Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/815040.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Veritas:_The_Quest
  Relationship:
      Calvin_Banks/Nikko_Zond
  Character:
      Calvin_Banks, Nikko_Zond, Juliet_Droil
  Additional Tags:
      Alley_Sex
  Series:
      Part 23 of Parallel_Lines
  Stats:
      Published: 2013-05-23 Words: 3489
****** How Big A Club Do You Need? ******
by Rod
Summary
     Nikko, Cal and Juliet go to meet a contact in a club. Things don't
     quite go according to anyone's plan.
Cal thinks he may never be able to show his face among his colleagues again.
Dr Zond's contact insisted on holding their meet in a club, and Cal had no
problem with that. He and Juliet could dress down, enjoy themselves, meet the
mystery woman and get out with a lead to something that might be another part
of the Ring. Simple and straightforward, just the way Cal liked it.
The trouble began when Nikko heard the word "club" and insisted on coming
along. He knew the club scene after all, even if he didn't know this particular
place — a fact which provoked an argument with his father over exactly how he
got to know anything about New York clubs — and he insisted that Cal always
stuck out like a sore thumb. That in turn provoked an argument with Cal as to
how Nikko knew anything about Cal's clubbing habits, which left Cal with the
distinct impression that Nikko had been stalking him. He wasn't quite sure
whether to be pleased or outraged about that.
Fortunately there had been more urgent things to be outraged about, because
Nikko had managed to make this all about how Cal dressed. Cal was really put
out that Juliet had taken one look at the "CCCP" T-shirt he was wearing and
agreed that Cal shouldn't be allowed to dress himself. Sniping from Nikko and
Vincent, who reckoned that a blind man showed more colour coordination than
Cal, that he expected. Snippy comments from Juliet hurt.
So he'd ended up being ordered to go clothes shopping, with Juliet along as
fashion consultant. Which would have been OK had Juliet not vetoed every choice
Cal made, particularly anything that Cal thought was actually comfortable to
wear. Everything had to be tighter or shorter or both, until Cal was pretty
sure that if he tried to dance in anything Juliet picked out for him it would
split immediately.
Which leads him back to now, walking into the lab where everyone else is
gathered before they head out. Walking very carefully, since the leather
trousers Juliet picked out for him are tight enough that his underwear had been
cutting off the circulation to his legs before he gave up and ditched his
briefs. The gauzy mesh top that leaves practically nothing to the imagination
really isn't helping either; with everything on display, suave and confident
aren't things that Cal is feeling at all.
Maggie whistles as he walks in, and even Dr Zond agrees that Cal is going to
get Ali Burns's attention dressed like that when Vincent makes some sarcastic
remark about him cleaning up prettily. Cal doesn't pay them too much attention,
though. He's too busy trying not to stare at Nikko.
Nikko is opening and closing his mouth like he can't decide where to start in
on Cal's discomfort, but that's not what Cal's trying not to see. No, that
honour goes to the plain white T-shirt and scuffed jeans that Nikko is wearing,
which somehow manage to be revealing despite covering everything up. It's not
fair, Cal thinks; after hours of pushing from Juliet and the use of the company
credit card, he looks like an idiot. Nikko throws on any old thing and he looks
like sex on a stick. It's a good thing Cal has self-denial down to an art-form,
otherwise he'd be tempted to proposition Nikko right here in front of everyone.
Juliet arrives, dressed in something simple and low-cut that implies more than
it reveals. If she wasn't well aware of how important this is, Cal would
suspect that she has just been trying to humiliate him given how much of him is
on show. As it is, he's definitely feeling put-upon right now.
He pulls himself together long enough to go through the plan one last time.
Juliet and Nikko are to go in as a couple, just to be backup. Nikko smirks at
Juliet and promises to keep his eyes firmly on the job, a promise that no one
believes for a moment. Vincent and Dr Zond will be outside the club a short
distance away, ready to move if Maggie gets any signal from Nikko or Juliet.
Calvin is to be the one to make contact, though he's beginning to feel more
like bait. He dutifully repeats the pass-phrases that Burns will be expecting,
and for good measure adds the limits of his negotiating power and the proofs
he'll expect that what she's got is genuine. He thinks Dr Zond might be a
little impressed, but really he's just operating on autopilot. Nikko does that
to him at the best of times, and right now he's just surprised that no one can
see his brains dribbling out of his ears.
