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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: Swimming with Sharks
Fandom: Romani Detective original fiction
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos/James Rosewood/Zayne Reyes
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 2,218
Summary: Trish and Hilary challenge Zayne and James to a game of pool.
Author’s Note: Written for the weekend challenge at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
1_million_words. My prompt was the song “The Hustle” by Van McCoy. Although this has nothing to do with the song’s lyrics, this is the first thing that came to mind. Oh, and I’m 110% Zeklos in this scenario. I suck at pool, being completely uncoordinated. So, while my then-boyfriend and all his friends played pool, I drank.
“Whose idea was this anyway,” James asked, rolling the sleeve of his work shirt until it sat just above his elbow.
“Trish’s,” Andrej said, pulling a grey polo over his head. He’d decided to forgo the work attire because Zayne loved to harp on him for never loosening up. James got a pass since his work attire was much less uptight than his own tended to be. “She and Hilary like to challenge us to a few games now and then.”
“Do you ever win?”
“No,” Andrej admitted. “I understand the rules and even the geometry, but I’m still not very good.”
“I bet that pisses Reyes off,” James laughed.
Shrugging, Zeklos gave him a sheepish smile. “It used to. After the first couple disastrous losses, he made us start drawing for teams.”
“He didn’t want to be stuck with you, did he?” James shook his head. “That asshole.”
The grin on James’ face made Andrej laugh. “Yes, but what he wasn’t counting on was Trish being good enough on her own to beat both him and Maxwell. I was irrelevant.”
Handing Andrej his jacket, James said, “And that had to have made him furious.”
“It’s about time you two showed up,” Trish said, wrapping Zeklos in a hug. “These two were debating whether you were fighting or getting it on. Personally, I figure a little makeup sex right before a challenge can help a girl focus.”
“We weren’t doing either,” Zeklos sighed, praying they couldn’t see his face redden in the dark pool hall. “James was running late.”
“I was,” he agreed, winking at Andrej. “Andy tells me you choose teams, did you find yourself another person to even things out?”
“No,” Hilary said, mirth dancing in her coffee-colored eyes. “We figured we’d let poor, hapless Zek sit this one out. He can drink and cheer us on.”
“Oh thank god,” Andrej muttered, claiming the nearest stool as his.
James grinned at his boyfriend and turned back to the girls. “So, who am I lucky enough to be paired off with tonight?”
“More like who’s unlucky enough to be paired with you,” Reyes snarked. “Zek told us you’re not much of a pool player.”
“That’s not entirely true,” James corrected. “I played a lot as a kid, and then some when I was bartending, trying to survive the academy. But I haven’t played in years.” He turned to Trish and frowned. “Sorry, sweetheart. But I hear you’re good enough to carry a deadweight partner.”
She looked over her shoulder at Zeklos and nodded. “I can be.”
“Rack ‘em, Hil,” Zayne said, grabbing his cue. “Let the slaughter begin.”
Reyes went first, knocking the six into the side pocket. “Solids,” he said, pointing at the table like it was his bitch. He missed his next shot and passed the table to Trish.
Aiming at the thirteen, she shot and landed it right in the corner pocket where she’d intended. “Stripes,” she said, “but you knew that.”
A cocktail waitress appeared out of nowhere and asked about drinks. Having spent entirely too many nights sitting exactly where he was, Andrej managed to competently order for everyone. Beers for the guys, margaritas for the girls, and a stiff glass of Scotch for himself. He was afraid he was going to need something more than a beer to get him through the night. Especially if James and Zayne kept leaning over the pool table like they had been.
By the time he’d finished ordering, Hil had taken her shot and missed. Grumbling, she came over to stand beside Andrej. Leaning into his side, she sighed. “Who do you think’s going to win it? Your boy or my boy?”
It took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to inform Hilary that they were both his boys, but that wasn’t the kind of thing he wanted to air publicly. Not for the first time anyway. Heaven only knew how Hilary would react to that proclamation. Whether she was happy or disgusted, one thing was for certain – she’d be loud about it.
