Chapter Text
"Some Asian kid is throwing around a lot of money for people to race his car," one of the guys in the car next to Robbie said, "I think it was a hundred thousand dollars if they could beat him."
Robbie's ears perked up. That was life-changing money. He wanted to ask the other racer what this kid's deal was.
"There's no way," the guy leaning against his door said, "Who offers that much for a race?"
"He hasn't lost yet. He's got some souped-up whatever. Space age shit. Must have built it himself cuz I've never seen anything like it."
"You raced him?"
"Fuck no, but I watched one. He dusted them. And he only races the best."
"How does he find people to race?"
"Hell if I know. He just shows up."
Someone shouted at them to get ready to race. Robbie wanted to ask for more details, but the race was going to start, and… like they'd tell him anyway.
[You could beat it out of them…]
Robbie ignored Eli and revved his engine.
"Do y'all do body work?"
Robbie glanced up from the engine he was working on at the kid standing at the garage doors. He glanced around at his coworkers, all busy, and tore himself away from his project. He wiped grease on his coveralls.
"We can. What's the damage?"
"Oh, I was in an accident and I got a dent in the bumper," the kid said. He was about Robbie's height, maybe an inch shorter, and Asian. He looked pretty clean-cut for this side of town. His hair was gelled into place like he took care of it and he was wearing dark green shorts and a cream button-up. He had flip-flops on, Robbie noted.
Robbie looked at the car. It was a 1950-something Impala in the classic green color. It had fins and everything. Definitely not what he expected from the teenager. Robbie went to inspect the back bumper. It wasn't all that bad. The dent could easily be fixed. He crossed his arms and then glanced back at the teen.
"Yeah we can do this," Robbie said.
"Oh, sick. I do have like one really weird request. Don't look under the hood. You shouldn't have to cuz it's just a dent."
Robbie hadn't ever wanted to crack open the hood of a car more. "What did you do to it that you don't want anyone to see?"
"Oh, nothing crazy. I just replaced some things."
Robbie frowned. He needed to see under that hood. "I'll need your name and a good number to reach you," he said.
The kid pulled out a business card which was another surprise. The kid was full of surprises, Robbie thought. He expected some corny start-up, but the card read, "Amadeus Cho, CEO of Olympus Group." He’d seen Olympus Group buildings around. They always had big columns and marble. They definitely looked legit. Why was their CEO a teenage boy in flip-flops?
"Oh, wait. Let me add my personal number," Amadeus said, and he snatched the card back and wrote his number on the back, "How long will this take, you figure?"
"We're a little busy. So a couple hours," Robbie replied.
"Alright. I'll probably come by tomorrow to get it then. Call me if anything comes up," Amadeus said.
"Alright. I will see you tomorrow," Robbie said.
Amadeus flashed him the world's brightest smile and walked off. Robbie wondered how he was going to leave, but it looked like he was just going to walk. Weird for a rich kid, but what did he know about rich people? Robbie went back to inspect the dent.
As expected the dent took almost no time to fix. It was pretty much as good as new. He sent Amadeus a text that it was fixed and he replied with a thumbs-up emoji and said he would pick it up the next day.
Robbie went to race later that night. He glanced through the crowd. It was a quiet night. Only a couple of people were out to race. It really wasn't worth it. Robbie almost decided to go home when a silver car, if it could be called that at all, drove up. It was needle-thin with three wheels. Only one in the front and two in the back. It almost looked like a jet. It was so streamlined. Robbie sat up in his seat. This had to be the car that was offering 100,000 dollars if you could beat it.
The car drove up beside him and idled next to him for a moment before driving off. Robbie's temper flared and he followed the other car until it stopped at a light. Robbie tried to look into the window of the other car, but there was a tint so he couldn't see the occupant.
[Just run into him and take his money. He probably got it illegally, and why should you care about some rich bitch who wants some thrills?]
The car pulled into a parking lot, and Robbie followed. He waited for the other driver to get out of the car impatiently. The driver hopped out and walked over to Robbie's window. It was too dark to see him until he was right next to the Hell Charger.
"Well, hello," Amadeus said, leaning into Robbie's window.
"You the guy offering a shit ton of money to race his spaceship?" Robbie asked.
"Yeah," Amadeus said, "but you don't have to race me. I know who's gonna win."
"You don't think I can outrace you?" Robbie snapped.
Amadeus smirked. "No, I know you'll win, La Leyenda."
[He knows what we are. We have to kill him!]
Robbie frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I'm not in the business of racing with the devil," Amadeus said, "Now I might think about playing the fiddle against you or selling my soul to play guitar real good, but I have no interest in racing."
"Then what were the other races?" Robbie asked.
