What Tangled Webs We Weave
By ciaan
Boy Meets Boy by K. Sandra Fuhr

Prologue

Cyanide was so confused. Since New Years, he and Skids had kissed a few times, and he still didn't have the faintest fucking clue what Skids thought, or felt, or wanted, or meant.... And he wasn't going to ask. He thought that night was about when things had started to get weird. It had sure been a rollercoaster ride. He'd been so angry at Harley. Coming up, interrupting his kiss, and then whining, imagine that, whining that he'd gotten some action! There was nothing to complain about there, and yet Harley managed to do so!

Anyhow, he was in exactly the mood to sit in his room, play music loud, and brood. That's when his sisters started screaming. By the time they got done screaming, his mother had ordered him to take a handful of them to the fair, and his mood was not improved. So he asked Skids if he could show up as well, hoping that might help. Although some part of him thought it might just make everything worse.

When he saw Skids and Harley standing there, however, he just felt so grateful he could burst. Harley bought them all ice cream, and they started to reminisce about when they first met, and everything was good. Then they started talking about Jeff, and everything went bad. Cy didn't realize what he'd said at first, he just started talking without thinking. Then he wanted to kick himself. Why was he bringing up the fact that Harley'd had... or still had... or had had... he didn't know, a crush on Skids? He could just see it.... Skids would be like, 'You like me?' and Harley would be like, 'Well, it was ages ago' and Skids would be like, 'Oh, cause I've kinda always liked you' and Harley would be like, 'Really? Fuck that big hairy jerk Rasputin, I want you Skids!' and Skids would be like, 'Oh, Harley!' and then they'd fall onto each other kissing passionately...

The logical part of his mind kicked in at that moment. Harley would never say 'Fuck that big hairy jerk Rasputin' and if he did, he certainly wouldn't mean it the way Cy meant it. Plus, the logical part continued, if he saw how Skids reacted to finding out that one best friend had liked him, it could give Cy solid experimental evidence on which to base a hypothesis that more accurately predicted what Skids would do if he ever found out that Cyanide liked him.

But I don't like him, one last little part of his mind chimed in. I don't like boys. Oh, shut up already, all the other parts of his mind yelled.

Whoa, what was Harley saying now? Cyanide looked up at the startled expression on Skids' face as Harley finished. "...time ago! You were sweet, and nice, and hot as hell."

Okay, here goes... Cyanide thought.

"You had these sexy eyes..." Harley continued.

Cy looked at Skids' sexy eyes as Skids said innocently, "I'd just gotten contacts!"

"And those hot muscles..." Harley wasn't letting up.

Cy stared at Skids' hot muscles as Skids responded perkily, "I took tae kwon do that summer!"

"And then your jeans were sinfully unbuttoned..."

Cy glanced at Skids' sinfully.... oh, they were buttoned. Okay, this has got to stop, he admonished himself. "Hey, mind the hetero!" he exclaimed, before Harley could say anything else.

"Don't let your sexuality ruin the story." Skids muttered, pouting.

You don't want to see what my sexuality was about to do because of that story, Cyanide thought, and tried to shift the attention back to Harley. It worked. Harley got all flustered and upset. Dude, served him right, too. He kept talking, and told the story quite well, if he did say so himself... Which he did.

Until a very little-sister-like voice said, "Are you done yet?"

He looked around, confused. Where'd they go?

The Story

"Good morning, little dudes!" Harley exclaimed as he opened the cage and the spiders started toward him. "How you doin'? Oh, I'm fine, thanks. So's Mikhael. Yeah." He smiled as they crawled up him, all soft and leggy. "Hee. Don't be silly. Mik wouldn't try to kill you--"

"Oh, now hold on!" Mik interrupted him. "I don't care what they tell you, there is no possible way they can know about my plot to kill them, I only told--"

"Dude, they're spiders. They don't really talk." What was Mik freaking out abou- What had he just said?!

What had he just said? Mik wondered. Why had he told Harley about... They don't talk? "...I knew that." Hopefully Harley hadn't noticed the slip, and Mik stared at him mournfully.