Trying not to grin, he said, “Mine.” Because, either way, he’d wind up winning that bet. Not that he could tell her, but that didn’t really matter.
“You’re on, Andy,” she said, looking up to see where the rotation was. Zayne was shooting again after James had sunk two of their own balls, scratching on the third.
The four of them rotated through the cycle once, then twice more, and then eventually the first game was done. Zayne and Hilary hugged in triumph, having only narrowly beaten James and Trish. Unconcerned, Trish started off the second game, sinking the three and calling solids for their team. Both teams seemed evenly matched, alternating between sinking and missing shots, no one really running the table.
While Trish was shooting, James wandered over and planted a kiss on the top of Andrej’s head. “You doing okay?”
“Fine,” he said, meaning it. “I don’t mind playing and learning and trying to figure out the nuances of the game but…”
“But you hate being teamed with anyone other than Trish?” He lifted a coppery eyebrow in question.
“Yes,” Andrej agreed. “She’s the only one with enough patience to help me understand where I’m going wrong.”
“And she’s good enough that it doesn’t upset her when you miss an easy shot,” James guessed. He glanced at his boyfriend, eyes narrowed. “How much have you had to drink?”
“I – I’m not sure. Two?” Andrej tried to focus and found he couldn’t. He wasn’t used to sitting and observing like this. When they played, he managed to make one drink last most of the night without anyone noticing. But tonight?
“I think it’s time to cut you off,” James teased. Turning when Hilary called his name, James nodded in acknowledgement before looking back at Zeklos briefly. “And it’s time to turn it up a notch, I think. I want to get you home before you’re passed out and things get creepy.”
“You’re so romantic, Jay,” Zeklos laughed. “Go, play. Have fun.”
Maxwell and Reyes had been gloating since the first shot had been made and it was beginning to get on his nerves. Rollins was good – very good, actually – but he’d held back, unsure of how any of them would take getting their asses kicked, resulting in a loss of the first game for himself and Trish. It didn’t bother him to lose the first one, Andy had said they usually played four or five games before giving up. But that last jibe from the cowboy had pushed him over the edge. James knew that Reyes didn’t mean it – that it was just trash talk that he’d get him back for later – but it still grated on his nerves.
He figured it was time to show them all what he had to give. When Maxwell called his name, he’d kissed Andy again, right on the mouth in front of half of their precinct, and strode over to the table. Giving the remaining balls a long look, he counted five of his and Trish’s, three of the other two’s, meaning they were behind again, but not by much. Taking what looked like the easiest shot, James lifted his cue, pulled back and knocked the ball right where he wanted it.
“Nice shot,” Trish said, patting him on the back.
“Nah,” Reyes joked, taking a swig of his beer. “That was an easy one. Try a harder one this time, narco.”
“I’ll show you a hard one, cowboy,” James muttered, lining up his next shot. It was more difficult than the last, with one of the other team’s balls in-between his target and the cue. Not wanting to show off, but also not wanting to listen to another minute of Reyes’ lip, he made a decision to shut him and his partner up. Bending down until he was eye level with the table, he eyeballed the position of the balls and did some quick math. Nodding, he rose and positioned his cue. With a sharp crack of cue against cue ball, the cream colored sphere hopped, landing just on the other side of the striped ball that was in his way, smacking into the three ball near the side pocket.
“Damn,” Reyes breathed. “That was one lucky shot.”
James lifted his pale blue eyes until they met Reyes’ alluring greens. “Lucky, eh? I don’t think so.”
Moving four steps to the left, James knocked a second, then a third ball into their respective pockets. Rubbing chalk onto the tip of his cue, James studied the table and only looked up at the sound of Trish’s laughter. “Go for the seven, James. Show ‘em what you’re made of.”