"Bait," Amadeus said.
[He wants a fight. We should give one to him. He’s shady as hell.]
Robbie started rolling up his window. "Then I don't have any interest talking to you," he said.
"Hey, you know there are other ways of making money than racing."
"I'm not hired muscle," Robbie said.
"You ever thought of being a superhero?" Amadeus asked.
“Not interested,” Robbie said, “I’m just trying to make a better life for my little brother.”
“But no interest in joining a real, legitimate superhero team?” Amadeus asked.
“I don’t care,” Robbie asked, “You’re just some random rich kid who inherited his wealth.”
[Good answer. I don't want to be some goody two shoes saving kittens from trees.]
Amadeus laughed. “I think I said something like that to Angel back in the day. You don’t know who I am, do you?”
Robbie’s brows furrowed. “Obviously not.”
“You read the business card, right? Olympus Group, as in Mount Olympus, as in the Greek Gods,” Amadeus said.
“You’re not a god,” Robbie said.
[Let's kill this cocky sonofabitch.]
“No, but I was and I’m funded by them. I got everything when Herc died and because the law makes no sense at all I've still got it," Amadeus said, “and I’m looking to spend an obscene amount of money to stop kids from ending up like me or you.”
Robbie glared at him. “What the fuck do you mean by that?” He snapped.
[He insulted you. Let's rip him apart.]
“Orphans,” Amadeus said.
Robbie’s stomach dropped. “How did you…?”
“I have a little sister named Maddy. My parents were killed in an explosion meant for me. Maddy wasn’t there, but I spent a long time thinking she was dead. Too long.”
“This team… How much would you pay me?” Robbie asked.
[You're not thinking of working with this fool?]
“How much do you want?” Amadeus asked.
Robbie’s brow furrowed deeper. “I… I don’t know,” he said, “How much do the Avengers pay?”
Amadeus shrugged. “I can hack them and find out,” he said.
“You name the right price and I’ll think about joining your team,” Robbie said, “but I don’t care about saving the world or anything like that. This is all about money.”
“Of course,” Amadeus said, nodding his head.
Robbie rolled up his windows and drove off. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
[What the hell was that about?!]
"If we join his little team we'll be beating up bad guys like you want," Robbie said.
[You're such a pussy.]
The next day Robbie went to work. Amadeus’s Impala was still on the lot. He opened the hood to see what in the world he had done to it and because he wanted to spite him. Instead of a typical engine, there were iridescent liquids going through clear tubing and glittering gold mechanical components that Robbie had never seen before. He stared at it confused for a few moments.
“Told you not to look in there,” Amadeus said, in a sing-song voice. He was wearing flip-flops again. He looked like he just walked back from the beach. He was wearing purple board shorts and a Lakers t-shirt.
“What the fuck did you do to it?” Robbie asked, scandalized.
“I made it run on mythic energy,” Amadeus replied, “It can fly too.”
“God, why? It’s a classic,” Robbie grumbled.
“If you knew the amount of work I put into making this car not only run but fly, you’d be really impressed,” Amadeus said, “Now can we talk about payment?”
“You’d have to talk to…”
“Different payment,” Amadeus said, leaning to one side.
“Not at work you moron,” Robbie said.
“Okay, I’ll see you later then,” Amadeus said, smiling. He walked off to pay for his car and then drove off in it.
Amadeus showed up later that night dressed in joggers and a tank top that was cut way too far on the sides. Robbie wanted to cuss him out because there were already rumors about him, but he held his tongue and just let Amadeus inside. He wasn’t wearing flip-flops now. He had a pair of sneakers on that looked deceptively normal in a soft shade of peach. Amadeus noticed Robbie staring at his shoes.
“They’re Hender Scheme. I can get you a pair,” he said.
Robbie shook his head. If anyone saw him in pink shoes they’d never let him live it down.
“You can’t just show up here,” Robbie said, “especially not in pink shoes.”
“Huh?” He looked confused in a cute way like it never occurred to him that pink shoes were an odd sight.
[He's such a f-]
“Look, you can’t dress like this if you’re gonna show up,” Robbie said.
Amadeus looked down at his clothes. He looked back up at Robbie, still adorably confused.
“You look gay,” Robbie said.
“Oh,” Amadeus said, “Sorry, I’ll dress straight next time.”
“How much are the Avengers paid?” Robbie asked.
“Okay, so they get paid like two thousand to three thousand a week, so about one hundred, one hundred fifty thousand a year, but I can pay more if you need it,” Amadeus said.
Robbie’s jaw dropped. “For a week?!”
“I don’t want to underpay you,” Amadeus said, “How much are you paid now?”
