..and I wasn't even gay until five minutes ago (Black Lagoon, Chang/Rock, Mature)
Title: ...and I wasn't even gay until five minutes ago
Author: lady_ganesh
Rating: Mature
Pairing: Chang/Rock
Prompt: mindgames - one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that
Notes: Title ripped from Texts from Last Night. Thanks to opalmatrix for the quick beta.
Life as a gangster had its privileges: Chang might have had the best air conditioner in Ronanpour. Rock closed his eyes and let the fresh, frigid air blow over his shirt. His tie fluttered against his chest.
"You about ready?"
Rock nodded and turned away from the blasting air. He was almost looking forward to this. Lagoon Company had run enough jobs for both the Triad and their Vietnamese business partners to have a reputation as an honest broker, so Rock had been picked to translate for the third party they'd chosen in Sweden. Not much in Ronanpour qualified as easy money, but this might be the closest you could get, with free drinks and air conditioning as an added bonus.
"All right," Chang said, nodding at Lien. "Let's get started."
While the call was live, Chang and Lien were strictly business, and things went smoothly. Rock almost thought everything was going to work out.
Then Chang pressed the button and hung up the speakerphone. "Thanks, Rock," he said, pressing his hand heavily against the back of Rock's neck. "So--"
"You son of a bitch," Rock said, as Chang shoved him down and the gunfire started.
"Relax, Rock, just lie back and it'll all be over," Chang muttered. He'd pulled one of his guns out and was shooting over Rock's back; he weighed more than Rock would have expected. Rock wondered why he hadn't thought to put on a vest before he left Lagoon. He should have. People tried to shoot Chang all the time, even when he didn't shoot first.
"What the hell are you doing?" Rock sputtered over the gunfire. "You didn't tell me--"
"Of course we didn't," Chang said. Rock wished he'd at least had some earplugs; a small part of his brain started evaluating how much hearing he'd lost in the past year and a half. It kept him from trying to crawl under the table, which had been his first instinct. Chang would never let him hear the end of it though, and the guy was heavy.
Lien had brought three men with him; Rock wondered how long it would take Chang's people to kill them all. He didn't have any doubt they'd pull it off; Lien was outnumbered, and he'd never seen Chang lose a firefight.
When the shots died down and Rock's ears stopped ringing, one of Chang's men had been hit in the arm, but they were otherwise unscathed. Chang shifted his weight, and suddenly Rock could breathe properly again. "You all right?"
"Yeah," Rock said, getting up. "Next time, you could warn me."
Chang grinned. "Where would the fun be in that?" He straightened the lapels of his suit. "Besides, I wanted to keep you out of it. No one would work with you if they thought you were the kind of guy who went along with stabbing people in the back."
Rock looked at the chaos. "I thought you guys had worked out a deal."
"So had I," Chang said, nodding at one of his gunmen. "But we found out Lien was working his own game." The gunman opened up the window blind, and Chang nodded in that direction.
Rock walked over. There were two late-model cars on fire in the street.
"That was the ambush," Chang peered deliberately over his shoulder. "There are two more cars on the other side of the building, and that's not counting the goons who were waiting at the door."
The gunman offered Rock a cigarette. Rock took it.
"Anyway, over and done now." Chang stepped back from the window and carefully smoothed down his hair. "I'll wire your payment to Benny."
"Yeah," Rock said, digging his matches out of his pocket. "Thanks."
Chang nodded at the gunman. The guy beat Rock to the task, holding out a lit match for him as he normally did for Chang.
"Uh, thanks."
"I'm starving," Chang said. "You?"
It was very strange to be alone with Chang, well, as alone as you got with two guys listening on the other side of the door. It clearly meant the man was up to something, even if Rock couldn't figure out what.
Chang stuffed noodles into his mouth with the gusto of a dying man. "C'mon, eat up," he said to Rock. "It'll cool you off."
Rock sighed and picked up the chopsticks. "Why are we eating again?"
