul?" Trickster spread his hands apologetically, wondering if he was about to get his ass kicked. "So, um, drinks? I'll buy, but I don't really know this area very well - just came by to deal with this windbag - maybe you know the local joints?" ...Oh dear, his offer of alcohol didn't seem to be going over very well.
Piper rolled his eyes again then smirked, feeling bratty, "I mainly know the gay bars."
Gay. The man was gay. Did that explain why his body language had thrown Trickster so completely? Trickster hadn't known many homosexuals and even now the man moved with elegance and grace and he'd seen that breakfall... Maybe he was a martial artist? He was smirking at Trickster's confusion and the smile and the glint in the sky-blue eyes were just so, so... James swallowed, shaking on the inside, but the Trickster wasn't nervous by nature and the Trickster would say, "Gay bars? Well, if they serve alcohol, that's all the same, and who am I to deny an entire half of the population from admiring my fine lines?"
The green-clad.. maaaaan shifted again and tilted his head with the speculative look of someone enjoying a joke at someone else's expense (well, the Trickster could totally get behind that.) "They tend to admire rather physically."
The voice was low and musical, rich as zabaglione, but above all, male. James felt a whimper slip out but covered it quickly, no way the man heard it. "I'm a big boy, if I didn't know how to deal with a few handsy horny men, would I be here right now?" Trickster jerked his thumb back towards the auditorium.
Piper, of course, had heard that whimper loud and clear. Despite that whimper, despite mistaking him for a woman, this guy's still hitting on him? He tipped his head, very intrigued, "I dunno.. James, was it? Republicans aren't exactly known for their performance. I can't think of any other reason why their conventions are all sponsored by Viagra."
"The commercials are as much for them as their constituants, the guys who can't get it up and get jealous of those who can and try to limit their choices."
Piper broke into a grin -- here's a hot super-type guy hitting on him and trying to speak his language. "You threw that pie? I think I should be buying the drinks." Trickster wiped some spattered whipped cream off his cuff and licked it off, mumbling "Lead the way" around his finger. Piper grinned -- yeah, this guy was definitely putting the moves on him, despite mistaking him for a girl and despite clearly being nervous about him being a guy. That was.... kind of nice, actually. "Alright. I know a quiet place." He thought for a second, making a decision, "DaVinci's, at eight?"
"Sure! I'll be out of costume but I'm pretty sure if you look for the blue-eyed blond bombshell, you'll be able to find me -- if I don't find you first!" The Trickster beamed and shot up into the air then raced out across the sky.
* * * *
Piper rubbed his hair dry then pulled it back into a ponytail. He pulled on a pair of tight jeans and a forest-green silk shirt, leaving it partially unbuttoned. It was rather sweet that the cute guy was so attracted to him that he continued to hit on him even after realising that he wasn't a girl (man, he's really gotta do something about that.) It was flattering. And...... alright, mayyyyyybe his ego needed a bit of a boost. He was still stinging after Charley, even though it was months ago. One thing for sure, this Trickster was not going to have an issue with his M.O!
He checked his appearance and decided he looked suitably unthreatening. He slung an autumn-coloured cardigan over his shoulder and stepped out. DaVinci's was more like a rainbow-friendly lounge, a very quiet hole-in-the-wall with a nice jazz ensemble. It was not-so-well-known in the gay community as a nice place to go when you didn't want to be pawed like a molestation lawsuit.
James had returned to his apartment immediately, setting to finding the perfect outfit and getting his hair in place before he stopped and fell back on the bed, screaming into his pillow. WHAT THE HELL DID HE THINK HE WAS DOING? He wanted.. goddammit, he didn't know. He'd always been an experience junkie and maybe that was it, but if it was truly just sex, he could always go pick up a girl. But all jokes aside, that music-playing fellow was just hypnotic! Why hadn't he known about him before? Well, that's what you get when you go globe-trotting for six months, he sighed to himself, You miss out on all the local stuff.