“Not that much,” Robbie said, sighing, “Look I’ll take that much. Hell, I’d take half that much.”
“You’re not going to negotiate?” Amadeus asked, “No benefits or sign-on bonuses or anything like that?”
Robbie shook his head.
“Can I at least pay for your college or something? Obviously life insurance and medical and stuff like that, but I don’t feel right just paying you just as much as the Avengers. This is a private team.”
“You can give me whatever you feel like is fair,” Robbie said, “It’s more money than I’ve seen in my whole life.”
Amadeus crossed his arms. “I thought this was going to be a negotiation,” he said, almost disappointed. "I'll write up a contract in a couple of weeks once I get more heroes together. In the meantime, I want your input on what you'd like for the team too. I can pay-"
"You don't need to pay me until the job starts."
Amadeus's brow furrowed. "Jeez, do you hate money or something?”
Robbie didn’t say anything. He worried that with Amadeus’s generosity, he would end up indebted to him, and that was the last thing he needed. Feeling obligated to some rich kid with a stupid dream to save the world was not a good idea.
“Look, I gotta get Gabe ready for bed. Can you get lost until tomorrow? I should be off. We talk then,” Robbie said.
“Yeah, I’ll see you soon,” Amadeus said, smiling brightly.
Amadeus showed up every day for the next week. Today he was in basketball shorts, a tastefully ripped t-shirt, and slides. Robbie shook his head when he realized that the slides were Dolce & Gabbana. Amadeus was asking to be robbed. He lounged on Robbie’s couch and told him what he was thinking for the team and how he was planning on recruiting some other L.A.-based superheroes, but there weren’t all that many so he might have to find some that were unknown. He was even thinking of recruiting outside of LA and relocating them to California.
Someone was at the door so Robbie got up and answered it while Amadeus kept talking until the door opened. It was Lisa, she was holding brownies. Robbie glanced over at Amadeus and then back at Lisa.
“Oh, hey,” he said, trying to act cool.
“I made these because I thought Gabe might enjoy them,” Lisa said.
“Oh, thanks. He’ll love them,” Robbie said, taking the tupperware. He wanted to invite her in, but Amadeus was obnoxiously good-looking and charming and he knew that they would hit it off and…
[You're gonna make me puke.]
“Hi, my name’s Amadeus.” He stuck his hand out for a handshake and Lisa took it.
“I’m Lisa. I go to school with Robbie,” she said.
“Nice to meet you,” Amadeus said.
Robbie smiled uncomfortably between them. “Do you want to come in?” He asked Lisa to be polite and he hoped that she would turn him down.
“Oh, yeah sure,” Lisa said, “I’ve been wondering what your other friends are like.”
Amadeus grinned and Robbie’s stomach turned. With that smile how could Lisa not fall for him? Robbie wondered. Amadeus took one of the folding chairs and sat in it backward. Robbie and Lisa sat on the couch.
“So, uh, how do you know Robbie?” Lisa asked.
“I got in a wreck and he buffed a dent out for me. I thought his car was sick so I’ve been pestering him ever since,” Amadeus replied.
“Are you from around here?” Lisa asked.
“No, I'm from Arizona,” Amadeus replied, “I moved here a couple weeks ago.”
“Did you move here for school?”
“For work. I work at Olympus Group,” Amadeus replied, hiding the fact that he was the CEO. Hiding the fact that he was made of money.
“They must pay well,” Lisa said, glancing down at his shoes.
“You and Robbie are on about my shoes,” Amadeus laughed, “First day I came over he chewed me out for looking gay because I was wearing pink shoes.”
“It wasn’t just the shoes,” Robbie objected.
Amadeus grinned, and Robbie’s chest tightened. “I can’t help it. At least I didn’t show up at your work dressed like that,” he said.
“You wore flip-flops,” Robbie said.
Amadeus’s brow furrowed.
“That’s a weird thing to notice,” Lisa said.
“Those were Gucci,” Amadeus said.
Lisa’s eyes widened. “God, how much did they cost?”
Amadeus shrugged. “I don’t check prices anymore,” he said, “I used to budget everything, but now I don’t see the point. If I want something I just buy it. You can’t take money with you when you die.”
[He makes me sick… He’s just flaunting his wealth around you. Doesn’t it piss you off?]
Robbie gritted his teeth for a moment and looked at the door.
“I bet you have a lot of friends,” Lisa said.
Amadeus laughed. “I’m the worst at making friends,” he said, “Robbie’s the only one I have around here right now.”
Lisa’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I’m having a party on Saturday. You should come and make some friends!” she exclaimed.
Amadeus glanced at Robbie. “I’m down if Robbie’s coming,” he said.
“I’ll go if I can get a babysitter for Gabe,” Robbie said.
