Title: Dancing with Destiny

Author: Ayakaishi Fei

E-mail: Ken_Dai_

Rating: PG13

Category: Possible Romance. Humour.

Warnings: Implied Slash/One-sided Slash. Language.

Summary: Terra and Shin have been best friends since forever, however, after Shin reveals that he's worried about the future things begin to change between them, and a new addition to their friendship circle changes the dynamics of a previously exclusive friendship. Slash.

Chapter Two: A -WHAT- Club!?!?

"Well," Luke grins broadly, gesturing at the building in front of us, "here it is."

I stare blankly at the dull-looking bar that we're parked out the front of, "Where are we?"

Luke slides an arm around my waist, ignoring my wince - hasn't the guy ever heard of fucking personal space? Shin blinks innocently, his gaze following the neon pink dull flashing cursive script above the door, and he reads it aloud: "Tiffani's?"

I can't help but wonder what he's thinking. Shin never ceases to surprise me, out of everyone I think I know him best, but he's perhaps the most paradoxical person I know. He can be the most sweet innocent naïve blond to walk the face of the Earth, but he has a mouth like a ghetto rapper, and his sweet understanding nature hides the fact that if you hurt someone he loves he will see you die a worse death than you can imagine.

Luke chuckles, ruffling Shin's hair, "Mmhm, I know the owner: Tiffani."

I gaze up at him through my lashes, noticing that the dull orange street- lamps turn his hair from brown to copper, catching his highlights. His hazel eyes capture mine mischievously, and he smirks as if he's caught me with my hand in the cookie jar.

"Like what you see Terra love? I'm sure I can get us a private room..."

I frown, pulling away and glaring at the taller male, he *is* handsome in an older masculine kind of way but I'm straight. Abso-bloody-tively. "I'm not interested in *that*. Your hair is copper - I didn't notice before."

"It's brown - I just have copper highlights. They're natural. C'mon then, let's head in. Ladies?" He offers us an arm each, expecting us to fall into his twisted games despite the fact that he's an asshole.

Shin takes his proffered left arm, leaving me to take his right or look like a complete idiot. I scowl, and lightly rest my palm on his right arm, just above the wrist.

We're both shocked when Luke leads us into the bar. A low heady bass thrums through the floor, and there are men sitting at tables around the room while on stage boys, who I swear can't be any older than Shin and I, dance around poles and each other, their clothes disappearing off of their bodies item by item.

"This is my favourite club," Luke confides to me in a low purr, "It's a gay strip club."

My heart pounds, and I let out an undignified squeak, "A -WHAT- Club?!?!"

A low throaty chuckle cuts off Luke's answer - it seems I spoke loud enough to be overheard - "A gay strip club, luscious. Are you looking for a job?"

"Tiffani!" Luke smiles, delighted.

I stare at the speaker, and notice Shin doing the same. The woman, or rather drag-queen, is taller than I am, which makes me all the more self- conscious about my height (5'10), and she's wearing a glittering blue dress with a silken scarf. Her hair is blond, and even fluffier than Shin's. She's wearing more make-up than any girl I've ever seen and the heels that she's wearing allow her to tower over even the 6 foot tall Luke Podgeson.

"Luke, darling, it's lovely to see you here. Have you brought me some new boys? They're lovely, wherever did you find them?" Tiffani embraces Luke loosely and then gives Shin and I a dazzling smile.

Luke shakes his head, "These are my new step-brothers, my jewel, Shin and Terra. I'm afraid they're very inexperienced."

Tiffani lets out a tinkling laugh, "Oh I see how it is. Let me escort you to your table, I daresay you won't need a boy for the evening?"

Luke's eyebrows arch inquisitively, "Not unless Kaworu is working tonight."

Tiffani raises a single brow in response, "You bad boy Luke, and he is. I'll send him out to you in a minute. Is there anything else I can get for you or your... guests?"

I stare, somewhat suspiciously, as she pauses before saying guests. I'm still very uneasy - I've never even been in an ordinary strip-club - being only 16 - let alone a gay one. I flush, I know Ari will be jealous, and I know that she'll never shut up about this. Bloody hell, maybe I should introduce her to Luke, his dishonourable intentions towards basically every young man he sees would probably delight her - after all, in the yaoi doujinshi she reads there's very little difference between sex and rape.

Luke shakes his head, but contradicts the gesture by saying, "I think we could manage to polish off a bottle of sambuca, don't you?"