Cal spends the journey to the club sitting quietly in the back of the car.
Partly because he doesn't trust himself not to say anything stupid, partly
because he's trying desperately to get himself into the right headspace, but
mostly because Nikko will not let up with the smart remarks. If Cal had dressed
this way deliberately he might possibly be a little flattered by all the
attention he's getting from Nikko, but this is just embarrassing.
Eventually Dr Zond drops them off a block from the Eressos with a last warning
to be careful. Nikko practically drags them forwards, clearly eager to enjoy an
officially sanctioned night out even after Juliet reminds him the Veritas
Foundation won't be paying for his drinks. He is rather less enthusiastic when
Cal points out they'll be non-alcoholic drinks too, but that's about as much of
a victory as Cal's expecting from this evening.
Cal is absorbed in morose thoughts about how much fun it isn't going to be
trying not to watch Nikko flirting constantly with Juliet, so he doesn't notice
Nikko stop dead until he runs into him. "What?" he snaps.
"Uh, guys, I think we've got a problem." Nikko is looking up at the illuminated
sign in front of the club, which proclaims in bright pink terms that this is a
gay club. A very gay club, to judge by the people heading into it. Which
figures, since Eressos is the birthplace of Sappho who wrote all the lesbian
poetry that Greek scholars get a kick out of, except that Cal is feeling more
kicked at the moment.
"Oh my," Juliet says, eyeing the very male couple walking in wearing police
hats and not a whole lot else. Cal tries to find words and fails. If he felt
embarrassed by the idea of walking around wearing what he's wearing and having
women stare at him, the idea of spending the entire evening with guys staring
at his ass is pretty damn terrifying. Granted it's mostly terrifying because he
can't quite convince himself that he doesn't like the idea, but still. This was
territory Cal wasn't familiar with to start with, and now he feels like someone
just stole his map.
"OK," Nikko says decisively, "change of plan. Juliet, you're going to have to
be the one to make contact. Cal and I will keep an eye out for you and look
pretty." He smirks at Cal, who decides he can't let this just pass.
"Whoa, whoa, hold on a minute. Who died and put you in charge?"
Nikko's look is scornful enough on its own. "Who exactly do you think isn't
going to look out of place talking to Alison Burns in there?"
"I wonder if this was deliberate?" Juliet muses. "She must have been expecting
Dr Zond."
"And Dad would fit in even less well here than at a regular club," Nikko adds.
"Right." Cal thinks quickly, but can't see any other way around the problem.
"Here's what we're going to do. Juliet, you take point. You remember the
contact details?" Juliet quickly repeats the information Cal had memorised
while Nikko rolls his eyes. That's just tough for Nikko, Cal thinks; this is
his operation and he's the one who's got to make the decisions.
"You stick with me," he tells Nikko. "You don't wander off, you don't start
chatting up any of the girls, hell you don't even breathe without my say so.
Got it?"
"Anything you say, sweetie," Nikko says, slipping an arm around Cal's waist
provocatively.
It's all Cal can do not to leap away. Or leap on Nikko, which would be just as
bad. "And you keep your hands to yourself."
"Do you want us to look like couple or what?"
"Definitely 'what'," Cal mutters as Juliet gives Nikko an odd look.
"'Couple' it is, then," Nikko says smugly.
Cal doesn't get an opportunity to protest before Nikko drags him inside. Oh,
this is going to be pure torture, he thinks as the sights and sounds of the
club assault him. Fooling other people into believing that he and Nikko are an
item is going to be easy. Fooling Nikko into believing that he's only fooling,
that's going to require Cal to act his socks off. Given that he isn't wearing
any socks under these trousers for which Cal has several very interesting
Egyptian curses lined up, that could turn to crap real fast.
Nikko is already in full party mode, grinning like a loon as he hauls Cal over
to the bar and orders a vodka and orange. "What?" he asks as Cal scowls at him.
"It's a club. You can't expect me not to drink in a club."
Cal intercepts the vodka as it appears. "He'll have a club soda," he tells the
barman. Nikko looks rebellious for a moment, but seems to let it go when the
barman gives Cal a sly look. Cal forces himself to grin knowingly back at the
barman, then has to go through contortions to get some cash out of his pants.
At least he'll know for sure about any pickpockets, he thinks wryly.