"Told you," Chang said through bites of food. "Starving. Aren't you hungry?"
Rock shrugged and ate. He'd gotten used to adjusting his appetite to the needs of his work. He'd also gotten used to not turning down a free meal. "So what's the game?" he asked. "What am I doing here?"
"What, I can't feed you? You did a good job. It's taken a while, but you've finally gotten the nerve for this work."
"Thanks, I guess," Rock said. The noodles were pretty good. Just spicy enough.
"Don't even kid yourself, Rock," Chang said cheerfully. He'd slowed down a little. "I've known guys like you all my life. Rotten to the core, just like me. It's what I like about you."
A dim but recognizable light came on in Rock's mind. "I see. Is that why your guys are out in the hallways?"
Chang's smile amplified the light to near-blinding. "You pick up fast. That's the other thing I like about you."
"Not my winning smile?" Rock asked. "My rugged good looks?"
"Either of those keep you alive in this business?" Chang didn't wait for Rock's answer. "Then I could give a shit."
"I was almost flattered for a second," Rock said.
"You should be flattered now," Chang said. "A lot of people would give a lot of money for a round with me. And my rugged good looks."
Rock snorted. Chang winked. He was handsome. And Rock wasn't stupid. Getting in Chang's good graces wouldn't exactly be bad for business. Two years ago, he wouldn't have thought about the offer twice. But that had been two years ago. "What about your guys out there?"
"They've got orders to leave me alone. Sensitive negotiations." Chang put his chopsticks down and let his eyes roam down Rock's chest.
Rock wondered how often Chang did this kind of thing and decided not to ask. He hadn't heard any rumors, so at least he was discreet. "So how does this work? We 'negotiate,' and then...."
"Well," Chang said, leaning back from his seat. "That's up to you."
"I think I'll need more specifics," Rock said carefully. "Mr. Chang."
"I usually improvise," Chang said, loosening his tie but making no effort to adjust his holsters.
"You're going to keep your guns on?"
Chang grinned wickedly. "Don't you feel safer that way?"
"You're twisted," Rock said. But he knew he wasn't going to stop.
Author: lady_ganesh
Rating: Mature
Pairing: Chang/Rock
Prompt: mindgames - one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that
Notes: Title ripped from Texts from Last Night. Thanks to opalmatrix for the quick beta.
Life as a gangster had its privileges: Chang might have had the best air conditioner in Ronanpour. Rock closed his eyes and let the fresh, frigid air blow over his shirt. His tie fluttered against his chest.
"You about ready?"
Rock nodded and turned away from the blasting air. He was almost looking forward to this. Lagoon Company had run enough jobs for both the Triad and their Vietnamese business partners to have a reputation as an honest broker, so Rock had been picked to translate for the third party they'd chosen in Sweden. Not much in Ronanpour qualified as easy money, but this might be the closest you could get, with free drinks and air conditioning as an added bonus.
"All right," Chang said, nodding at Lien. "Let's get started."
While the call was live, Chang and Lien were strictly business, and things went smoothly. Rock almost thought everything was going to work out.
Then Chang pressed the button and hung up the speakerphone. "Thanks, Rock," he said, pressing his hand heavily against the back of Rock's neck. "So--"
"You son of a bitch," Rock said, as Chang shoved him down and the gunfire started.
"Relax, Rock, just lie back and it'll all be over," Chang muttered. He'd pulled one of his guns out and was shooting over Rock's back; he weighed more than Rock would have expected. Rock wondered why he hadn't thought to put on a vest before he left Lagoon. He should have. People tried to shoot Chang all the time, even when he didn't shoot first.
"What the hell are you doing?" Rock sputtered over the gunfire. "You didn't tell me--"
"Of course we didn't," Chang said. Rock wished he'd at least had some earplugs; a small part of his brain started evaluating how much hearing he'd lost in the past year and a half. It kept him from trying to crawl under the table, which had been his first instinct. Chang would never let him hear the end of it though, and the guy was heavy.