So. DaVinci's. Nice place, cute stand-up of the David... even though that was Michelangelo's piece, the fig-leaf was a nice touch. James looked around, not sure what he'd been expecting of a gay bar but this wasn't it. This looked like any other jazz cafe save for the slightly higher proportion of males to females. Correction, male couples to female couples. He wondered if it was good form to call out, then realised he didn't even know the guy's name, yet he'd given his own moniker away. Damn!
Then he caught a flash of copper hair and green holy..!! He looked more male now but still something else and yeah, the polka-dot suit dipped but the silk shirt was almost obscene and the jeans...! James stepped forward and the only thought in his mind was Yes!
Hm. Not stood up after all, Piper thought as he watched the blond man approach. Orange shirt with thin blue pin stripes, dark blue slacks with thin orange pin stripes... that outfit had to have been professionally made, especially for the stripes to line up like that. He was even more attractive without the domino mask and his expression of wide-eyed enchantment made Piper smile. "Hi there."
"Hi yourself, you..." James shook his head and grinned, "I'm sorry, I never got your name."
"I'm Piper," he replied, reaching across the table.
"Wow! - so were your parents just really prophetic with the naming?" James smiled back before impulsively catching the offered hand and giving it a chaste kiss.
Piper grinned. The impulsive kiss swept away the quick burst of irritation over the mention of his parents - guy didn't know any better, after all. "Personal choice," he said, lightly squeezing James?'s fingers.
James smiled wider. Reading the man's body language, he knew he'd made a faux pas with his statement but didn't know which part of it had been the trip. Better stay away from both subjects, he thought. Then he realised that Piper had spoken to him, "Hm? I'm sorry..."
Piper chuckled. He'd had this reaction before, not always when he was playing his flute. "I said, were you flying when you threw that pie?"
"Hm? Oh yeah, of course."
"You're meta?"
"Hell no, I actually work to be this good."
"Rubber chickens take work?" Piper arched an amused eyebrow, thinking of what he'd read.
James smiled widely, "You'd be surprised how much time I spend choking the chicken to get them calibrated just right. It's hard work, but it's better then fowling up because I made some finicky cockup in the design and engineering phase."
Piper chuckled at the puns and 'choke the chicken' euphamism, "You're an engineer?"
"An ex-aerialist but you'd be surprised what fear, necessity and free time can accomplish."
"Aerialist?"
"Sometimes, more often than not I was walking the fine line."
"Between fear and necessity?" Piper sipped his cappucino and grinned, "I wouldn't have thought rubber chickens were that scary."
James couldn't believe he'd let that slip. Who was the con artist here? Damn the guy for being so comfortable, he was a good listener who knew all the tricks. "I mayhavehadafearofheights," he muttered into a sip of his drink.
Piper tipped his head, interested, "Yet you can fly?"
James blinked in surprise -- how had he heard that? "Well, it isn't enough to overcome your fears..." he blathered, covering, "You have to learn to laugh at them or they'll haunt you forever. If you run then all you are proving is that they are greater then you and my ego wouldn't let that be so here I am. Helps though when you can fly and make a big entrance!"
"If one is the type, yes," Piper grinned, very intrigued by this pretty, nervous yet plucky young man, "I was impressed by the pie. That took moxy."
"Do you know how hard it is to get the filling to stay firm and the crust not to be rock solid? I didn't want to be throwing deadly pies but if I had just been winging it that may have been an incidental... I've always preferred cooking to baking same principles but the savory things are much better in the end."
"I'm envious. I can't cook."
"Ahh, a Kraft Dinner and make mine microwavable guy?"
Piper winced, "Microwave. I can't even make Kraft Dinner. I don't know why, I follow the directions..." He sighed.