“So put us down as going,” Amadeus said, grinning, “Anything I need to bring?”
Lisa laughed. “Not that kind of party.”
Robbie looked at his phone and it was time for him to start dinner. “I have to start dinner,” he said, standing up.
“I better get going. It was nice to meet you Amadeus, and I’ll see you tomorrow, Robbie.”
Robbie and Amadeus said bye to her, and she left. Robbie went into the kitchen to fix supper for him and Gabe.
Amadeus leaned against the doorway to the kitchen. “Lisa seemed nice,” he said, “Y’all just friends?”
Robbie turned around wielding a spatula. “No, absolutely not. You can’t hit on her,” he said.
Amadeus’s brows furrowed. “What?”
“She’s like my only friend. I don’t want you pushing her away by being weird,” Robbie said.
Amadeus almost doubled over laughing. He held his chest and straightened back up. “You don’t have to worry about me hitting on her. I prefer scary people that can kill me,” he said.
“Good,” Robbie said going back to the stove to keep making dinner.
“Can I stay over? I don’t feel like driving back to my house in this traffic, and I left my teleporter in the lab,” Amadeus asked.
Robbie shrugged. “I can take you back to your place,” he said.
Amadeus wrinkled his nose. “Then I have got to come back tomorrow for my car,” he said.
“You’re always over anyway,” Robbie said.
“Please,” Amadeus said, and he gave Robbie puppy dog eyes.
“People will talk if you spend the night,” Robbie said.
“They’ll talk if I leave my car here,” Amadeus said, “They’ll talk if I look gay when I come over. They’ll talk if I come back tomorrow. People talk, Robbie.”
“I’ve got Gabe to think about,” Robbie said.
“I’ve got Maddy,” Amadeus said.
[He's trying to fuck you. He's such a pervert.]
Robbie concentrated on dinner instead of Amadeus and Eli.
“When I was sixteen there were rumors that me and Hercules were having sex,” Amadeus said, “Nothing came out of people talking.”
[Probably were fucking. Heard Hercules would fuck anything with two legs and a smile, and some things with more than two legs.]
“Not the same,” Robbie said.
Amadeus frowned. “You frustrate me,” he said.
“I know,” Robbie said.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” Amadeus asked.
“It’s a weekday so school,” Robbie replied.
“You want to play hooky and we can go to the mall or something,” Amadeus said.
“You are a bad influence,” Robbie said, shaking his head.
“I can get you into any college you want and pay for it,” Amadeus said, “You don’t have to worry about high school at all.”
[He's trying to buy you. You're just a sugar baby to him. Next thing you know he'll be demanding things of you.]
“We can hang out tomorrow after school,” Robbie said, “but I’m not skipping.”
“Ugh, fine,” Amadeus groaned.
“Gabe will have to come,” Robbie said.
Amadeus smiled. “Nice,” he said.
“Now get lost. I’ve only got enough for me and Gabe,” Robbie said.
“I’m goin’. I’ll see you later,” Amadeus said, and he left for the day.
“Where the fuck are you? We have Lisa’s party today,” Robbie snapped.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m in the lab,” Amadeus replied, “I feel like I’m close to a breakthrough.”
“On what?” Robbie asked.
“Something I’ve been working on for a few years,” Amadeus said. Robbie imagined him over some beakers dropping chemicals into them with his tongue poking through his teeth. His hair tumbling over his forehead, sweat on his brow… Robbie shook his head to get thoughts like that out of his mind.
[You're disgusting.]
“You’re being vague,” Robbie said.
“Yeah, I am,” Amadeus said, “I’m gonna put you on speaker, I need both my hands.”
[I have to share your thoughts, you bastard! I don't want to see what you want him to be doing with his hands.]
Robbie desperately thought of something else. He focused on the sound of Amadeus clacking on a keyboard.
“Hey, Calvin, what amount of radiation can a Hulk absorb?” Amadeus asked.
“Seemingly unlimited,” a voice replied.
“Who’s Calvin?” Robbie asked.
“Oh, my AI,” Amadeus said, “Say hi Calvin.”
“Hello, Mr. Reyes,” Calvin said.
“He’s like a robot?” Robbie asked.
“Without a body,” Amadeus replied, “He lives in one of my Calvin Klein suits.” More clacking on the computer. “Calvin, at what point would a Hulk become a gamma bomb?”
“It is variable,” Calvin replied.
“Why are you doing research on the Hulk?” Robbie asked.
“Me and Bruce are friends,” Amadeus replied, still vaguely, “Okay, I’m tapped out. How much longer ‘til the party? Do I have time to shower?”
“No, I’ll be over in ten minutes,” Robbie said.