Harley stared back in shock. "You tried to kill Wes an' Lorne an' Gunn?"

Mik didn't respond.

"How could you? What's your problem with them? They're just harmless little creatures!"

"They are not! They're vermin. And it's disgusting the way they crawl all over you!"

"So just tell me what your fucking problem is, Mik. How dare you go sneaking around my back trying to kill my pets?"

"They're from Tybalt!"

"That doesn't give you the right to kill them! They never did anything to you!"

"I wasn't going to kill them. I was going to let the ferret do it. Torres said it would eat them."

Harley gaped at him. "Cordelia wouldn't harm the spiders. Wait, Cyanide's in on this with you?"

"What, are you jealous I talk to your friends? You've got no right to be, not after the way you started liking Tybalt once he gave you those disgusting spiders."

"I do not like Tybalt! I hate that bitch's guts!" He was screaming now, for sure. "How can you think I'd like him? Do you think I'll leave you for him? How dare you think that way about me! Don't you have any respect for me?"

Mik glared at him.

"You know, Mik, I wouldn't leave you for Tybalt, but I just might leave you if you're a jealous controlling bastard who tries to kill my pets!" He stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

Mik stared after him. Okay, so his plan had gone horribly wrong. Maybe it was a bad idea after all. Maybe Harley didn't like Tybalt. Maybe he would have been better off just asking Harley to get rid of the creatures. Maybe he should go in there and apologize. He could say he was sorry, Harley could say he was sorry, Harley could offer to get rid of the spiders, they could have mind-blowing make up sex...

The bedroom door flew open again, and Harley stalked out, carrying a small duffel bag and the spiders' cage. He didn't even say a word to Mik, just stomped across the floor and out the door of the apartment. Mik stared disbelievingly after him. Okay, he was doing this to make him feel guilty. He'd be back in a minute... A minute passed. Another one. Where was he? Maybe he was out in the hallway, waiting for Mik to follow him. Okay. He'd go out, he'd find Harley out there, he'd prove his love... Mik opened the door. No Harley. He looked up and down the hall. No Harley. He looked at the elevator. Had he gone downstairs?

Mik took the elevator to the ground floor, and looked outside in the street. No Harley. Where was he?

He went back up to the apartment. He called Cyanide Torres' house.

Cyanide himself answered the phone. Good. Mik hadn't felt like dealing with his sisters or mother.

"Great plan, Torres. The ferret will eat the spiders, huh? Or maybe Harley will find out about it all, and walk out on me!"

"What the fuck? What happened, Rasputin?"

"Harley got angry, he stormed out, and now he's missing! I don't know where he's gone. You're a genius, aren't you?"

"Well... that's not my fault. Isn't that all your fault?"

"I'm blaming you. Oh, and Harley knows you helped me, too." Mik slammed the receiver down.

***

Cyanide stared at the phone as the dial tone hissed. Fucking jerk. How dare he blame me? He came up with the idea.

He called Skids.

"Skids! Harley's missing, man. He and Rasputin had a fight, and he walked out on him! We've got to find him."

"Calm down, Cyan." Skids answered. Cyanide calmed down, a little. The tone in Skids' voice was irresistible. "It's okay, dude. Harley called me. He's on his way over here. How'd you know, anyhow?" he asked curiously.

"I tried to call him and got Rasputin instead." Cyanide suddenly realized he'd just lied to Skids. He felt queasy. "So, what'd Harley say happened?"

"Mik was going to kill his spiders." Skids sounded very upset at that.

"Oh. Um... Skids.... I gotta go, 'kay? Sisters are yelling..." He hung up quickly. Shit shit mierda fuck fuck. Hell damn fuck. Fuckin' Rasputin...

***

Harley arrived at Skids' dorm room with tears in his eyes. Skids hugged him as soon as he walked in through the door. Harley dropped his luggage and hugged back, hard and desperate.

"Skids, I don't know what to do!" he wailed.