Tiffani laughs and leaves, after assuring Luke that she completely agrees, and passing Shin and I a drink of something. I grope under the table for Shin's spare hand, even as he takes a large swig of the drink, wondering if he's as paranoid about the situation as I am. If he is, he isn't showing it - not that I am either, of course.

Shin shuffles closer, handing me the cup. His movements are masked by the distracting dancers and the loud stripper-music, but I don't notice because I'm taking a careful sip of the drink he's handed me - it tastes kinda liquorice-ish but also... wrong somehow.

"Hey Terra... did that woman seem a little... off to you?"

My eyes widen, and I set the drink back down on the table, no way is Shin serious. Did he not get that Tiffani was a cross-dresser? He had to have... Not even Shin is naïve enough to miss that!

"Do the words... cross-dresser mean anything to you?"

"No way!" Shin's eyes widen comically, "You don't really think... But Luke was all over her-him... you don't think Luke really swings *that* way... do you?"

I choke, has he missed all of Luke's passes this evening? "Let me assure you, Shin, that Luke most definitely does swing that way, not only are we in a gay strip club, but he's been trying to pick me - and you - up all night."

"Really?" Shin looks alarmed, and he takes another reassuring swig of the drink, "But, I'm his *step-brother*, how can he want to sleep with me?"

"Let's just say that you panting 'Oniichan' during intercourse would not be a turn-off to him," I whisper informatively.

Shin stands up abruptly, "Toilet... be right back."

And then he's gone, making his way across the club, "Me too - heh..."

I stand, but Luke grabs me before I can leave, "Oh come on Terra, don't be like that baby. Dance with me."

I try to pull away, but his hands are everywhere, including places that they really shouldn't be and before I can move my head his lips are covering mine. This is the scene Shin returns to, and, from the look on his face, he wasn't expecting to see us in such a compromising position. I finally manage to shove myself away from Luke, although one of his large lightly tanned hands is still curving around my waist, his fingers slightly too close to the crevice of my buttocks for my liking.

"Terra?" Shin's voice quivers, and I can hear the betrayal in it - that I'd pick a man we'd only just met over him - that I'd kiss his new step-brother - that I wouldn't tell him I was gay - which I'm not!

"Shin!" I reach out for his hand, and then I catapult myself into his arms, my voice lowering to a hushed, desperate whisper, "Let's just go - please, I'll pay for a taxi - I want to go, and I want you to come with me. This place is weird, and I don't like Luke and he kissed me and eew-!"

Shin's turquoise coloured eyes glare over my shoulder at Luke and then he pulls me closer, rubbing my shoulders soothingly. My eyes meet his, and although usually they reflect nothing of how I feel, right now they're screaming that I don't know how to react.

"It's okay," He murmurs into my ear, his lips sending shivers down my spine, and I turn, and he turns, and I know that I'm not thinking, and I don't think he realises what's happening and then we're kissing, and it feels wrong and right and good, and then I realise it's Shin, and he's like my brother, and why the hell am I kissing him?!?!

I suspect I'm the one who pulls away, but he kisses me again. I don't think he knows why he's doing it either, and I know that we shouldn't be kissing, because everything in me screams that it's Shin, and I love him, but I'm not in-love with him. And then his tongue brushes mine and it sends sparks through my body and I realise I don't care that it's Shin, because he's there and he's safe and he's not Luke.

"I love you," I whisper somehow, and behind me somewhere Luke lets out a long, low wolf-whistle.

"So much for being straight and like brothers," He chuckles, loud enough for the rest of the club to hear.

Shin's legs buckle, but I manage to keep him up, and shooting a glare at Luke I drag my best friend out of the smoky club, my head pounding, even though I know I've only had one sip of something I didn't think was alcoholic.

A terrible thought hits me - what if the drink was drugged? It doesn't take much - and... My heart stops and I heave Shin up, drawing him closer, "Please be okay."

He smiles, drowsily; "I'm fine."