James snorted, barely finishing the gulp of his drink before he said, "KD is like the first thing your pa-- oh um and I have something for you..." James had almost made a comment on Piper's parents before catching himself. He pulled out a small box and offered it a bit hesitantly. Piper took it with his free hand, with arched puzzled eyebrow, expression cautiously inquisitive. "I noticed your snake charmer music theme thing," James explained, "And uhh well I thought you might like them."
"Ah?" Piper opened the box. Inside was a pair of ear-bud headphones. He took them out to take a closer look at them. Then he put on his glasses to take a very close look at them. "Where did you get these?"
"Same place I get all my gear," James smiled, feeling oddly nervous, "From rubber chickens to flying shoes and invisibility cloaks, I'm your man."
Piper glanced up, "...You made these?"
"Yup," James scratched the back of his head, "I was all, wouldn't that be cool one night and then I just never use 'em."
Piper looked at him appraisingly over the tops of his glasses, "Reaaaally. Why not?"
"Well there is a minor drawback -- they sometimes throw off my flying," James explained, "Y'know, focusing in on the sounds and before you know it, you're upside-down and headed toward a skyscraper at an alarming rate."
Piper grinned widely, "I can see how that could be a concern."
"Yeah, and it's either phasing or anti-grav at that point and you don't want to try phasing with a projector that's still in alpha."
Piper peered over the tops of his glasses again, "Flying isn't anti-gravity?"
"Naah, the principles were too finicky. I went purist with my flying. It's air currents, kinda like gliding combined with some serious air cushioning," James explained, "Think of it like I make tiny unseen clouds that I walk along and man I sound like a nutjob...!"
Piper glanced at the headphones then back at James, grinning, appraising. "Really," he glanced at the headphones again, "I might have thought you were a nutjob if I didn't have these in front of me."
"But you haven't even put them on and- wait you tinker too, aw man," James briefly covered his face with his hand, feeling like an idiot. The man could control people with a flute, what were the odds that he already had stuff like this? He felt like a fool for not even thinking of it. "That means these must look like crap and I meant well?" James said with an apologetic shrug.
Piper grinned wider, "I do, but these are not crap. On the contrary, these are the most sophisticated acoustics I've seen outside of my own workshop. I'm impressed." ...His own still blew them out of the ballpark but that went without saying.
James looked hopeful, "Maybe you could help me modify them so they don't wind up distracting me from my flying? I mean, not that pair, those are for you, I can make a new set but ... Walking on air, while I make it seem easy, does take a bit more concious effort."
"Nothing's ever as easy as the pros make it look. That's why we're pros," Piper said, looking over the phones. They were sophisticated sound amplifiers, similar in principle to his own cybernetic implants. And this guy was giving them to him as a.. a courtship gift? "Yes, I think I could work something out. It's probably a conflict in frequencies."
"Great!" James beamed, "I guess we'd need to go back to your place to sort that kinda thing out?"
Could you have 'can I fuck you?' written any larger? Piper leaned back, giving him a speculative look. He was chatty, easy to listen to, by the look of it extremely intelligent and very creative... then he noticed that neither of them had let go their hands. Had they been holding hands all this time? Apparently! "That is where I keep my equipment."
James followed Piper's eyes and holy shit! - He'd been holding the man's hand this entire time?? He felt a blush crawling up his face but said, "I'd hope your equipment isn't all at home though I understand the importance of keeping your tools in working order and working in a familiar environment."
Piper arched an amused, bantering eyebrow, "Think I'd share all of my secrets on the first date?"
"I doubt that is even possible, because there are depths I know will take more than a few to unravel in all the right ways," James replied, watching Piper's face.
Piper tipped his head, bemused. He was a good listener, it was how he operated. He listened to people, people told him things and he listened to the things they didn't say. And he was having trouble deciding whether this James was merely a bi-curious looking for a one-night stand, or if it went deeper than that. "Much more than just a few."
James forced his eyes to meet Piper's and say all of it - the curiosity, the hope, the 'omg I need more someway somehow' - all of it. "That settles it then, doesn't it?"
