I’m gonna try and get better at updating this poor story. Many, many thanks to Ivy, Staris, Tarredglittered, Ilovedaveyhavok, Occasus, Shi-chan, Maderr, Starparty, Suyari and Guntar for the kind words and encouragement.

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“Dave, right?” Max stuck out a hand and shook it before pulling it into the crook of his arm. For his part, this poor Dave looked half a second away from having a heart attack. He had crazy blond hair though, and Max wanted to play with it. Plus, the puzzled look in his sea-blue eyes behind the black framed glasses was kind of endearing too.

Who knew? Maybe Will did have taste after all.

“W-will? I mean, I know Christa s-set this up, b-but this isn’t a joke, is it?” Dave was looking so uncertain that Max really didn’t have it in him to lie. Of course, it would have been amusing on one level. But on another, there was no way he was ever going to convince anyone that Will was an accountant by day and a reckless snazzy dressed man of the town like he was at night.

“Actually, it’s Max. I’m Will’s twin.” Max shrugged, before dragging the perplexed Dave towards the racks of bowling balls. “He’s taking my math final right now, because I’m the evil twin and I coerced him into trading places for the day. In our next life, he’s going to be the king and I plan on being the court jester. Hey, you’re really cute, you know that?”

“O-oh, r-really. Y-you th-think so?” Dave turned candy apple red, and Max practically bounced on his feet. Yeah, he r-really, r-really th-thought so.

“Of course! I mean, there’s the accountant thing, and that kind of sounds,” Max paused, “not interesting. But I’m sure there’s more to you than accounting. God only knows there’s more to Will than accounting. So,” he looked at Dave expectantly.

Poor Dave had obviously never been much of a dater. Cause he looked completely flabbergasted by Max. And looking down at himself, Max played idly with his tongue ring and tried to determine why that might be. He was wearing his favorite slinky green lucky shamrock shirt, his favorite pair of baggy black pants that had all the buckles on it. His brown hair was hanging down in his face and spiked up in the back and he thought it looked rather nice with the dark blue leather dog collar he’d bought at the pet store the last time Will had dragged him in to look at puppies.

Come to think of it, how the hell had this guy mistaken him for Will? They looked nothing alike. In fact, Max was pretty sure that it would be a miracle if Will managed to get through his exam without accidentally letting the cat out of the bag. He let go of Dave’s hand long enough to pluck a pretty speckled blue ball off the rack and plop it into Dave’s arms. Dave was certainly no muscle builder that was for sure, Max noted with a grin as Dave stumbled slightly in startlement. He was a bit taller than Max, and his build was wiry to say the least. But he had nice shoulders. And as Dave shot him an uncertain smile, Max decided there seriously was a certain appeal to the guy.

“I r-really don’t do this sort of th-thing very often,” Dave murmured quietly as Max picked out his own ball. He could understand why Will wanted in Dave’s pants, really. He was adorably fuckable. But as Max flashed him a brilliant grin only to see Dave blush from the bottom of his neck to the top of his head, he wondered how a conversation between Will and Dave would go. A couple of stutters followed by long, uncomfortable pauses. This relationship was going to be over before it started.

“Well, why don’t you do this sort of thing more? I mean, my brother’s had the hots for you for like, well, however long he’s been working there,” Max shrugged. He broke off long enough to hurl the bowling ball down the lane. Since it didn’t fly over three lanes, he did a little victory hop, despite the fact that he’d managed to gutter the ball. “As far as I can tell, there’s nothing wrong with you, so what’s the hold up?”

Dave raised an eyebrow at him. “Boy, y-you don’t look for a lot in a person, do you?” Max shrugged his shoulder before tossing the ball again. This time, it hopped a lane and he had to apologize to the girls on their right.

“I look for plenty,” Max told him in a fit of seriousness. “I just don’t expect a hell of a lot from them. Cause when you expect a lot, they inevitably disappoint you. So it’s just easier to take what people’ll give you.”

Dave gave him a small, sad smile. “Yeah, I could b-believe that.” Dave got up, threw his ball then and nailed a strike.

“Wow, you suck at this game,” Max had to tell him with a laugh, before slapping him on the ass and grabbing his ball. And even though he threw a gutter ball that landed three lanes over, he was still more amused by the way Dave had jumped and squeaked in shock.

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Dave was really beginning to grow on Max. Of course, since Dave was fairly quiet, that wasn’t very hard. Some guys he dated just yapped on and on. Mostly about themselves and it was only as a last resort that Max stuck his tongue down their throats.