I bite my lip as I pull out my cell phone to dial for a taxi, and I wonder why I doubt that he is so very, very much.

~~~

Shin whimpers as I pull him out of the taxi and towards my house, my arm wrapped securely around his waist. He nuzzles into my collarbone, his tousled head tucked securely under mine.

"C'mon," I tell him, pulling him towards my house, and pressing the doorbell as I reach the front porch. Arielle opens the door with a flourish. Her dark chocolatey hair is pulled messily back from her face, and there is a smudge of ink on her cheek from where she's been inking her artwork. Her t-shirt, which depicts two very pretty anime boys gazing at each other is pulled tight across her ample bosom, and she's also wearing a very short skirt. It's typical, that even in such a disgusting state she still looks very pretty and confident. Her grey-green eyes latch onto Shin and I and she squeals.

"Terra! My only brother has finally realised his true orientation... and he's brought Shin to the dark side too. I always said you guys were too pretty to be straight. Have you had sex? Did you use protection? How many fingers did you use to stretch him? Did he bleed?"

"No. No. No. No. Shin is drugged, and we have not had sex."

Arielle looks disappointed, and leans close to examine my face. "Oh. But you've been thoroughly snogged, haven't you. You look all bruised and sated. Who would've guessed it? Well I suppose you two are best friends... just like Ken and Daisuke from Digimon. Ooh, I'm so inspired. Muse for me Terra-chan!!"

I cover my eyes, "Ari, that suffix is not one that is generally used towards a 16 year old boy. You may use the suffix -kun if you feel the need, but I give you my permission to use my name without a suffix."

Arielle pouts, "Spoilsport. I like calling you pet names, it's fun. Now c'mon, I want details. Did you save his life from a sexy, masculine rapist, who wanted to steal his man cherry? That would make a really good story wouldn't it? I should go write that down."

"We're going to bed. We'll see you in the morning Ari. Goodnight." I half carry Shin towards my room, and push him into my double bed, after yanking off his shoes for him. I can just hear Ari's voice, following me through the hallway to my bedroom.

"Wait Terra, you didn't tell me whether or not you used tongue, I need to write from life..."

"Go away," I yell back, pulling off my shirt and shucking my jeans off before climbing into bed next to Shin. He snuggles up to me sleepily, and places a soft kiss on my neck. "Love you."

I pet his hair idly, knowing that the kiss doesn't mean what Ari would probably interpret it to mean, before I return the gesture to my pretty straight best friend. "I love you too Shin. Please be okay tomorrow morning."

For as long as I can remember Shin and I have been looking after each other - he's more than just my best friend. He's my other half. My father walked out on my mother when I was 5, and Ari was 7. The other children at school used to tease me because I didn't have a father, but Shin stood by me, offered to share his own father with me so that the other children couldn't tease me any more. I almost lived at his place as a child, when my mother was too busy working two jobs to pay attention to me. My mother rarely had time to even see us, and after my father left Ari took to acting up in class. She was disrespectful, loud, and over-dramatic, which meant she was always in trouble. And she started taking drugs. She was, and still is, very intelligent, and very creative, but she lost her outlet for creativity when our father left. Anime actually, loathe as I am to admit it, tempered her. She was no longer quite as bored in classes, so she took up writing and drawing, both of which she does rather well.

I was there for Shin too, after his father died. It tore both of us up, but him more than me, after all I'd already lost one father, I knew how to harden my heart, but it changed Shin. I was the only one he spoke to for two months after the accident, the teachers despaired of him, wanted to send him away, but I wouldn't let them. We worked through it together, although it's left scars on him, so deep that I'm the only one who can see them. There were a thousand other things that we went through together, and we never needed anyone else. It was always me and him, I cured my sister of an addiction, and convinced my mother not to move us interstate so that I could stay with him. It was always us: Just us.

It feels, to me, like Luke is trying to intrude on that, and after everything Shin's been through, after everything we've done, together, I refuse to let anyone take him from me. And I'll kill Luke before I let him hurt my best friend.

End Chapter Two

Authors Notes: Whoah - Terra and Shin? I'm the author and I don't control them... the drugs did I suppose, and Terra freaking out... and boy is Arielle a freak. *cough* Yay for the yaoi fangirl-aka-fag-hag. -_-;; Yes, I get to be a fag hag too, I meet cute blonde gay, he's nice, and I think, hmm... I have sexy single gay male friend. I should set them up. ^^;; Arielle's not the only freak.

Anyway, I'm sorry this took so long to get out, I actually wrote out some of it when I was supposed to be doing my History Exam (which explains why I only got a B in History). I guess my only excuse (long list) is that I've been really busy with real life lately. Graduation, accepting awards, senior formal/prom, vacation, drinking, turning 18, getting my drivers licence, driving, Christmas, New Years, moving into my new apartment, more drinking, getting ready for uni, moving house, losing my internet, my computer committing ritual suicide (you know what I mean). I'm afraid most of my originals went straight to the back burner - I feel bad because I've written 3 fanfics since I last posted here and I should be working on these - so I apologise. I will try to work more on this and my other originals - I'm just not really motivated. Plus, when I first finished the chapter my puter died and killed what I'd wrote of it, which didn't really inspire me to rewrite what I had done, especially not after I recovered it, and it died again without saving what I'd recovered!!!