Cal leans against the bar, nursing the alcohol he doesn't actually want. He
notices Juliet come in, getting herself a drink before moving round the club in
search of their contact. She's oozing a confidence Cal's pretty sure she
doesn't feel, but he trusts her to know what she's doing. He flicks his eyes
away from her, not wanting to be caught staring.
Beside him, Nikko knocks back the last of his soda, slaps his glass back down
on the bar and bounces off onto the dance floor before Cal can remind him that
they're supposed to stick together. Cal suppresses a groan, but stares after
him. This time he'd be expected to after all, that's his boyfriend out there
getting appreciative looks from everyone. Cal's quietly surprised at how well
Nikko is taking being ogled by guys, but wonders if he should be. That looks
like the Nikko of old out there, the one who unashamedly wants to be the centre
of attention all the time. The one he started falling for despite him being a
self-centred brat. The one who is flirting gently with anything that moves, and
Cal squashes the jealousy he can feel rising. This isn't real, Nikko doesn't
actually belong to him, he has no right to go out there and claim—
"Hey there, lonely." Cal turns to find a guy leaning on the bar beside him. Not
a bad-looking guy either, with close-cropped black hair, five o'clock shadow
and a shirt unbuttoned down to his navel. On another day Cal might even think
he was sexy, but he's got Nikko with him tonight and nothing else is even going
to come close. All the same, Cal would give meaningless gay sex some serious
consideration if he wasn't working right now.
He says something neutral back, looking back out across the club to check on
Juliet. She's still stalking their contact it seems, and Cal's a little
surprised to notice that Nikko is tracking her despite looking like he's
totally into his dancing. He feels a surge of pride that his brat has grown up.
The guy says something Cal doesn't quite catch over the music, probably his
name. "I'm Calvin," he shouts back. Looking back at him, Cal is pinned in place
by a lidded stare that leaves no doubt as to the guy's intentions.
"Well, Calvin, I bet you look just as good out of all that leather as in."
Calvin is sure he wants nothing to do with this guy, but he's not used to being
the one who is chatted up. "What makes you think you're going to be the one to
find out?" he asks, trying to think of put-downs that aren't going to start a
fight.
The guy leans right into Cal's personal space. "I can be very persuasive," he
says directly into Cal's ear before he starts nibbling. And yeah, it feels good
having that tongue fiddling with his earring, but it's not what Cal wants. He's
raising his hand to push the guy away when suddenly he finds himself with a
face full of Nikko.
"Hi," Nikko says brightly, swiping the neglected vodka and orange for a quick
sip.
Cal's would-be friend looks annoyed. "Buzz off, jailbait," he says.
Nikko laughs in his face. "Dance," he orders Cal. "Come on Chuck, show me your
moves."
Cal allows himself to be dragged out onto the dance floor, swatting away one
last attempt by his admirer to grab at his leather-clad ass. He can't help but
grin, even if he won't give Nikko the pleasure of thanking him for the save. He
lets himself get into the dancing, luxuriating in the driving beat, because he
has to in order to keep up appearances. That's what he tells himself, and for a
while he even manages to keep part of his attention floating back to Juliet,
who still hasn't found the elusive Burns it seems. He has to at least look like
he's looking at Nikko of course, how else could he dance with him like a
boyfriend should?
The trouble is, it's really hard to keep his eyes off Nikko. Every time he
looks, Nikko is staring back at him with that cocky grin that says everything's
right with the world. Cal knows it's just an act, that Nikko's just pretending
in the way that Cal isn't, and hell, Nikko's probably thinking of how he's
going to use all this to embarrass Cal with later. It's just that he's wanted
this, dreamed of this for so long, it's hard to remind himself it isn't real.
Then there's the dancing. Cal isn't much of a dancer, and he knows it. Oh, he's
got a few moves and he can generally keep a girl happy, but John Travolta he is
not. Nikko is more than good enough to make up for him, though; he mirrors
Cal's every move, challenging him to try harder and drawing a few wolf-whistles
from the crowd. All the time his eyes are locked on Cal's, looking into him,
through him, but Cal doesn't care. This is the nearest he's ever going to get
to his dream, and he's going to enjoy it while it lasts.
The song ends, the beat finally releasing Cal as a slower number takes over,
and just as seamlessly Cal finds himself holding Nikko close and rocking gently
in time to the music. He tries to burn this moment into his memory, breathless
as he is from the last dance, because it doesn't get any better than this.