It wasn’t a difficult shot, but it wasn’t the easiest of the ones left either. When it rolled home, Trish shouted in glee, only encouraging James to finish what he’d started. In quick succession, he sank each of their remaining balls, earning him absolute silence from the other side of the pool table. Once the last ball had slid into its pocket, James leaned the butt of his pool cue on the ground and looked at his opponents. “Ready for a third?”
Reyes’ face scrunched up into that angry-frustrated face he made so often and James felt a rush of desire. The boy was so hot when he was flustered. He was going to have to remember that for later. A little teasing to wind him up might be beneficial to them all.
“Damnit, Zek,” Reyes seethed. “Your ginger boyfriend is a ringer! Why didn’t you tell me he was this good?”
“I call foul,” Hilary added, crossing her arms over her breasts. “Andy, you should have warned us. It’s only fair.”
Grinning, James replaced his cue in the rack on the wall and slung an arm around Andrej’s shoulders. “He didn’t know,” James said, “because I never told him.” He hadn’t told Andy for a reason, too.
“Even if he did,” Trish laughed, pulling a stool up beside Zeklos. “I think he’s beyond warning anyone of anything right now.” She poked him in the side, grinning.
Andrej turned towards her and frowned. “I do not know what you’re talking about.”
Laughter erupted around them. “Next time he plays,” Reyes grumbled.
James nodded. “Agreed, or we need to be sure we have a designated gypsy watcher. We all failed at that tonight.”
“Good point. You need help getting him to the car?” Reyes glanced around quickly before leaning in closer to Rosewood and added, “Or once you get him home?”
Zeklos grabbed a fistful of Reyes’ shirt and tugged in response. James ran his fingers through Andrej’s hair, giving the gentlest of tugs at the end. “He seems to think we’re going to need help. Meet us back at his place in half an hour?”
Reyes nodded. “I should be able to come up with a reasonable excuse by then, so that the girls don’t get suspicious.”
“You really ought to tell them,” James suggested. It was a discussion they’d had a couple of times already, without actually coming to an agreement.
“I sort of told Hilary,” he confessed. “I just didn’t tell her it was an ongoing occurrence.”
“He also didn’t tell her that you were ever involved,” Zeklos stage whispered.
Slapping a hand across Zeklos’ mouth, Zayne grimaced. “He’s right, I couldn’t do it.”
James clapped Zayne on the back and gave him a shake. “No harm in that. No one ever needs to know everything about your private life, cowboy. Especially if you aren’t comfortable telling them. Now, help me get his drunken ass to the car so I can get him home.”
“You’ve got it.”
“Take care of him, James,” Trish said, giving Zeklos a kiss on the cheek. “I kind of like this idiot.”
“Yeah,” Hilary agreed. “Me, too. He keeps this one in line,” she said, pointing at Reyes.
Andy kept them all in line, James thought, he just had different ways for each of them. “I promise,” he said to both of the women. “I’m becoming rather attached to the guy myself.”
“So,” Trish said, looking around them, stopping on James. “You want to do this again next weekend?”
“Only if you two aren’t paired up,” Hilary growled. “I want a fair fight.”
“It’s the luck of the draw,” Zeklos piped up, accent heavy with the alcohol. “Sometimes it’s in your favor, sometimes it’s not.”
“And is the draw in your favor,” Hil asked.
“Oh, you have no idea exactly how much it is tonight, Hilary.” Zeklos winked at Zayne.
“Okay, I need to get him home,” James said, seeing the flush rising to Reyes’ cheeks. “Come help me get him into the car, cowboy, then you can get back to playing with your girlfriends.”
“On it,” Reyes said, slipping his shoulder under Zek’s arm.
They carried Andrej out of the pool hall and deposited him into the front seat of James’ car. “Carrying him was unnecessary,” James said, “but thank you.”
“Anytime,” Zayne said, leaning in and kissing Zeklos on the forehead. “He can hold his liquor better than anyone I know. But it makes for a good cover all the same.”
“See you in a bit?”
“Half an hour,” Zayne confirmed. “Not a second more.”
