Gravity - 1. Gravity

They called it Pizza Planet, a combination pizza parlor and game hall. There were more games available than a carnival or arcade, from bumper cars and mini golf to laser tag and Pac-Man. It was the most popular hangout location in four counties.

The people were every bit as varied: older folks bringing children or grandchildren, lovers out to have a good time, teens just messing around, people just trying to reconnect with their childhood, and more. Jason Alvarez had seen them all come and go. From sweeping the floors as a teenager to baking pizzas, he'd done it all.

Of course, back then the Planet was actually two separate locations, a small game hall and attached miniature golf course, and the old, been-there-forever pizza restaurant. Though they'd shared a parking lot, neither business had done particularly well since the eighties, but they were in real danger of going belly-up when Jason was in his mid-twenties.

Jason hatched a daring plan, successfully pushed for financial backing, and when the bulldozers tore everything down, Jason's dream took its place. Now pushing forty, he had everything he could have ever hoped for. Except maybe someone to share it with. There had been occasional lovers, but the ones not put off by the color of his skin or Colombian accent ended up sick of the business that consumed 99.9% of his life.

He was accustomed to being alone now, settling for short flings and some online correspondence. Lately he'd been talking to a young man from Ohio, away from home for the first time and drowning under the pressure of conforming to what everyone else wanted or being himself and facing their scorn. Keeping his hopes and confidence alive helped Jason get through his own day.

Today at the Planet, Jason had broken up two fights, sent security to escort out a cheater, hired a new Games Custodian, and helped unload the supply truck; all business as usual. Some days, the incessant, cheerful, kiddie techno got on his nerves, but not today. Today the Planet was operating like a finely oiled machine. His staff was competent and responsible, the food delicious, and the customers happy. In an economy like this one, Jason was just happy to still have a business, let alone one that was making a small but tidy profit.

He stood watching the floor through the one-way glass in his office when the cell phone at his belt chirped.

"Jason here," he answered, leaning forward to get a better look at two teens ducking behind the Pac-Man machine.

"Boss, it's Rafael. There's someone here says he knows you."

"Hm. Tell Derek to check out Pac-Man."

"Again?" There was a sigh on the other end. "Boss, we gotta think about closing off that alcove."

"Nah, I like the evils I know about. What's he want?"

"Who? Oh, the kid. Right. Says his name's Cody and you invited him."

Craning his head, Jason could just get a glimpse of red hair hovering by the concessions stand with the Planet's day manager. Red hair worn in a long ponytail, a tall, gangly youth with that spoiled, middle class look.

"Oh, no."

"Boss?"

"I'll be down in a minute. Derek?"

"On his way."

"Good." Jason hung up and checked that his keys were still securely fastened to his belt before leaving his office. He observed Cody from behind as he approached, noting the worn sneakers and stylishly-holey jeans, the old creases and battered backpack. As soon as he turned around, Jason knew what had happened. The boy had a shiner the size of Texas and the expression of a beat dog. He didn't smile, much, but his anxious expression cleared somewhat.

"Jace," he began in a soft voice at odds with his height.

"Come," he interrupted, settling his hand on the slouched shoulder. Damn, the boy was tall. "Let's get you something to eat and then we'll talk."

He got the whole story in between bites of a large, extra-cheesy pizza and a pitcher of root beer. Cody had indeed confronted his family, upon which he received the bruise and what looked to be a wrenched should from his father. Jason didn't ask about school. It wasn't his place to say, in his opinion. It was obvious that the boy had just taken off without much thought to where he was headed, an impulse only to get as far away as possible.

"What if I was some weirdo or child molester?" he asked, sighing for the blind faith of the young.

"Uh-uh." Cody shook his head emphatically. "I googled you. no way would the press have kept quiet, not when you own this." He gestured with a handful of pizza towards the game hall.

"Huh." Maybe the boy did have two brain cells to rub together. "So, why did you come here?"

"I can't go home!" Now he looked a little panicked and Jason felt like a total heel. He groaned and rubbed his face.

"You have school," he pointed out.

"I'm failing anyway."

"Don't you have family, friends, who can look after you for awhile?"

Cody gulped and shook his head. "My father disowned me and -- and I didn't know what else to do! You said I could come here ...." He stuck out his chin stubbornly.