After a moment, Piper replied, "I guess it does."
James's smile was smaller and shyer but something about it was stronger than all of the previous smiles. He glanced around, then threw caution to the wind and leaned across the table to kiss Piper. It was the first time he'd kissed a guy and he wasn't sure if he meant it as a joke or not but Piper held his hand tighter. It was sweet and tender, not like any gay stereotype he knew of. Then Piper sat back and smiled with another speculative glance. He tossed a twenty onto the table and stood up, pulling his autumn-coloured cardigan over his shoulder with another smile, "Did you drive?"
"I flew," James stuck out his tongue and wiggled the blue pixie boots still on his feet.
Piper blinked, then looked up with an amused expression, "My car's out back." James nodded and followed him out. Piper got in and put the key in the engine but didn't turn it over yet. He paused for a moment and looked at James, then asked in a soft, low voice, "... Why me?"
James hesitated for several moments. "I don't know," he said at last, "I don't know what it is about you."
"It's never happened before?"
"No. I mean, a passing thought or look now and then but... I'm a con artist, one of the best. I read people. You're something special, don't ask me how."
Piper gazed at him for several long minutes, then smiled and started the car.
Title: Across a Crowded Room
Author: Katzedecimal
Rating: M for lingo and concepts (two guys talking about shagging, okay)
Characters: Pied Piper, Trickster (tolja he'd be along)
Summary: The appearance of another Rogue means a sudden change in plans for the Trickster
It was a bright and sunny day. The lilacs were blooming and their fragrance wafted through the open windows of the auditorium. Hank McKenna, current mayor of Keystone, now running for state governor, was about to give his speech. No one noticed that his smile was just a trifle on the glassy side.
Almost no one. And his body language seemed a little strange, a little unnatural. The blue eyes that had noticed were accustomed to noticing such things. Their owner hunkered down behind a second-storey pillar to watch.
Perhaps not? The speech was delivered, sounding as speeches always sound. McKenna was moving and speaking more normally. For a moment, the hidden observer wondered if he hadn't been mistaken, if the man had simply been nervous. A subtle movement, a brief glimpse of green and the blue eyes frowned - was there someone standing in the shadows over there? He looked... and found he couldn't. So he tried looking out of the corner of his eyes and sure enough, there was.
Well well. Someone he could see but couldn't see, and the mayor acting jusssst a tiny bit odd. Curiouser and curiouser. He took out a mirror and turned around, turning the mirror until it reflected the shadowed area. The blue eyes stared for a moment, then he took out the magnifying mirror to try to get a better look at the distant shape.
Oh my!
The question period started and McKenna's glassy look returned. The hidden man listened with half an ear then abruptly looked up, Did he just say that?!? He turned and looked down and found his eyes once again sliding off the figure in the shadows. He bit down laughter as the mayor answered another question with considerably more honesty than one would expect of anyone running for governor.
Shock and laughter were running through the assembly. One of the reporters asked a few questions about the mess with former police chief Bugatti, and a few other scandals. The answers were rocking the house but the hidden man turned the mirror again. Is she doing that? Is she controlling him somehow?
Evidently someone else had suspected the same thing. A team of security guards came in, wearing earmuffs. Sound hypnosis? Like the Fiddler? Even more interesting. He'd heard that there was a sonic hypnotist in the Twin Cities but he hadn't paid much attention. This must be the Pied Piper, then, he thought. He tried to recall what he knew about the Piper, which wasn't much. Some sort of social activist, right? That fit with what was going on here.
Now that the jig was up, the shadowed figure stepped out of the shadows. From this distance, he couldn't see much and the dark green cloak obscured the rest, but the movements, solid, graceful and sure, were pleasing. He dug out his binoculars and tried to get a better look. He caught a glimpse of an elfin face then was dazzled by the coppery hair.