“Okay,” Amadeus said, “See you in a few.” He hung up.
Robbie drove to Amadeus’s lab. It didn’t take long because it wasn’t that far from Amadeus’s house. He parked the Hell Charger and went inside the lab because knowing Amadeus he probably had some brilliant idea and was back messing with some science stuff. The lab was deserted. He looked around for Amadeus but couldn’t find him. He groaned.
“Where is he?” he grumbled.
“Amadeus is in the rear of the building. He just stepped out of the shower,” Calvin said.
Robbie jumped out of his skin. “Uh, thank you?” he said, looking around at the roof as if there was going to be some physical manifestation of a bodiless robot. He walked to the rear of the building and sure enough, there was Amadeus, dripping wet, in just a towel. Amadeus smiled at him.
“Sorry, I’m gonna put clothes on,” Amadeus said, “It’s only been seven minutes. I thought I had more time.”
Robbie glared at him, but he couldn’t say anything because his brain was currently shut down. He had abs? What did a scrawny little nerd need with abs? His pecs were nice too. Did he work out? His brain supplied him with the thought of Amadeus all sweaty from working out which was the last thing he needed at the moment.
[You’re such a freak.]
Robbie swallowed the lump in his throat as Amadeus disappeared into another room. He returned dry and in a white t-shirt, a green army jacket, and light brown chinos. His shoes were nondescript hiking boots, but undoubtedly they were more expensive than Robbie’s rent.
“Okay, we can go.”
Robbie held the door of the Hell Charger for Amadeus. He slipped into the passenger seat. “I love hanging out with you. I get to be a passenger princess,” Amadeus said when Robbie sat in the driver's side next to him.
“Buckle up, princess,” Robbie said.
Amadeus buckled his seat belt and smirked at Robbie. “Okay, baby, I’ll be good,” he said.
Robbie flushed down to his toes. “Don’t call me that,” he said.
“You called me princess,” Amadeus said, “Just keeping that energy up.”
Robbie shook his head. “Quit the energy.”
“Boo, why won’t you flirt with me?”
“Quit being weird,” Robbie objected.
“Fine, I’ll save the weirdness for the party,” Amadeus said.
Amadeus and Robbie showed up at Lisa’s party fashionably late. The party was filled with teens drinking and partaking in reckless behavior. Robbie grimaced at the loud music piped in through huge speakers with the bass up too loud. Amadeus brightened up at the beat. He bumped Robbie’s shoulder.
“I love this song,” he said.
Robbie couldn’t find Lisa in the crowd, but Amadeus was already talking with strangers and nodding to the music so that was good. Robbie stayed close to Amadeus and sometimes joined in his conversations, but he mostly didn’t. Amadeus was so good at talking. He had everyone he was talking with laughing, and he dazzled them with his wit. It probably wasn’t that hard to dazzle a bunch of drunk teens though.
Robbie had to go piss and wandered down the halls to find the bathroom. He found it, and it was locked. He waited outside the door for a few minutes until he realized that it was probably not being used for someone taking a piss. He grumbled under his breath and went to find Amadeus again. He stumbled through the party until he found Amadeus about ten minutes later in deep conversation with a guy with shoulder-length curly hair. The other guy’s hand was on Amadeus’s upper thigh. Robbie frowned and walked up behind Amadeus.
[Your little boyfriend is cheating on you.]
“Hey, do you want to go?” he asked.
Amadeus looked over his shoulder. He smiled so sweetly at Robbie. It made his heart flip in his chest. “What did you say?” Amadeus shouted over the music.
“I asked if you want a drink,” Robbie shouted back.
“Do they have Dr. Pepper?” Amadeus asked.
Robbie shrugged. “I saw beer,” he said.
Amadeus wrinkled his nose. “I don’t drink,” he said.
[Fucking loser.]
The other guy leaned closer to Amadeus. “Aw, why not?” he asked. Robbie straightened up. He wanted to grab that guy’s hand and take it off of Amadeus’s thigh.
[You should break his hand or something. I’m getting bored.]
“Alcohol kills brain cells,” Amadeus said.
“I think you’re smart enough to spare a few,” Robbie said.
“I did D.A.R.E. You can’t peer pressure me,” Amadeus said. He sat up. “I’ll go with you to get drinks. You want anything?” He pointed his thumb at the other guy.
He shrugged. “A beer would be fine,” he said.
Amadeus gave him a thumbs up and then followed Robbie towards the kitchen.
“Who was that?” Robbie asked.
“Uh, his name was Theo or something like that. I couldn’t hear him that well,” Amadeus replied.
“He’s cute,” Robbie said.
Amadeus shrugged. “He’s not really my type,” he said.