"That was for the summer, to work --"

"I can work! Please, Jace, I have nowhere else to go."

Teenagers. Everything was always so dramatic. "I never said I was going to just dump you on the street." That made the kid perk right back up. "I know a guy who can get you a place to stay."

"But why can't I stay with you?"

"Because, you --"

"I'm eighteen. Be nineteen soon. I know what I want."

Of course he did. Jason pinched his nose, closing his eyes with aggravation. "Because I hate kids and I don't want one living with me. Now," he went on, steeling himself against the whipped puppy look. "Call your mom." He set his cell phone on the table.

"No way!"

"Call her," Jason repeated in his best 'boss' voice. "It's not too much to ask, to respect the woman who birthed you and raised you." His voice brooked no argument.

"I got my own phone," Cody answered sullenly, and God help him but the pout looked too adorable for his own good.

Jason shook his head. "Good. I'll be right over there." Grabbing his phone, Jason stepped across the empty party room and dialed his friend at the local police station.

Jorge Ryan was a social worker and while Jason didn't have much faith remaining for 'the system,' he had an informal relationship with Jorge in which Jason gave the social worker a heads-up when something was going down (such as one of the teen customers trying to sell drugs at the Planet) and Jorge in turn helped Jason with the runaways and other troubled kids who needed help but didn't know how to ask or who to trust.

The social worker picked up at the first ring and Jason knew right away that something was up.

"Ryan," came the distracted, gruff voice on the other end.

Jason winced. "Tough day?" he asked.

"Jason! Long time no see, man, and, yeah. The city's shutting down one of our juvie safe houses. Couple dozen kids I'm trying to find room for. Why does this shit always happen on Fridays?"

"Tito's not going to like that." The trouble meant that Jorge would be working all weekend, and his partner already hated Jorge's job.

An answering grunt came over the line. "What you need, Jason? Hate to cut you short, but I'm pretty busy."

"Well, it's ... I guess it's not that important." No way could Jason dump another problem in his lap.

"Hey, hang on a minute, okay?"

Jason nodded, but it was rather pointless over a phone, and he could already hear Jorge yelling at someone else, something about money, but in the cash-strapped city government, when wasn't money an issue?

"Jace."

He looked over. The red-headed teen looked even more exhausted than before, his pale skin practically ghost-like under the freckles. Jason reflected ruefully that although Cody might be an adult by law, he was still very much a kid, and he looked about ready to cry. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was a crying child.

"Done. Now what?"

He sighed, clicking his phone shut on the busy police station. "It looks like you're staying with me."

"I am?"

Do not feed the animals, thought Jason. There was a reason why he stayed away from pet stores. They always looked adorable and pathetic, but you get them home and they turned into the Tasmanian Devil. This was a bad idea.

"Yes, but there are rules. I'm not your mother. I cook and clean for myself. You will do the same. This arrangement is only temporary."

"Thanks! Thank-you!"

Jason sighed. The boy clearly wasn't listening to a word he said. Maybe he would get a clue when the reality of his situation sank in.

"Come on. We close at midnight. You can take a nap in my office. Looks like you could use it."

He is a sweet boy, Jason thought later, sitting at his desk pretending to do paperwork while the redhead snored on his couch. Way too trusting, though. Who in their right mind these days would simply run off and put himself at the mercy of some stranger? His conscience pinged back: A naive kid who thinks that real life is just like the movies. He fiddled with his pen and tried not to think about what he was going to do with a baby-faced kid in his small townhouse.

Jason doted on his nieces and nephews, when he saw them which was rare, so he sort of knew what to expect, but if he'd known just how hard it was going to be having Cody underfoot, then he would have sent the boy right on back home that very first night.

His townhouse was not that large: 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. He'd moved in several months ago, but had never gotten around to unpacking. most of the boxes had been shoved into the spare bedroom, and so his unexpected guest crashed on the sofa in the living room. He had arrived with only the clothes on his back, but somehow managed to strew his belongings all over the house. He ate everything, whined constantly, and raided Jason's closet for clothes he didn't wash. He inexplicably broke Jason's razor the first week, although what hair he thought he had to shave, Jason hadn't the faintest idea. Cody also liked to wander around the house naked, so it wasn't like he hadn't seen everything the boy had to offer. It was beginning to drive him insane.