Dave didn’t stand out in a crowd with his ordinary plain long sleeved red shirt or his dusty, pale blue jeans that was for sure. But it was more in the shy way he held himself as he kept sneaking glances at Max from under his bangs or the way he’d shove his hands all the way down in his pockets and kicked at invisible rocks whenever Max asked an embarrassing question that was none of his business.

“S-so, why are we going to the pet store again?” At least the stutter was getting a bit better.

“Iguana pellets,” he smiled back, before grabbing onto one of Dave’s arms. He would have grabbed a hand, but seeing as how Dave had them both shoved in his pockets, arm was the next best thing.

“Y-you k-know, you don’t have to do this. The whole d-date th-thing was Christa’s idea. And you can’t be enjoying yourself on your brother’s blind date.” Dave shuffled uncomfortably next to him, but Max could feel him shivering. It was fucking freezing outside, so maybe that was as good enough a reason as any. But Max had lent him his fringed leather jacket he’d brought with him, so it couldn’t be the cold. Although, it was starting to sleet a little bit.

“You’re not so bad, cutie.” He pinched Dave’s butt and grinned when that got a startled jump and a mild glare in return. “Stick around. Besides, Will will be so pissed if I don’t show you a good time.”

“Well, the bowling was really entertaining. At least, until you got us kicked out.” Dave managed a small grin. He relaxed a little bit, so Max smiled happily back and took the very mild ribbing.

“It’s not my fault they grease their balls.” He gave his best innocent smile, which got a chuckle out of Dave. “Will and I love the pet store. That’s why we’re going. If you’re going to get to know us any better, than you’ll have to get used to the pet store, cause we love coming here. One day, I think I’m going to live in one.” Actually, once he finished up with college, he planned on owning one. He hadn’t told Will as much, and he certainly was not going to tell his father until it was a done deal. But his mother had left him a nice chunk of change when she’d killed herself, and he was going to take it and start his own business. He hoped, at least, that since it was going to be a pet store she wouldn’t be too disappointed in how he’d turned out in her absence. Course, if she really had a problem with it, then she should have just stuck around.

“Really?” Dave let Max drag him into the store. “S-so you have an iguana?” He asked a bit uncertainly as the cashier addressed Max by name.

“Yeah,” Max perked up before he then proceeded to drag Dave past the hamster cages and the fish. “She’s six feet long. Her name’s Godiva. She’s my inheritance from my mother.”

“I’m sorry,” Dave said quietly, pulling a hand out of his pocket to grasp Max’s hand. “About your mother, I mean.”

“S’okay. Can’t be helped,” Max shrugged off with his biggest, brightest grin. Which, of course, meant it was the biggest, fakest grin ever. And it was one he gave so often that he was sure no one even recognized it as such anymore. Fake, fake, fake. Ninety percent of what he did and what came out of his mouth was just fake hogwash.

And it worked too, because everyone else in the world was just about as genuine back. Will asked him, every so often, how he could be so social. Well, this was his answer. Plaster a fake smile on your face, pretend to be what was needed in whatever situation you found yourself in and life was easy.

“Ooh! Kittens!”

Glancing in total shock, Max watched as Dave—Dave who had yet to act excited over anything, not even when they’d gotten kicked out of the bowling alley because Max couldn’t keep the ball in their own lane—rushed over to a large five foot by five foot aquarium that held six or seven kittens. Even more bizarre, Dave reached in and pulled one out, cuddling the gray tabby to his chest. And for a quick second, Max really, really wished that he were a gray tabby kitten.

His cell ringing, however, knocked him out of that. “Hello?”

“Quick, Max, tell me where you’re standing.”

“In Jake’s Pet-o-Rama,” Max laughed into the phone at Jazz’s quick order. “Where the hell are you, man? I thought you had plans tonight. Aren’t you meeting someone at that club, what was it called,” he snapped his fingers, but that didn’t make the name come to mind any quicker, “you know, that club. I thought you were planning on getting in some chick’s pants tonight.”

“You’re at Jake’s Pet-o-Rama?” The confusion was evident in Jazz’s voice. “What the hell are you doing there? Wait, never mind, I don’t want to know. So, what you’re saying is that you’re not out in there sitting at the counter, slurping down a cup of coffee like it’s nectar from the gods?”

“Er, no? Yuck. Coffee. Blech. You know I hate the shit.”