“You were his,” Robbie said.
Amadeus laughed and shoved Robbie’s shoulder. “I can’t help that I’m incredibly sexy,” he said.
Lisa threw her arms over their shoulders and Robbie jumped. “I saw you talking with Noah,” she said.
Robbie chuckled at how badly Amadeus misheard his name. Amadeus laughed. “Yeah,” he said, “Don’t make it a thing.”
“He’s nice,” Lisa said.
“Amadeus said he wasn’t his type,” Robbie said, “He likes scary people.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “No one wants wholesome anymore,” she said.
“I’m not looking for anything serious,” Amadeus said, “Who knows when I’m gonna have to pack up and move?”
Robbie’s brow furrowed. “You never said anything about moving.”
“Work keeps me pretty mobile,” Amadeus said.
“You’re staying for a while, right?” Robbie asked.
“Yeah at least a couple months,” Amadeus replied.
“A couple months isn’t that long,” Robbie said. He was blindsided. He thought they were going to be a team together for a long time, but Amadeus said just a couple months…
[He's stringing you along. You didn’t even see it coming.]
Lisa looked between them and frowned. “Amadeus, do you smoke?” she asked.
Amadeus shook his head. “No, I have an addictive personality.”
“Weed, smartypants.” She jabbed his side. “Come out and smoke with me.”
“Okay,” Amadeus said. He looked at Robbie to see if he was coming.
“I can’t risk failing a drug test.”
“Oh, let me get Noah his drink,” Amadeus said, remembering. He grabbed a beer and a soda and left with Lisa.
Robbie found an empty corner and stood alone sipping on a soda. He wanted to go home, but Amadeus looked like he was having fun. He didn’t want to seem like he wasn’t fun. He sighed. He was too old for his age.
[You're not meant for this. You're meant for tasting blood.]
Amadeus came back into the party with Lisa laughing too loud. He found Robbie and grinned at him brightly. “Can you drive us to get tacos?” he asked.
Robbie shook his head. “Why can’t you eat the food here?” he asked.
Amadeus looked at Lisa. “Why can’t we eat the food here?”
“Because we want tacos,” Lisa said.
Amadeus looked back at Robbie. “Because we want tacos.” He was so cutely earnest. A smile crept to Robbie’s face.
Lisa wrinkled her nose and poked Robbie’s side. “Hey, you’re smiling. Does that mean yes?”
Robbie quickly scowled. “No.”
Amadeus leaned his head on Robbie’s shoulder and groaned. He wrapped his arms around Robbie’s waist. “Please, I’m gonna pay.”
Robbie froze when he realized that Amadeus was hugging him. He looked at Lisa with panic in his eyes. “Fine, we can get tacos. Just let go.”
[He's so sick. He's throwing himself at you. He doesn't care how it looks.]
Amadeus straightened up and cheered. He dragged Robbie out of the party and to the Hell Charger. Lisa was close behind. She got in the backseat and pointed Amadeus to the passenger seat. Amadeus stared at the lights and sometimes he would mumble a number. Robbie glanced at the speedometer just as he mumbled forty-one. It was the speed they were going.
“Stop calculating how fast we’re going,” Robbie said.
Amadeus straightened up. “Sorry, I’ll divide the people’s license plates instead,” he said.
“Wait, how did you calculate how fast we’re going?” Lisa asked.
Amadeus shrugged. “My brain just does that sometimes,” he replied.
“You’re such a nerd,” Robbie said.
“I don’t think you’re a nerd, Amadeus. You’re just really smart,” Lisa said.
“I wish people wanted me for my body,” Amadeus sighed.
“Noah wanted your body,” Lisa giggled.
Robbie’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
[We should go back and tear that Noah kid apart. You want to.]
Robbie pulled into a parking lot. There was a taco truck parked on the edge and a group of people were sitting by their cars laughing and playing music.
“It says cash only,” Amadeus said. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out a hundred and frowned. “This is too much.”
“I’ll pay. You can pay me back,” Lisa said, pulling her wallet out of her skin-tight jeans.
Amadeus handed her the hundred. “Take it. I’ll forget to pay you back.”
“That’s a hundred dollars,” Lisa said, “I can’t take a hundred dollars from you.”
“Why? I won’t even notice it’s gone,” Amadeus said.
[He’s got so much money and doesn’t work for it, and you have to work hard for every dollar…]
“I don’t want a hundred dollars,” Lisa said, “Just pay me back later. I won’t let you forget.”
Amadeus huffed. He turned to Robbie. “Take this,” he said, handing Robbie the hundred, “Buy Gabe some comics for me.”
Robbie stared at the hundred being waved in his face. “I don’t want your money,” he said.