He met Jorge for drinks one night and confessed, "I feel like a pedophile. I am so fucking horny right now."

"So? Bang him, then. He's eighteen."

Jason gave his friend a dirty look. "Maybe technically, but he's still a baby." He cracked some peanut shells between his fingers, popping the nuts in his mouth.

"Then kick him out. Enroll him at ASU and make him live on campus."

"I can't do that; they'll eat him alive." Cody's baby face and white skin would stand out like a sore thumb. Jason gulped some more beer. "He makes these cute, little purring noises when he sleeps."

"He's not a cat, you know."

"God! Don't I! He gets pink all over -- and I do mean all over. I can't think -- he's driving me crazy!"

Jorge arched an eyebrow. "Why did you you invite him out here?"

"He sounded so pitiful," Jason replied, blushing into his beer. "I was worried."

"So you led him on."

"I did not!" he sputtered. "He's a kid! I told him not to chat with people he didn't know, and the next thing I know he's emailing me and texting me, like a damn duck that's lost its mother."

Jorge laughed and smacked him on the back. "Congrats. It's a teenager."

"Fuck you."

"You know, why don't you come over tonight? Tito an' I can calm that lust of yours. Hm? Get your head on straight." He smirked. "So to speak."

Jason eyed him appraisingly for a moment and then raised his beer to chink against Jorge's bottle. "Deal."

Jorge grinned salaciously and Jason grinned back. He was still smiling, tiredly, when he dragged his ass home the next day and crawled into bed, only to be rudely awakened what seemed like only seconds later.

Blearily, he scowled at the pale, freckled face inches from his own. "Wha?"

"Where were you? Last night. Where were you?"

"None of your fucking business." He dragged the covers over his head, but they were yanked back and Cody's loud voice made him wince.

"It is when you come home looking half dead!"

"I don't answer to you!" snapped Jason, glaring and snatching back his bedspread.

Cody jerked back as if slapped and Jason couldn't help feeling rather guilty, but damn it! He was just a kid. He didn't know anything. Grumbling, and more upset with himself than he wanted to let on, Jason rolled onto his stomach and pulled a pillow over his head. He never heard the quietly muttered, "Yes. You do."

If the past few weeks were torture, then the next ones were pure hell for Jason.

"God. I hate teenagers!" he griped as he watched the pool cue strike the ball and break the racked set.

"What now?" asked Jorge.

"It's nag, nag, nag, all the time now! I swear to God he's fucking flaunting himself in front of me with every ass he hooks up with, but he's constantly on my case. The only time I'm free of him is at work, and now he's nagging because I 'work too much!' He's just a kid, but he's acting like my mother."

"Sounds like you've got yourself a wife," Jorge chuckled.

Jason glared. "That's not funny." He knocked the cue into the ball with too much force and it skipped right over the table's edge to smack against the floor and keep on rolling. "Fuck!"

Collecting the ball, Jorge set up his shot and asked, "So, let me get this straight. You've known this kid how long?"

"About a year, I guess." Finishing his beer, Jason popped the top off another.

"And what, exactly, did you tell him?"

"Nothing! I swear to God. He was so pathetic, all 'woe is me' and 'my life is worth shit' and so I ripped him a new one, poor spoiled little rich boy, told him not to be an idiot, that he didn't know what real hardship was, and I haven't been able to get rid of him since."

The cue ball knocked a colored ball into a hole. "So, why is it," asked Jorge, circling the table, "that the thought of him with another man so pisses you off?"

"They're not men. They're children."

"Would you really prefer him to bring home a man? Someone like me, maybe?"

Jason coughed as he tried to breathe and swallow at the same time. "What?" he gasped. "What are you getting at?" he demanded. "You're not ...?"

"What if I was?"

"For your sake, you better not be!"

Jorge set down his cue as they switched places at the pool table. "Jason," he observed, "you're being an idiot."

"I won't take advantage of a kid," he snapped back. "He doesn't know what he wants."

"Sounds like he does to me."

"I'm twice his age. No way."

"If that's all it is, then he'll get bored and move on. Just fuck him and get it over with."

"I don't know why I bother talking to you about this."