The security guards were firing. They were just blanks but blanks could still hurt, but they never touched the green-clad figure. She blew a sharp blast on her flute and the guards screamed as their sound-damping earmuffs cracked apart.
Apparently, the jig was not up! The Piper played another tune and made the guards dance a perfect Macarena. The hidden man burst out laughing and the sharp sounds echoed around the auditorium. Taking advantage of the distraction, the Pied Piper bolted for the exit. Merda! I'm going to lose her! Giving up all of his plans, the man leaped from hiding and soared down, running on air. Cackling wildly, he slapped the mayor in the face with a banana cream pie, then ran out after the redhead.
The Piper ran out onto the auditorium roof and leaped, landing in a breakfall on the subroof below. She rolled smoothly to her feet and ran on. She scaled down the suicide ladder and leaped across to the roof of the theater, then hid in the lee of the elevator tower and played a quiet tune on her flute. The sounds of pursuit faded.
Most of them. He'd really had to run to keep her in his sight and he tried to get his breath back -- can't make a good impression when one is panting like a dog. She seemed to be listening intently. As he drew closer, the Piper glanced over her shoulder, leaning a little to peer around the side of the elevator tower.
There was a man standing there wearing eye-bleeding blue and yellow stripes and a royal blue cape. He was blond and blue eyes sparkled behind the domino mask. He also wore a pair of silly-looking elf shoes that were floating almost a meter off the surface of the roof. He smiled a dazzling smile and bowed with overcourteous theatricality, "I wasn't aware that the Twin Cities had a warrior for social justice as lovely as you, my lady," he said, "Some call me the Trickster but you, you may call me James Jesse."
The Piper stared blankly then blinked a few times and tipped her head. The long coppery hair fell free over the cloaked shoulder and the silly stocking cap flopped to one side. The one eye that he could see was filled with apprehensive puzzlement, and was the prettiest shade of sky blue. "Speechless with wonder and you haven't even seen what I have cooked up for these intolerant politicians," the Trickster continued easily, "Banana flavoured righteousness, if you wish to partake of some of the spares later?"
Piper stepped out of the shadows, "What the hell are you talking about?"
The Trickster stepped back in shock. "You're... you... Holy shit!!" The Pied Piper was a man!? ...the Pied Piper was even more attractive close up... "Ummm... Well, we should just get this done annnnnd I guess I owe you a drink," Trickster babbled, flustered. How the hell could he have misread him so badly? How could he have been so far off? Was he losing his skills?
Piper rolled his eyes and sighed resignedly - another idiot mistook him for a girl. Maybe he should lose the hair? Pity, though, despite the stripes and the horrible pixie-boots, this guy's a real hotty.
"I'm sorry, man -- no harm no foul?" Trickster spread his hands apologetically, wondering if he was about to get his ass kicked. "So, um, drinks? I'll buy, but I don't really know this area very well - just came by to deal with this windbag - maybe you know the local joints?" ...Oh dear, his offer of alcohol didn't seem to be going over very well.
Piper rolled his eyes again then smirked, feeling bratty, "I mainly know the gay bars."
Gay. The man was gay. Did that explain why his body language had thrown Trickster so completely? Trickster hadn't known many homosexuals and even now the man moved with elegance and grace and he'd seen that breakfall... Maybe he was a martial artist? He was smirking at Trickster's confusion and the smile and the glint in the sky-blue eyes were just so, so... James swallowed, shaking on the inside, but the Trickster wasn't nervous by nature and the Trickster would say, "Gay bars? Well, if they serve alcohol, that's all the same, and who am I to deny an entire half of the population from admiring my fine lines?"
The green-clad.. maaaaan shifted again and tilted his head with the speculative look of someone enjoying a joke at someone else's expense (well, the Trickster could totally get behind that.) "They tend to admire rather physically."