Fandom: Romani Detective original fiction
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos/James Rosewood/Zayne Reyes
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 2,218
Summary: Trish and Hilary challenge Zayne and James to a game of pool.
Author’s Note: Written for the weekend challenge at
1_million_words. My prompt was the song “The Hustle” by Van McCoy. Although this has nothing to do with the song’s lyrics, this is the first thing that came to mind. Oh, and I’m 110% Zeklos in this scenario. I suck at pool, being completely uncoordinated. So, while my then-boyfriend and all his friends played pool, I drank.“Whose idea was this anyway,” James asked, rolling the sleeve of his work shirt until it sat just above his elbow.
“Trish’s,” Andrej said, pulling a grey polo over his head. He’d decided to forgo the work attire because Zayne loved to harp on him for never loosening up. James got a pass since his work attire was much less uptight than his own tended to be. “She and Hilary like to challenge us to a few games now and then.”
“Do you ever win?”
“No,” Andrej admitted. “I understand the rules and even the geometry, but I’m still not very good.”
“I bet that pisses Reyes off,” James laughed.
Shrugging, Zeklos gave him a sheepish smile. “It used to. After the first couple disastrous losses, he made us start drawing for teams.”
“He didn’t want to be stuck with you, did he?” James shook his head. “That asshole.”
The grin on James’ face made Andrej laugh. “Yes, but what he wasn’t counting on was Trish being good enough on her own to beat both him and Maxwell. I was irrelevant.”
Handing Andrej his jacket, James said, “And that had to have made him furious.”
“It’s about time you two showed up,” Trish said, wrapping Zeklos in a hug. “These two were debating whether you were fighting or getting it on. Personally, I figure a little makeup sex right before a challenge can help a girl focus.”
“We weren’t doing either,” Zeklos sighed, praying they couldn’t see his face redden in the dark pool hall. “James was running late.”
“I was,” he agreed, winking at Andrej. “Andy tells me you choose teams, did you find yourself another person to even things out?”
“No,” Hilary said, mirth dancing in her coffee-colored eyes. “We figured we’d let poor, hapless Zek sit this one out. He can drink and cheer us on.”
“Oh thank god,” Andrej muttered, claiming the nearest stool as his.
James grinned at his boyfriend and turned back to the girls. “So, who am I lucky enough to be paired off with tonight?”
“More like who’s unlucky enough to be paired with you,” Reyes snarked. “Zek told us you’re not much of a pool player.”
“That’s not entirely true,” James corrected. “I played a lot as a kid, and then some when I was bartending, trying to survive the academy. But I haven’t played in years.” He turned to Trish and frowned. “Sorry, sweetheart. But I hear you’re good enough to carry a deadweight partner.”
She looked over her shoulder at Zeklos and nodded. “I can be.”
“Rack ‘em, Hil,” Zayne said, grabbing his cue. “Let the slaughter begin.”
Reyes went first, knocking the six into the side pocket. “Solids,” he said, pointing at the table like it was his bitch. He missed his next shot and passed the table to Trish.
Aiming at the thirteen, she shot and landed it right in the corner pocket where she’d intended. “Stripes,” she said, “but you knew that.”
A cocktail waitress appeared out of nowhere and asked about drinks. Having spent entirely too many nights sitting exactly where he was, Andrej managed to competently order for everyone. Beers for the guys, margaritas for the girls, and a stiff glass of Scotch for himself. He was afraid he was going to need something more than a beer to get him through the night. Especially if James and Zayne kept leaning over the pool table like they had been.
By the time he’d finished ordering, Hil had taken her shot and missed. Grumbling, she came over to stand beside Andrej. Leaning into his side, she sighed. “Who do you think’s going to win it? Your boy or my boy?”
It took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to inform Hilary that they were both his boys, but that wasn’t the kind of thing he wanted to air publicly. Not for the first time anyway. Heaven only knew how Hilary would react to that proclamation. Whether she was happy or disgusted, one thing was for certain – she’d be loud about it.