"Cuz you know I'll bring you home with me."

"Mm, not tonight."

"Oh?"

Jason smirked. "Tonight I'm giving that brat a taste of his own medicine."

He was in fact sitting at home when Cody came stumbling up the walk with his current amor. They were giggling and tripping like drunk boys everywhere and Jason waited for them to get all the way to the door, jingling keys, before he switched on the porch light. There were two nearly identical squawks of protest, and then shocked silence as Jason flung open the door and scowled at them.

He almost ruined the effect by laughing. There were two large, dark eyes on the left and two round, guilty blue ones to the right, both sets hastily trying to extricate themselves without looking too drunk and falling over in their clumsiness.

"You're late," announced Jason. By his watch, it was nearly a quarter after midnight, plenty late enough a curfew for a boy still living at home. "I don't know where you got the alcohol, but if I ever catch you drinking again, you won't sit down for a week! You, get inside." He grabbed a handful of Cody's shirt and dragged him past, into the living room. Jason kept a scowling eye on the other young man. "We'll call your," he paused to sniff disapprovingly, "'friend,' here, a cab."

Shutting the door, Jason pressed the speed dial on his cell for the local taxi company. "I don't ever want to see you around here again, understand?" he demanded of the other teen. "You're lucky I don't call your parents, Frankie."

The boy gulped, but Jason maintained the silence, not willing to relent in the slightest, not even when he unceremoniously tossed him inside the cab. Giving the driver money and instructions to take the boy straight home, Jason smirked tightly to himself and went inside.

As he flipped off the light and turned the locks, he heard a soft, meek voice ask, "Did you mean it?"

"What?"

"Would you really spank me?"

"Go to sleep."

"What if I wanted you to?"

Closing his eyes on a groan, Jason clipped on the door chain and turned to go upstairs. "We'll talk about this in the morning."

"I'm not drunk!" called that childish voice, chasing him up the stairs and into his dreams. He woke the next morning to a continuing vision of peach-pink skin and had to pinch himself to be sure he really was awake and not still dreaming. As was usual, Cody was parading past Jason's door stark naked, his pale skin flushed from the hot shower. That was not what Jason needed first thing in the morning. His morning wood hadn't been this stiff or persistent in, what? Ten years? At least.

There was nothing to it but to get up and take care of business. First a shower, and then the kid. He started with, "We have a rule about clothing in this house."

"Too many rules," grunted a churlish voice at the kitchen table.

"You have a robe." He'd bought it, so Jason would know. "Wear it!" he snapped, pouring himself some coffee.

"Why?" the kid returned. "We both know you like my ass, so why cover it up?"

Splashing scalding hot coffee over the rim of his cup, Jason swore, hastily shoving cup and pitcher on the counter and reaching for the dish towel.

"You shouldn't handle hot beverages when you're half-asleep."

"Shut the fuck up."

"Oooh, now who's being the grown-up? Here, let me see."

"No! Get off." Oh, God.

Selectively deaf, long, skinny, pale arms reached past Jason's shoulders to take his hands, turning the burnt one over and blotting the spilled coffee with the dish towel. A lean body pressed against his back, chilling with his body heat. For a moment, Jason couldn't breathe.

"What are you doing?" Shudders tingled their way across his palm from the touch of Cody's fingers, running up his arm and into his crotch. He jerked reflexively, but the kid didn't let go and the movement only plastered him more firmly against the teen. "Let go."

"No." The voice was right in his ear and although Jason yanked his head away, the lips stayed close, latching onto his neck in a sucking kiss that stole the strength in his legs.

Catching himself against the counter, Jason lashed out with an elbow and stomping heel. "I'm not doing this with you!" he shouted when Cody broke away, hands to his gut. "Get your things and get out!" Then he turned and ran for the only room in his house with a door that locked: the upstairs bathroom. In the bowl on the counter top were his keys and phone and Jason picked up the latter, fingers almost shaking too hard to push the buttons.

"'Ello?" grumbled a sleepy voice.

"Get him out of my house!"

"Jorge ... 's fer you ...."

Jason wasn't paying attention, continuing to babble, "You've got to get him out of here! He has to go. Now! Now, okay?"

"Jason? Jason, slow down, man. What's happened? Where are you?"