“You two are impossible,” Amadeus said, shoving it back in his chinos.
“What do you want?” Lisa asked.
“God, anything,” Amadeus said, “I could literally eat a whole cow right now. I’m starving.”
“I’ll go order. You can stay here with Robbie,” Lisa said.
Amadeus and Robbie got out of the Hell Charger while Lisa went to get the food. Robbie leaned against the car and watched the other vehicles drive by. Amadeus looked around with wide eyes, taking everything he could in. He looked over at a car that pulled in at about the same time as they did. The man that was driving it hadn’t gone up to the taco truck yet. He was just waiting by his car looking at his phone, pointed vaguely in their direction.
Amadeus gripped Robbie’s shoulder. “Did you see that guy?” he asked.
Robbie looked over his shoulder at the guy. He was in an ill-fitting plaid button-up and baggy boot-cut jeans. Amadeus tugged on his arm. “Don’t look at him,” he hissed.
“What about him?” Robbie asked.
“He’s following us,” Amadeus replied, “He’s trying to put me in prison again.”
[He's crazy. Can't even handle weed. Pathetic. Come on, let’s ditch these idiots and smash some skulls in.]
Robbie shook his head. “He’s not following us,” he said, “Why did you go to prison?”
Amadeus snapped to look at Robbie. “I can’t talk about it,” he said, “Not in public.”
Robbie nodded his head. “Do you want to go home?” he asked, “Are you having a bad trip?”
“It’s not a bad trip. He’s really following us,” Amadeus insisted, “I think he’s S.H.I.E.L.D. I can’t let him know where I live.”
“He’s not S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s just some guy,” Robbie said.
“His shoes are cop shoes,” Amadeus said, “Trust me. I’ve been under surveillance since I was sixteen. I know these things.”
[Hm, he might be onto something. Those are cop shoes.]
“Relax, Amadeus,” Robbie said.
“Can we leave?” Amadeus asked. His fingers were gripping Robbie’s shoulder, and his eyes kept darting to look at all the reflective surfaces to see the plain-clothed cop.
“Okay,” Robbie said.
Amadeus practically bolted to the Hell Charger. Lisa returned holding their tacos just as he disappeared inside. “What’s up with him?”
“He’s having a bad trip,” Robbie replied, “He wants to go home.”
Lisa frowned. “You’re not going to leave him alone with his first bad trip?”
“He’ll be fine.”
“Robbie, don’t be a dick. He’s scared.”
[Who gives a fuck? I know you want to fuck this girl, but she's so fucking annoying.]
“Fine, I’ll let him spend the night,” Robbie grumbled.
[Bad decision. He’ll probably do something gross when he’s alone with you.]
“Hurry up, Robbie,” Amadeus said, peeking out of the car and waving his hand.
Just as Robbie and Lisa got in the car, the plain-clothed officer got in his, which only solidified Amadeus’s fears. He directed them down roads until he was certain that the officer wasn’t following them anymore then Robbie dropped Lisa off at her house. He drove Amadeus back to his apartment.
“Why are we going back to your place?” Amadeus asked.
“Because you’re having a bad trip-” Amadeus protested that he wasn’t. “-and I don’t want you to be on your own.”
“Oh, that’s actually thoughtful, but that guy was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I saw his license plate. It was S.H.I.E.L.D. issued. They always have D.C. plates, and they’re short.”
“Well then we don’t want S.H.I.E.L.D. to know where you live,” Robbie said, playing along because he didn’t think Amadeus was thinking clearly.
“They always find out,” Amadeus said, quietly, “I’m so sick of being watched.”
Robbie looked over at him. He was staring out the window with the most dejected frown on his face. He looked defeated. Robbie wanted to reach out and comfort him, but he couldn’t do that…
[You're down bad.]
Amadeus immediately fell asleep on the couch. Robbie paid his babysitter and then got Amadeus a blanket and pillow. He went to his room to get some sleep. In the morning the smell of breakfast wafted into his bedroom, and he wandered into the kitchen to find the source. Amadeus was at the stove cooking. He looked over his shoulder at Robbie and smiled.
“Good morning. I never ate my tacos so I’m starving,” Amadeus said.
“Yeah, you passed out after freaking out over that S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent,” Robbie said.
“You want a breakfast taco?” Amadeus asked, “I was feeling them.”
Robbie nodded. “I’ll get Gabe,” he said.
“Sweet, ” Amadeus said, scrambling some eggs and preparing to cook some sausage.
By the time Robbie returned with a very groggy Gabe, Amadeus was finished with the tacos, and he was raiding Robbie’s fridge for salsa or any kind of hot sauce. He returned with two different kinds, neither of which were Sriracha.