Trying not to grin, he said, “Mine.” Because, either way, he’d wind up winning that bet. Not that he could tell her, but that didn’t really matter.
“You’re on, Andy,” she said, looking up to see where the rotation was. Zayne was shooting again after James had sunk two of their own balls, scratching on the third.
The four of them rotated through the cycle once, then twice more, and then eventually the first game was done. Zayne and Hilary hugged in triumph, having only narrowly beaten James and Trish. Unconcerned, Trish started off the second game, sinking the three and calling solids for their team. Both teams seemed evenly matched, alternating between sinking and missing shots, no one really running the table.
While Trish was shooting, James wandered over and planted a kiss on the top of Andrej’s head. “You doing okay?”
“Fine,” he said, meaning it. “I don’t mind playing and learning and trying to figure out the nuances of the game but…”
“But you hate being teamed with anyone other than Trish?” He lifted a coppery eyebrow in question.
“Yes,” Andrej agreed. “She’s the only one with enough patience to help me understand where I’m going wrong.”
“And she’s good enough that it doesn’t upset her when you miss an easy shot,” James guessed. He glanced at his boyfriend, eyes narrowed. “How much have you had to drink?”
“I – I’m not sure. Two?” Andrej tried to focus and found he couldn’t. He wasn’t used to sitting and observing like this. When they played, he managed to make one drink last most of the night without anyone noticing. But tonight?
“I think it’s time to cut you off,” James teased. Turning when Hilary called his name, James nodded in acknowledgement before looking back at Zeklos briefly. “And it’s time to turn it up a notch, I think. I want to get you home before you’re passed out and things get creepy.”
“You’re so romantic, Jay,” Zeklos laughed. “Go, play. Have fun.”
Maxwell and Reyes had been gloating since the first shot had been made and it was beginning to get on his nerves. Rollins was good – very good, actually – but he’d held back, unsure of how any of them would take getting their asses kicked, resulting in a loss of the first game for himself and Trish. It didn’t bother him to lose the first one, Andy had said they usually played four or five games before giving up. But that last jibe from the cowboy had pushed him over the edge. James knew that Reyes didn’t mean it – that it was just trash talk that he’d get him back for later – but it still grated on his nerves.
He figured it was time to show them all what he had to give. When Maxwell called his name, he’d kissed Andy again, right on the mouth in front of half of their precinct, and strode over to the table. Giving the remaining balls a long look, he counted five of his and Trish’s, three of the other two’s, meaning they were behind again, but not by much. Taking what looked like the easiest shot, James lifted his cue, pulled back and knocked the ball right where he wanted it.
“Nice shot,” Trish said, patting him on the back.
“Nah,” Reyes joked, taking a swig of his beer. “That was an easy one. Try a harder one this time, narco.”
“I’ll show you a hard one, cowboy,” James muttered, lining up his next shot. It was more difficult than the last, with one of the other team’s balls in-between his target and the cue. Not wanting to show off, but also not wanting to listen to another minute of Reyes’ lip, he made a decision to shut him and his partner up. Bending down until he was eye level with the table, he eyeballed the position of the balls and did some quick math. Nodding, he rose and positioned his cue. With a sharp crack of cue against cue ball, the cream colored sphere hopped, landing just on the other side of the striped ball that was in his way, smacking into the three ball near the side pocket.
“Damn,” Reyes breathed. “That was one lucky shot.”
James lifted his pale blue eyes until they met Reyes’ alluring greens. “Lucky, eh? I don’t think so.”
Moving four steps to the left, James knocked a second, then a third ball into their respective pockets. Rubbing chalk onto the tip of his cue, James studied the table and only looked up at the sound of Trish’s laughter. “Go for the seven, James. Show ‘em what you’re made of.”
It wasn’t a difficult shot, but it wasn’t the easiest of the ones left either. When it rolled home, Trish shouted in glee, only encouraging James to finish what he’d started. In quick succession, he sank each of their remaining balls, earning him absolute silence from the other side of the pool table. Once the last ball had slid into its pocket, James leaned the butt of his pool cue on the ground and looked at his opponents. “Ready for a third?”