Lien had brought three men with him; Rock wondered how long it would take Chang's people to kill them all. He didn't have any doubt they'd pull it off; Lien was outnumbered, and he'd never seen Chang lose a firefight.
When the shots died down and Rock's ears stopped ringing, one of Chang's men had been hit in the arm, but they were otherwise unscathed. Chang shifted his weight, and suddenly Rock could breathe properly again. "You all right?"
"Yeah," Rock said, getting up. "Next time, you could warn me."
Chang grinned. "Where would the fun be in that?" He straightened the lapels of his suit. "Besides, I wanted to keep you out of it. No one would work with you if they thought you were the kind of guy who went along with stabbing people in the back."
Rock looked at the chaos. "I thought you guys had worked out a deal."
"So had I," Chang said, nodding at one of his gunmen. "But we found out Lien was working his own game." The gunman opened up the window blind, and Chang nodded in that direction.
Rock walked over. There were two late-model cars on fire in the street.
"That was the ambush," Chang peered deliberately over his shoulder. "There are two more cars on the other side of the building, and that's not counting the goons who were waiting at the door."
The gunman offered Rock a cigarette. Rock took it.
"Anyway, over and done now." Chang stepped back from the window and carefully smoothed down his hair. "I'll wire your payment to Benny."
"Yeah," Rock said, digging his matches out of his pocket. "Thanks."
Chang nodded at the gunman. The guy beat Rock to the task, holding out a lit match for him as he normally did for Chang.
"Uh, thanks."
"I'm starving," Chang said. "You?"
It was very strange to be alone with Chang, well, as alone as you got with two guys listening on the other side of the door. It clearly meant the man was up to something, even if Rock couldn't figure out what.
Chang stuffed noodles into his mouth with the gusto of a dying man. "C'mon, eat up," he said to Rock. "It'll cool you off."
Rock sighed and picked up the chopsticks. "Why are we eating again?"
"Told you," Chang said through bites of food. "Starving. Aren't you hungry?"
Rock shrugged and ate. He'd gotten used to adjusting his appetite to the needs of his work. He'd also gotten used to not turning down a free meal. "So what's the game?" he asked. "What am I doing here?"
"What, I can't feed you? You did a good job. It's taken a while, but you've finally gotten the nerve for this work."
"Thanks, I guess," Rock said. The noodles were pretty good. Just spicy enough.
"Don't even kid yourself, Rock," Chang said cheerfully. He'd slowed down a little. "I've known guys like you all my life. Rotten to the core, just like me. It's what I like about you."
A dim but recognizable light came on in Rock's mind. "I see. Is that why your guys are out in the hallways?"
Chang's smile amplified the light to near-blinding. "You pick up fast. That's the other thing I like about you."
"Not my winning smile?" Rock asked. "My rugged good looks?"
"Either of those keep you alive in this business?" Chang didn't wait for Rock's answer. "Then I could give a shit."
"I was almost flattered for a second," Rock said.
"You should be flattered now," Chang said. "A lot of people would give a lot of money for a round with me. And my rugged good looks."
Rock snorted. Chang winked. He was handsome. And Rock wasn't stupid. Getting in Chang's good graces wouldn't exactly be bad for business. Two years ago, he wouldn't have thought about the offer twice. But that had been two years ago. "What about your guys out there?"
"They've got orders to leave me alone. Sensitive negotiations." Chang put his chopsticks down and let his eyes roam down Rock's chest.
Rock wondered how often Chang did this kind of thing and decided not to ask. He hadn't heard any rumors, so at least he was discreet. "So how does this work? We 'negotiate,' and then...."
"Well," Chang said, leaning back from his seat. "That's up to you."
"I think I'll need more specifics," Rock said carefully. "Mr. Chang."
"I usually improvise," Chang said, loosening his tie but making no effort to adjust his holsters.
"You're going to keep your guns on?"
Chang grinned wickedly. "Don't you feel safer that way?"
"You're twisted," Rock said. But he knew he wasn't going to stop.