"In the bathroom. Where do you think I am?"

"And the kid? What's going on?"

Jason held onto the counter, wheezing, "He's got to go. He can't stay another minute!"

There was a pause, some half-whispered words, and then muffled laughter poured out of the phone, followed by something loud that made flush.

"Shut the fuck up, you bastard! This isn't funny!"

"Christ, grow some balls and deal with this yourself, Jason. He's eighteen, for God's sake."

The phone went dead mid-rant and Jason stared at it in disbelief before angrily re-dialing. The call went right to voicemail.

"Fuck!"

He about jumped out of his skin at the knock on the door.

"Jace?"

"Go away!"

"Jace, I'm sorry, I -- can I come in?"

"No!"

"I'm dressed."

"I said no!"

"Well." There was a long pause. "Well, thanks. I guess. I'm ... uh, going now."

"Good!"

The pressure outside the door retreated, feet clomping heavily down the stairs, and shortly after Jason heard the front door slam. He stayed in the bathroom a while longer, just to be sure that Cody really was gone. He was, and he'd left his half-eaten breakfast on the table for Jason to clean up, along with the spilled coffee.

Swearing creatively, Jason dumped everything in the sink and mopped up, eventually moving into the living room and putting things away, and switching the stereo back to a station that he liked. For once he could relax in his own house and do what he wanted without tripping over too-long legs and the clown shoes that seemed to pop up out of the carpet like sharks. Clothes and dishes stayed in the closets and cupboards where they belonged. Jason didn't have to keep buying pants to replace the ones Cody thefted and cut off at the knees. There was coffee whenever he wanted it and no more disturbing dreams.

"So if you've got everything you want," Jorge asked, "then why are you such a grouch?"

As to that, Jason didn't know. He sat in his office with reports to review, tapping his pen against the desk and staring out the window. The work could wait, he was more than caught up, but home was so quiet now. No, no, not quiet. Peaceful. He had his refuge back. Everything was back exactly how he liked it.

Knuckles rapped on the door and a head appeared around the doorjamb. "Boss? You got a minute?"

"Sure, sure, come in." Jason beckoned and sat up expectantly, one eyebrow raising as his manager entered and closed the door behind him, for privacy.

"Sir ...."

Oh, no. Jason always knew it was bad when his staff started calling him 'sir.' Last time it happened, he'd ended up firing several employees.

Rafael came right up to Jason's desk and crossed his arms, frowning. "Sir, this has got to stop."

Jason blinked. "Eh, excuse me?"

"Talk to him."

"Who?"

"Cody," Rafael replied, rolling his eyes. "The white boy who's been living with you? You're both miserable, and I can't take the moping anymore."

Jason stared at the other man dumbly for a minute. "What?" he asked faintly.

"Jesus, Jason, are you blind? Come here. Look. What do you see?"

He looked, but saw nothing out of the ordinary and said as much.

"That's because you're not looking. Look." He poked his finger insistently at the glass.

Jason frowned and crossed his arms. "Look at what, Rafael?"

"Don't you think something's missing?"

One of the conditions of his staying was that Cody had to have a job. So, what did the kid do? He applied at the Planet, and was hired to work the floor. Jason had done his best to put it out of his mind, and his frown deepened as he realized that the once familiar red hair was now conspicuously absent.

"Where is he?"

"Don't know. He quit."

Jason grunted. "Good. What do you want me to do about it?"

"Go talk to him."

"He's finally out of my hair. Why would I?"

"Boss!" Rafael rolled his eyes.

"I have nothing to say to him." He glared at his employee. "Don't you have some work to do?"

"No." The answer was cheeky.

Jason turned away. "Well, get out of here anyway." He sat down at his desk and compulsively straightened his papers, wishing his life could be so easily shuffled back into order. He vowed to never go in an internet chat room again. That was how this had all started, and that redheaded boy was his punishment. All he needed now was some expectorant for his brain.

The house when he got home seemed all too quiet in comparison, too neat and tidy. The desire to just leave things out was strong, but it would be fake and he couldn't deceive himself that way.

Then he tried going on vacation, but all the while he was surrounded by family, all he could think about was a certain redhead and how he would stick out or be lost because of language and cultural values. There were times Jason caught himself thinking, Cody would really like this, or wondering what Cody would think of a person, place, or situation.