The voice was low and musical, rich as zabaglione, but above all, male. James felt a whimper slip out but covered it quickly, no way the man heard it. "I'm a big boy, if I didn't know how to deal with a few handsy horny men, would I be here right now?" Trickster jerked his thumb back towards the auditorium.
Piper, of course, had heard that whimper loud and clear. Despite that whimper, despite mistaking him for a woman, this guy's still hitting on him? He tipped his head, very intrigued, "I dunno.. James, was it? Republicans aren't exactly known for their performance. I can't think of any other reason why their conventions are all sponsored by Viagra."
"The commercials are as much for them as their constituants, the guys who can't get it up and get jealous of those who can and try to limit their choices."
Piper broke into a grin -- here's a hot super-type guy hitting on him and trying to speak his language. "You threw that pie? I think I should be buying the drinks." Trickster wiped some spattered whipped cream off his cuff and licked it off, mumbling "Lead the way" around his finger. Piper grinned -- yeah, this guy was definitely putting the moves on him, despite mistaking him for a girl and despite clearly being nervous about him being a guy. That was.... kind of nice, actually. "Alright. I know a quiet place." He thought for a second, making a decision, "DaVinci's, at eight?"
"Sure! I'll be out of costume but I'm pretty sure if you look for the blue-eyed blond bombshell, you'll be able to find me -- if I don't find you first!" The Trickster beamed and shot up into the air then raced out across the sky.
* * * *
Piper rubbed his hair dry then pulled it back into a ponytail. He pulled on a pair of tight jeans and a forest-green silk shirt, leaving it partially unbuttoned. It was rather sweet that the cute guy was so attracted to him that he continued to hit on him even after realising that he wasn't a girl (man, he's really gotta do something about that.) It was flattering. And...... alright, mayyyyyybe his ego needed a bit of a boost. He was still stinging after Charley, even though it was months ago. One thing for sure, this Trickster was not going to have an issue with his M.O!
He checked his appearance and decided he looked suitably unthreatening. He slung an autumn-coloured cardigan over his shoulder and stepped out. DaVinci's was more like a rainbow-friendly lounge, a very quiet hole-in-the-wall with a nice jazz ensemble. It was not-so-well-known in the gay community as a nice place to go when you didn't want to be pawed like a molestation lawsuit.
James had returned to his apartment immediately, setting to finding the perfect outfit and getting his hair in place before he stopped and fell back on the bed, screaming into his pillow. WHAT THE HELL DID HE THINK HE WAS DOING? He wanted.. goddammit, he didn't know. He'd always been an experience junkie and maybe that was it, but if it was truly just sex, he could always go pick up a girl. But all jokes aside, that music-playing fellow was just hypnotic! Why hadn't he known about him before? Well, that's what you get when you go globe-trotting for six months, he sighed to himself, You miss out on all the local stuff.
So. DaVinci's. Nice place, cute stand-up of the David... even though that was Michelangelo's piece, the fig-leaf was a nice touch. James looked around, not sure what he'd been expecting of a gay bar but this wasn't it. This looked like any other jazz cafe save for the slightly higher proportion of males to females. Correction, male couples to female couples. He wondered if it was good form to call out, then realised he didn't even know the guy's name, yet he'd given his own moniker away. Damn!
Then he caught a flash of copper hair and green holy..!! He looked more male now but still something else and yeah, the polka-dot suit dipped but the silk shirt was almost obscene and the jeans...! James stepped forward and the only thought in his mind was Yes!
Hm. Not stood up after all, Piper thought as he watched the blond man approach. Orange shirt with thin blue pin stripes, dark blue slacks with thin orange pin stripes... that outfit had to have been professionally made, especially for the stripes to line up like that. He was even more attractive without the domino mask and his expression of wide-eyed enchantment made Piper smile. "Hi there."
"Hi yourself, you..." James shook his head and grinned, "I'm sorry, I never got your name."
"I'm Piper," he replied, reaching across the table.