“Sriracha is the best. How can you not have any?” Amadeus asked, dousing his tacos in one of the hot sauces.
“Be careful with that,” Robbie warned.
“Dude, I’m Korean, and I’m from Arizona,” Amadeus said, taking a bite.
Robbie winced, but Amadeus kept eating. Gabe watched Amadeus, unable to look away as he ate more and more of his breakfast taco. He was starting to sweat and turn red, but he didn’t stop.
“Please take a drink,” Robbie said, shoving his water towards him, “You are so red.”
Amadeus drank the whole glass without coming up for air. He gasped and coughed when he finished the glass. “That stuff sneaks up on you,” Amadeus said.
Gabe started laughing. It was contagious because soon Amadeus and Robbie were laughing with him. Amadeus leaned towards Robbie, laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe. He slapped Robbie’s shoulder.
“I should have listened,” he said.
Robbie snorted which only made Amadeus and Gabe laugh harder.
“You’re so stupid,” Robbie gasped out.
Amadeus rested his forehead on the table, still silently laughing. Robbie finally managed to control himself. He smiled at the way Amadeus was still laughing and kept dissolving into giggles when he thought about what happened.
Gabe pushed the hot sauce he was using to Amadeus. “Try this,” he said.
Amadeus poured it on another taco and shook his head. “Thanks, buddy.”
Robbie answered the door. Amadeus was there like always. He had a handful of comics. “I got Gabe some comics,” he said, “Where’s my best friend?”
Robbie shook his head. “He’s with Lisa for his birthday.”
“Boo, I wanted to hang with him,” Amadeus said.
“You snooze, you lose,” Robbie said.
“He knows I’m coming today, right?” Amadeus asked.
“Yeah. They’re going to be back in like an hour,” Robbie replied.
“Good,” Amadeus said, putting the comics down on the coffee table, “You need help with anything?”
“No, I got all the decorations up, and I already picked up the cake. It’s in the freezer,” Robbie said.
“You’re always on top of everything,” Amadeus said.
Robbie shrugged and went back into the kitchen to watch Gabe’s birthday dinner while it cooked.
"Do you want to go to a movie with me sometime?" Amadeus asked from the other room.
Something about the question put dread in the pit of his stomach. "Why don't you take Gabe?" Robbie suggested.
"Because I want to take you," Amadeus said, leaning against the doorframe.
"There isn't anything I want to see," Robbie said.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Amadeus said, “You’ve got to know.” He was frustrated like he had been trying to tell him something for a while, and he hadn't been listening.
“Don’t say it,” Robbie said, “You’ll fuck everything up if you say it out loud.”
“What will saying it out loud change?” Amadeus asked, “You know and I know.”
“Because I don’t want to hear it,” Robbie said.
“Why are you such a fucking coward?” Amadeus asked, “Either say no or say yes. We don’t have to keep pretending that there isn’t something going on here.”
Robbie whipped around. “Shut up,” he said, “I’m not like you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Amadeus asked.
Robbie gritted his teeth. “Do you think just because you throw money my way I’m gonna want to date you?” Robbie snapped, “I’m just another purchase to you. If you want something you just buy it, right?”
Amadeus’s eyes widened. “No. That’s not… What the hell, man? You know that’s not what I’m doing!”
“How? I’ve known you for like a month and all you’ve done is offer me money and offer me things. I’m not bought that easy.”
Amadeus squared his jaw. “No one wants to buy you. I just want to make things easier for you because I have the means. You could have just turned me down, no need to be a jackass about it,” he said.
“I don’t even want your money. Get the fuck out of here,” Robbie said.
“Fine, like I want to spend any time with your homophobic ass,” Amadeus said heading for the door. He left, slamming it behind him, and Robbie braced himself against the counter. His chest and whole body were tight and he needed to yell. He wanted to go after Amadeus and hit him. He wanted to go after Amadeus and apologize. He wanted…
[We should go jump him. You know you really want to.]
God, he fucked up. His eyes were starting to burn like he wanted to cry, but he didn’t. He beat his fist against the counter and tried everything to stop the conflicting feelings that were tearing inside him. The door opened, and Robbie raced to the living room hoping it was Amadeus. It was Gabe and Lisa.
“I thought Amadeus was going to be here,” Gabe said.
“He had to cancel,” Robbie said, his stomach turning.
“Oh, that’s a shame,” Lisa said, “He’s gonna miss Gabe’s birthday.”
“Yeah, sorry bud,” Robbie said. He probably wouldn’t see him again… He said such awful things to him. Why would he ever want to see him again…
Gabe looked disappointed. “He promised."
“He brought you a gift,” Robbie said, pointing to the comics.
“I wish he had come instead.”