More than one relative remarked on his moodiness and after he tried to defend himself, all he heard for the rest of the trip was teasing over his "gringo lover." It was enough to drive a man insane.

When he got home, there was really only one thing left to do. Jason felt as if he'd been away a long time, but nothing seemed to have changed. The same people and paperwork and routines awaited him, as if time had been frozen during his absence.

The very first night, Jason saw two figures dart behind the Pac-Man machine, same as always, only this time he was closer than the managers or security guards, so he slipped in behind the youths. The boys were lip-locked and not making a deal, and after a little yelling they broke off and high-tailed it out of there.

"You sure you're nobody's father?"

The voice from out of the darkness when he'd thought himself alone, made Jason jump, swinging his flashlight over to reveal the source. Blue eyes shone for a second before a hand blocked the light.

"Cody?" asked Jason, turning the light to the floor. "What the hell you doing back here?"

The teen held up a handful of wires. "Working. Duh."

Behind him, Jason now realized, was the access panel that had originally made the little alcove necessary. There were other tools on the floor and Cody wore a wide leather tool belt hanging off one hip. The kid also had that stubborn look, the one Jason could spy from a mile away.

"I'm an electrician's apprentice now."

"Then where's your master?"

"Gone to piss." He stuck out his jaw. "He'll be back to check on my work. Your precious building's safe."

"You were just going to let those kids do what they wanted?"

The side-step in topics left Cody momentarily dazed and his answer uncertain. "They were just making out."

"Could've been drugs."

"Then I'd be an eyewitness with a cell phone that takes video."

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"No."

"Really." Jason crossed his arms, leaning a shoulder against the wall. This should be good.

The silence between them grew and Jason held still under the intense scrutiny, glad that he had something sturdy to lean on, because his heart was racing. He was too old for this!

"I don't believe it."

His voice was low, wondering, and more question than statement, but it still sent shivers down Jason's spine. He shrugged. His palms were sweaty.

Cody took a step forward, advancing boldly when Jason neither flinched back nor retreated. He stopped just out of reach. "Do you mean it?"

The noise and never ending music of the floor seemed very far away now as a draft raised the hairs on Jason's arms. He didn't -- couldn't -- look away, his shoulder jerking in a shrug. His mouth was dry, cutting his voice to a whisper, "Depends on what you want."

With each word, Cody crept a little closer. "I want you. To kiss you and touch you and h-have you. Can I?"

"I don't know." Jason had to clear his throat to speak. "Can you?"

His back hit the wall with enough oomphf to make Jason grunt, his arms filled with skinny teen. Cody's lips covered his, kissing, biting, stealing his breath. The large, puppy hands cupped Jason's face, holding him immobile as he stepped into Jason's space. Then they slid down his neck and over his shoulders, shoulders which were admittedly not as broad as the teen's, but stronger. Jason arched off the wall with a low moan gobbled up by demanding lips and shivers jerking him hard against Cody's body.

Thank God for the low light to hide his blush. Jason was so dizzy he could barely see, clutching Cody's shirt for balance as the world seemed to dip and dissolve beneath his feet. He was gasping, and gasping so hard a part of his mind wondered why he hadn't yet passed out, his body hot and cold by turns. He could also feel the pull in his loins and tried to withdraw, but the boy followed, moaning a protest.

"S-st-stop," Jason whispered harshly. "Stop. I don't want to come in my pants!" It was a confession that made him blush again and was answered by a low chuckle that made him wish to keep going, even though he'd never been an exhibitionist or someone who liked the thrill of public sex.

"Okay." Cody's grip didn't slacken one bit and he nibbled the lobe of Jason's ear, making it hard for him to think. "Then where? 'Cause I'm not letting you go."

Jason's head fell to the side as if yanked when teeth latched onto that spot on his neck that canceled out logical thought. He whimpered, cursed, and whimpered again. Where were his hands? his feet? Jason had none, just the need thundering through his veins and throbbing painfully in his crotch.

"Office," he managed, but resisted being tugged forward. "W-Wait! Someone will see."

There was an exasperated sigh as Cody let go and stepped back. Jason slipped a little along the wall before he caught himself. Keeping himself from falling while straightening his clothes left few brain cells for anything else.