“Then I’m pretty sure that Evan just frenched some kid who looks exactly like you and is going by your name.”

Max moved his mouth, but nothing came out but a squeak. He coughed and then managed to spit out, “Evan kissed Will. Why? Why would he do that? Why would Will even be talking to Evan? Look, Will’s my twin. You better keep an eye on him, Jazz. He’s really naïve about those sorts of things. He’s not like me.”

“Believe it or not, genius, I had that figured out for myself. Why didn’t you ever tell me you had a twin? We’ve been friends for forever.” There was some hurt in Jazz’s voice and Max winced.

“Look, you know how I am. I don’t talk about two things. One is family and the other is relationships. I’m sorry.”

“Well, I gotta go, Max. I’ll definitely be taking to you later.”

“Everything all right?” Dave asked as Max hung up the phone. Confused, Max just nodded as he tapped it against his chin. “So, Will’s getting kissed, huh?”

“What?” Max blinked. “Wait, no. You don’t understand. It’s Evan. Evan’ll kiss anything.”

Dave put the kitten back in the aquarium before giving Max the quirked eyebrow again. “So you never talk about family or relationships? That must make it hard.”

“Look, my life’s a little fucked up is all. I don’t like dragging other people into it unless they already know what to expect.” He headed towards the check out with his iguana pellets. There were plenty of collared greens, fruits, and vegetables at home, but Godiva needed something to supplement her diet, particularly in the wintertime.

“And if no one ever knows, then you never have to tell them.” Dave reached over and touched his nose. Blinking in shock, he let his jaw drop open at Dave. Dave, for his part, seemed to realize the he’d wandered a bit too far out of the shell he’d been hiding in for a good portion of the afternoon and started stuttering again. “S-so, I g-guess this is where w-we part w-ways.”

Tilting his head to the side, Max gave Dave a hard look. He wasn’t exactly like any of the people Max normally dated. The kind Max usually went out with were out for one thing. They both knew it, they both went for it and then after they were finished, they parted ways. Sometimes, if they’d had a real good time, they went at it for a second round. But Max didn’t do relationships. At least, not the romantic kind.

He and Jazz were just friends. Evan was like a wind up toy that he merely watched for entertainment but no longer pursued or was pursued for sex. They’d burnt out on each other in the first round. Max still talked to him because he was a vet and was willing to make the occasional check-up for Godiva.

“You wanna come over and see Godiva?” It was like someone else was talking for him. He never invited his quick fucks over to the apartment he shared with Will. He pretty much never invited anyone over to his apartment. One, because it was Will’s apartment too. And two, because he never wanted anyone that close. But then again, it wasn’t like Dave was his to fuck. He’d promised Will that he’d keep his hands off the sexy accountant.

And really, what better way to accomplish that then by letting Dave get too close. Once he got to know Max a little better, he’d stop sending out those little interested gestures. No occasional brushing against him or blushes or curious sideways glances. And once Dave had seen his inner sanctum, Max would certainly loose all interest in him, right? Right.

“I d-dunno. I-I’m not exactly g-good company,” Dave started uncertainly, shoving his hands back in his pockets and letting his hair fall in his eyes.

“What are you talking about? You like kittens. What’s not to like about a guy who likes kittens?” Max scoffed, grabbing an arm and tugging on Dave once more, pulling him out of the building.

“T-there’s a lot,” Dave said with a shaky sigh, putting up some resistance and looking so uncertain that Max almost wanted to just sit him down and reassure him that there was nothing that could be said or done that would make Max react in a way that wasn’t favorable towards Dave. If it weren’t for the promise he’d made Will, he would have made more than a few overly blatant passes at Dave by now.

“Bleh, there’s nothing you could possibly say that would be that bad that would make you bad company.” Max rolled his eyes, pulling Dave closer to him to keep warm because it really had gotten disgustingly cold outside. Blasted weather. When the hell was spring going to get here?

“T-two years ago today, my mother, father and baby sister were k-killed in a house fire. Last year, my brother and I tried to c-commit s-suicide together. He s-succeeded. I didn’t. This year, Christa talked me into going on a blind date so that I w-would spend the week leading up to today w-worrying about the date and then s-spend the day so consumed with b-being on the date that I’d forget w-what happened last year and the year before,” Dave took a big breath. “S-so, I-I’m not g-good c-company right now.”

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Yes. Everything needs to end like that, why do you ask? ::facepalm::

tbc…