Reyes’ face scrunched up into that angry-frustrated face he made so often and James felt a rush of desire. The boy was so hot when he was flustered. He was going to have to remember that for later. A little teasing to wind him up might be beneficial to them all.
“Damnit, Zek,” Reyes seethed. “Your ginger boyfriend is a ringer! Why didn’t you tell me he was this good?”
“I call foul,” Hilary added, crossing her arms over her breasts. “Andy, you should have warned us. It’s only fair.”
Grinning, James replaced his cue in the rack on the wall and slung an arm around Andrej’s shoulders. “He didn’t know,” James said, “because I never told him.” He hadn’t told Andy for a reason, too.
“Even if he did,” Trish laughed, pulling a stool up beside Zeklos. “I think he’s beyond warning anyone of anything right now.” She poked him in the side, grinning.
Andrej turned towards her and frowned. “I do not know what you’re talking about.”
Laughter erupted around them. “Next time he plays,” Reyes grumbled.
James nodded. “Agreed, or we need to be sure we have a designated gypsy watcher. We all failed at that tonight.”
“Good point. You need help getting him to the car?” Reyes glanced around quickly before leaning in closer to Rosewood and added, “Or once you get him home?”
Zeklos grabbed a fistful of Reyes’ shirt and tugged in response. James ran his fingers through Andrej’s hair, giving the gentlest of tugs at the end. “He seems to think we’re going to need help. Meet us back at his place in half an hour?”
Reyes nodded. “I should be able to come up with a reasonable excuse by then, so that the girls don’t get suspicious.”
“You really ought to tell them,” James suggested. It was a discussion they’d had a couple of times already, without actually coming to an agreement.
“I sort of told Hilary,” he confessed. “I just didn’t tell her it was an ongoing occurrence.”
“He also didn’t tell her that you were ever involved,” Zeklos stage whispered.
Slapping a hand across Zeklos’ mouth, Zayne grimaced. “He’s right, I couldn’t do it.”
James clapped Zayne on the back and gave him a shake. “No harm in that. No one ever needs to know everything about your private life, cowboy. Especially if you aren’t comfortable telling them. Now, help me get his drunken ass to the car so I can get him home.”
“You’ve got it.”
“Take care of him, James,” Trish said, giving Zeklos a kiss on the cheek. “I kind of like this idiot.”
“Yeah,” Hilary agreed. “Me, too. He keeps this one in line,” she said, pointing at Reyes.
Andy kept them all in line, James thought, he just had different ways for each of them. “I promise,” he said to both of the women. “I’m becoming rather attached to the guy myself.”
“So,” Trish said, looking around them, stopping on James. “You want to do this again next weekend?”
“Only if you two aren’t paired up,” Hilary growled. “I want a fair fight.”
“It’s the luck of the draw,” Zeklos piped up, accent heavy with the alcohol. “Sometimes it’s in your favor, sometimes it’s not.”
“And is the draw in your favor,” Hil asked.
“Oh, you have no idea exactly how much it is tonight, Hilary.” Zeklos winked at Zayne.
“Okay, I need to get him home,” James said, seeing the flush rising to Reyes’ cheeks. “Come help me get him into the car, cowboy, then you can get back to playing with your girlfriends.”
“On it,” Reyes said, slipping his shoulder under Zek’s arm.
They carried Andrej out of the pool hall and deposited him into the front seat of James’ car. “Carrying him was unnecessary,” James said, “but thank you.”
“Anytime,” Zayne said, leaning in and kissing Zeklos on the forehead. “He can hold his liquor better than anyone I know. But it makes for a good cover all the same.”
“See you in a bit?”
“Half an hour,” Zayne confirmed. “Not a second more.”
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Date: 2016-01-25 04:33 pm (UTC)Hee! You and me both. :)