"Wow! - so were your parents just really prophetic with the naming?" James smiled back before impulsively catching the offered hand and giving it a chaste kiss.
Piper grinned. The impulsive kiss swept away the quick burst of irritation over the mention of his parents - guy didn't know any better, after all. "Personal choice," he said, lightly squeezing James?'s fingers.
James smiled wider. Reading the man's body language, he knew he'd made a faux pas with his statement but didn't know which part of it had been the trip. Better stay away from both subjects, he thought. Then he realised that Piper had spoken to him, "Hm? I'm sorry..."
Piper chuckled. He'd had this reaction before, not always when he was playing his flute. "I said, were you flying when you threw that pie?"
"Hm? Oh yeah, of course."
"You're meta?"
"Hell no, I actually work to be this good."
"Rubber chickens take work?" Piper arched an amused eyebrow, thinking of what he'd read.
James smiled widely, "You'd be surprised how much time I spend choking the chicken to get them calibrated just right. It's hard work, but it's better then fowling up because I made some finicky cockup in the design and engineering phase."
Piper chuckled at the puns and 'choke the chicken' euphamism, "You're an engineer?"
"An ex-aerialist but you'd be surprised what fear, necessity and free time can accomplish."
"Aerialist?"
"Sometimes, more often than not I was walking the fine line."
"Between fear and necessity?" Piper sipped his cappucino and grinned, "I wouldn't have thought rubber chickens were that scary."
James couldn't believe he'd let that slip. Who was the con artist here? Damn the guy for being so comfortable, he was a good listener who knew all the tricks. "I mayhavehadafearofheights," he muttered into a sip of his drink.
Piper tipped his head, interested, "Yet you can fly?"
James blinked in surprise -- how had he heard that? "Well, it isn't enough to overcome your fears..." he blathered, covering, "You have to learn to laugh at them or they'll haunt you forever. If you run then all you are proving is that they are greater then you and my ego wouldn't let that be so here I am. Helps though when you can fly and make a big entrance!"
"If one is the type, yes," Piper grinned, very intrigued by this pretty, nervous yet plucky young man, "I was impressed by the pie. That took moxy."
"Do you know how hard it is to get the filling to stay firm and the crust not to be rock solid? I didn't want to be throwing deadly pies but if I had just been winging it that may have been an incidental... I've always preferred cooking to baking same principles but the savory things are much better in the end."
"I'm envious. I can't cook."
"Ahh, a Kraft Dinner and make mine microwavable guy?"
Piper winced, "Microwave. I can't even make Kraft Dinner. I don't know why, I follow the directions..." He sighed.
James snorted, barely finishing the gulp of his drink before he said, "KD is like the first thing your pa-- oh um and I have something for you..." James had almost made a comment on Piper's parents before catching himself. He pulled out a small box and offered it a bit hesitantly. Piper took it with his free hand, with arched puzzled eyebrow, expression cautiously inquisitive. "I noticed your snake charmer music theme thing," James explained, "And uhh well I thought you might like them."
"Ah?" Piper opened the box. Inside was a pair of ear-bud headphones. He took them out to take a closer look at them. Then he put on his glasses to take a very close look at them. "Where did you get these?"
"Same place I get all my gear," James smiled, feeling oddly nervous, "From rubber chickens to flying shoes and invisibility cloaks, I'm your man."
Piper glanced up, "...You made these?"
"Yup," James scratched the back of his head, "I was all, wouldn't that be cool one night and then I just never use 'em."
Piper looked at him appraisingly over the tops of his glasses, "Reaaaally. Why not?"
"Well there is a minor drawback -- they sometimes throw off my flying," James explained, "Y'know, focusing in on the sounds and before you know it, you're upside-down and headed toward a skyscraper at an alarming rate."
Piper grinned widely, "I can see how that could be a concern."
"Yeah, and it's either phasing or anti-grav at that point and you don't want to try phasing with a projector that's still in alpha."