Nikko's taller than he thought, Cal realises. He's always thought of himself as
the wiry but tall one; it doesn't matter if he ever does put any muscle on, he
will always look thin. Nikko has always been broader, especially since he's
been working out with Vincent, and in Cal's eyes that made him shorter somehow.
Standing together now, leaning against one another, there is barely any
difference between them. It's just that Nikko is solid, and Cal, well he feels
like a strong breeze would knock him over if he wasn't clinging on.
"Door," Nikko whispers breathlessly in his ear, and slowly Cal starts coming
back to reality. As near to reality as working for Veritas ever gets him, that
is. Something must be going on with Juliet that he missed while his mind was
fixed on Nikko, and he'll kick himself for that later but right now he still
has Nikko and the memory of his moment, and he can't quite bring himself to be
sorry he's been so lousy at keeping watch.
It takes him a while to get his head back in the game. He allows Nikko to steer
him off the dance floor to start with, heading in the general direction of the
bar until he finally figures out which door Nikko must be talking about. By the
time they're through the emergency exit and out into the sheltered alley
running alongside the club, Cal is back with it enough to be looking round for
Juliet, Burns or any of Dorna's thugs.
He doesn't see anyone. "What—" is all he manages to get out before Nikko spins
him round, pins him to the wall and kisses him savagely.
He must be dreaming, Cal thinks. Only in his dreams would Nikko be trying to
crawl into his mouth like this, one hand threaded through Cal's hair and the
other kneading his butt. Only in his dreams would he moan like that, his own
hands running down Nikko's muscular back to cup his ass. Only in his dreams
would Nikko grind against him like this, and then even that much thinking is
beyond Cal. He kisses back just as fervently as Nikko kisses him because that's
what happens in dreams, isn't it?
He feels hands scrabbling at the waistband of his suddenly wonderful leather
trousers, whimpers a little as Nikko pulls away slightly to get better access.
Never once breaking the kiss, he too fumbles at Nikko's jeans. There is a
moment of frustration, then an intolerable pressure is released as his trousers
are pushed open, and Nikko moans as he returns the favour, and Jesus Christ
he's got another guy's dick in his hand. Except it's not another guy's, it's
Nikko's, and Cal has dreamed about this but he never imagined it so hot, so
hard. He pulls and squeezes, too far gone to think of how he likes to jerk off,
but it doesn't seem to matter because because Nikko growls deep in his throat
and he gives Cal's dick this little twist that has Cal almost breaking their
kiss as he gasps.
Then they are grinding together again, awkwardly at first but building into a
rhythm that sends sweet, sweet shocks through Cal time and again. They
synchronise perfectly, Nikko and he, touching each other in all the right
places to build and build the tension until finally Cal falls over the edge,
coming harder than he's ever come before in his entire life.
He's so out of it he doesn't know whether Nikko comes before, during or after
him. When he recovers his senses, panting like he's just run a marathon, Nikko
is slumped up against him with a sticky mess cooling between them, and if it
wasn't for the wall behind him he'd have collapsed long ago. As it is, Cal
doesn't dare move for fear his legs will give way.
Cal can't keep this stupid grin off his face, and it turns out that Nikko is no
better. They start laughing weakly, and it's all so perfect because Cal has
just had sex with Nikko and right now that's all that matters. He could kiss
everything that got him here, including these stupid trousers, the guy who came
onto him and even Alison Burns...
Crap.
Cal sobers up fast. "Juliet," he says, and sees reality come crashing back down
onto Nikko too. Nikko swears as they tuck themselves back in, one hell of a
feat of engineering in Cal's case, and try vainly to look like they haven't
just had back-alley sex. Then they head through the door back into the club,
still standing far too close to each other but then that's what everyone else
will expect. Heck, Cal rationalises, it's good for their cover and maybe he'll
manage to sell that idea to Juliet too.
Juliet, fortunately, doesn't seem to have noticed their absence. Cal spots her
sat at a table with an older woman who's doing a damn good job of keeping her
face hidden. Burns, he presumes, and he breathes a sigh of relief as he points
them out to Nikko.
His relief is short-lived as Nikko swears quietly. Approaching Juliet are two
brawny guys who stick out like sore thumbs. They might as well have "DORNA
THUG" tattooed on their foreheads for all the subtlety they're showing here.
"Man," Nikko complains as he and Cal move to intercept, "I really didn't want
to get thrown out of this club."
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