"You need to pay more attention to the gossip around here. There's a bet you know."

"What?" He glanced around for his flashlight, only then realizing he had dropped it. "Look, if this is just some game --" A hand covered his mouth to stop him, and green eyes in a pale, freckled face filled his sight.

"No game. How can I make you believe me?"

"I'm old. What can you possibly see in me?"

"You're not that old," Cody scoffed.

"Twice your age."

"You're only thirty-seven --"

"Which is positively ancient. I could be your father."

"Gross!"

"Well, at least we agree on that."

"Jesus, Jason."

He frowned, annoyed. A lot of people had been calling him that lately. "Hey --"

A hand shoved his shoulder back against the wall and then Cody was back, hand cupping Jason through his pants and making him gasp.

"You go after every high school kid you meet?"

His voice said, 'you better not,' but Jason was too busy to notice. He grabbed Cody's shoulders, dropping his head to slide against him, biting his lip on a groan as he shoved harder against Cody's hand.

"N-no," he gasped. "Ngh!" He shook his head in denial, but of what even he couldn't say.

"Then why me?"

Oh, God, those fingers were relentless! They traced his erection and curled around the fabric of Jason's slacks and underwear, hotter than anything imaginable. It was just enough of a tease to keep derailing his brain without that little extra that would let him come.

"I don't -- don't know!"

"I do."

A hand on his jaw pulled Jason's head up, and the kiss pushed him back against the wall. He was definitely going to have bruises from this.

"Now." The lips released him long enough to say roughly into Jason's ear, "If you don't get inside somewhere secure, I'm going to fuck you right here."

It wasn't fair. Teenagers were supposed to be the hormonal ones, lust so overcoming them that all else was forgotten, but Cody pulled Jason's strings as expertly as any puppeteer. He hadn't even the strength of mind to protest the fumbling at his belt, just holding on and shivering hard enough to chatter his teeth, deaf to his quiet moans and pants.

Then heat, hot and firm, wrapped around his cock and Jason groaned, tucking his face into Cody's shoulder, hands clawing for a grip in his t-shirt. Cody's hand slipped easily along the slick shaft and Jason froze, his toes curling in his shoes as he bit his lip.

"Give it," growled a voice in his ear. "Let go, Jace, it's okay."

With a sound more sob than moan, Jason did just that, body jacking uncontrollably and hands digging into Cody with enough strength to make the boy wince, but to his credit he held on.

"Jace," said that smooth voice after a while. "Jace. We can't stay here. You're not falling asleep on me, are you?"

He shook his head, red-faced again as he realized that Cody still cupped him lightly, a bit of warmth against the chill settling in as his sweat cooled.

"Can you stand?"

"Not sure," Jason sighed. With a groan, he pushed away. His legs, while shaky, held, and he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to clean up. "Uh." He couldn't think of anything to say, suddenly uncomfortable again and unsure.

A finger descended to press against Jason's lips, startling him into looking Cody in the eyes.

"Not another word," warned the teen. "Not until after I make you mine. Ah!" The finger pressed firmly as Jason opened his mouth. "Shhh! Sh."

"You're --"

The finger became a whole palm and Jason's eyes narrowed, but anything either of them meant to say was cut off by another voice, and a body blocking the light from the game hall.

"Boss?"

Still with a hand over his mouth, Jason turned his head, all too aware of his compromising position, glad that at least he had his pants up.

"Look." Rafael held up his hand as if to shade his eyes, obviously squinting into the dark. "Mr. Ngyuen is getting suspicious."

"Just a sec," Cody answered for them. "Tell him ... Tell him I'm almost done here. Damn," he added as the other man nodded and moved away. "That's my boss. I've got to go."

He turned his head and Jason got the full impact of his light eyes. He smiled and released Jason's mouth only long enough to kiss him. Then he said, "Go home. I'll be there as soon as I can." Teeth nipped Jason's lip.

"I --"

Another kiss. Jason leaned forward to try and follow when Cody pulled back. "Mn ...!" Then he was on his own, pushed on his way with a smart swat to his backside. "Get. And don't expect to get any sleep."

He was true to his word, but Jason would tease him later that Cody was the one to pass out first. Teenagers. They thought they knew everything.