Piper peered over the tops of his glasses again, "Flying isn't anti-gravity?"
"Naah, the principles were too finicky. I went purist with my flying. It's air currents, kinda like gliding combined with some serious air cushioning," James explained, "Think of it like I make tiny unseen clouds that I walk along and man I sound like a nutjob...!"
Piper glanced at the headphones then back at James, grinning, appraising. "Really," he glanced at the headphones again, "I might have thought you were a nutjob if I didn't have these in front of me."
"But you haven't even put them on and- wait you tinker too, aw man," James briefly covered his face with his hand, feeling like an idiot. The man could control people with a flute, what were the odds that he already had stuff like this? He felt like a fool for not even thinking of it. "That means these must look like crap and I meant well?" James said with an apologetic shrug.
Piper grinned wider, "I do, but these are not crap. On the contrary, these are the most sophisticated acoustics I've seen outside of my own workshop. I'm impressed." ...His own still blew them out of the ballpark but that went without saying.
James looked hopeful, "Maybe you could help me modify them so they don't wind up distracting me from my flying? I mean, not that pair, those are for you, I can make a new set but ... Walking on air, while I make it seem easy, does take a bit more concious effort."
"Nothing's ever as easy as the pros make it look. That's why we're pros," Piper said, looking over the phones. They were sophisticated sound amplifiers, similar in principle to his own cybernetic implants. And this guy was giving them to him as a.. a courtship gift? "Yes, I think I could work something out. It's probably a conflict in frequencies."
"Great!" James beamed, "I guess we'd need to go back to your place to sort that kinda thing out?"
Could you have 'can I fuck you?' written any larger? Piper leaned back, giving him a speculative look. He was chatty, easy to listen to, by the look of it extremely intelligent and very creative... then he noticed that neither of them had let go their hands. Had they been holding hands all this time? Apparently! "That is where I keep my equipment."
James followed Piper's eyes and holy shit! - He'd been holding the man's hand this entire time?? He felt a blush crawling up his face but said, "I'd hope your equipment isn't all at home though I understand the importance of keeping your tools in working order and working in a familiar environment."
Piper arched an amused, bantering eyebrow, "Think I'd share all of my secrets on the first date?"
"I doubt that is even possible, because there are depths I know will take more than a few to unravel in all the right ways," James replied, watching Piper's face.
Piper tipped his head, bemused. He was a good listener, it was how he operated. He listened to people, people told him things and he listened to the things they didn't say. And he was having trouble deciding whether this James was merely a bi-curious looking for a one-night stand, or if it went deeper than that. "Much more than just a few."
James forced his eyes to meet Piper's and say all of it - the curiosity, the hope, the 'omg I need more someway somehow' - all of it. "That settles it then, doesn't it?"
After a moment, Piper replied, "I guess it does."
James's smile was smaller and shyer but something about it was stronger than all of the previous smiles. He glanced around, then threw caution to the wind and leaned across the table to kiss Piper. It was the first time he'd kissed a guy and he wasn't sure if he meant it as a joke or not but Piper held his hand tighter. It was sweet and tender, not like any gay stereotype he knew of. Then Piper sat back and smiled with another speculative glance. He tossed a twenty onto the table and stood up, pulling his autumn-coloured cardigan over his shoulder with another smile, "Did you drive?"
"I flew," James stuck out his tongue and wiggled the blue pixie boots still on his feet.
Piper blinked, then looked up with an amused expression, "My car's out back." James nodded and followed him out. Piper got in and put the key in the engine but didn't turn it over yet. He paused for a moment and looked at James, then asked in a soft, low voice, "... Why me?"
James hesitated for several moments. "I don't know," he said at last, "I don't know what it is about you."
"It's never happened before?"
"No. I mean, a passing thought or look now and then but... I'm a con artist, one of the best. I read people. You're something special, don't ask me how."
Piper gazed at him for several long minutes, then smiled and started the car.