"Shh, Harls." Skids whispered. "It'll all be alright." He wasn't sure how, though.

"But Mik thinks I'm gonna leave him for Tybalt... Mik tried to kill my spiders... Cyanide helped him... And I just left, and.... And what am I gonna do?" Harley sobbed against Skids' chest.

"Look, Harley. Mik's a good guy. And he loves you. And you love him." Skids ran his fingers through Harley's hair. "Right?"

"Right. But that's hard to remember, right now..."

"Did Cya really help him?"

"Yeah. Cordelia was supposed to eat Wes and Lorne and Gunn. That was their plan."

"Well, Cy's a good guy, too. It's okay, Harley. I'm sure they didn't really mean it."

"But they did it anyway, Skids, they did it anyway. This sucks."

Skids had to agree with him. This did indeed suck. "Okay, Harls, I'm gonna take you out to get ice cream, alright?"

Harley sniffed. "Alright." He wiped his face off on his arm.

***

After a while longer of seething, Mik called the Torres residence again. This time he did have to wade through some young sister or another to get to Cyanide. "Have you heard from Harley?" he asked right away.

"No." Cyanide answered harshly. "But I know where he is."

"Where is he?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Don't forget, Torres, I have blackmail material on you."

"Cabron." Cyanide hissed.

"Just. Tell. Me. Where. Harley. Is." Mikhael hissed back.

"He's with Skids." Cyanide snarled.

Mik hung up. Cy swore at the telephone receiver. Again.

***

Mik called Skids' dorm room. It was a good thing Harley had his friends in the speed-dialer. There was no answer. It just kept ringing; not even an answering machine. Where could they be? He frowned.

***

At the ice cream parlor, Skids tried to keep Harley talking about everything but Mikhael and what had just happened. It was hard. They talked about music; Harley kept mentioning how Mik didn't like any of his music. They talked about Buffy; Harley kept mentioning that Mik didn't like Buffy. Also, he kept looking at everyone they saw who was in a couple and sighing. Finally Skids said, "Harls, why don't you go talk to him?"

"I can't." Harley replied. "I'm too mad. He needs to apologize. Or something."

"How can he apologize if you don't talk to him?" Skids asked, in a way he thought was very reasonable. Harley just shook his head. Skids sighed. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to make things better. He really wanted things to be better.

***

Someone was knocking on his door. Again. Could this day get any worse? What was it now?

"Cyanide, you have a visitor." his mama called.

"Who is it?" he asked tiredly.

"It's Mikhael, Harley's boyfriend."

"Tell him to get in here, I guess." Having Rasputin in his room was the last thing in the world Cy wanted, at the moment.

Mikhael walked in, not shutting the door behind him. "There was no answer when I called Skids. You're coming with me to help find them. You know where they'll be."

Cyanide stood up haughtily. "I am doing this," he said, "under duress." He shrugged on a jacket over his fishnet shirt and walked out after Mikhael.

They didn't say a single extraneous word in the car.

And Cyanide had no idea where Skids and Harley would be. So he suggested they go to Skids' room. Just because no one answered the phone didn't mean they weren't there. Mik drove to campus, and parked as close to Skids' dorm as he could get. As they were walking over there, they saw Skids and Harley crossing the quad toward the dorm.

"Harley!" Mik called.

The two boys turned. Mik ran toward them. He stopped short when Harley said coldly, "I'm not talking to you, Mikhael. Or you either, Cyanide." he added as Cy approached. Skids just stared.

"Hey, Harley, I'm your friend. I didn't really do anything..." Cyanide protested. "You don't need to be mad at me. I mean, it's not like I told Rasputin that you kissed someone else." His eyes became incredibly wide, and he clapped his hands over his mouth. Oh, fuck... Oh fuck, he was in a world of trouble now, even more than before. He could tell from the anger flashing in Harley's eyes.

But that was nothing next to the anger in Mikhael's eyes. "I see. That's how it is. Acting as if I'm being a bad boyfriend, when you're cheating on me."

"Mikhael, that's not how it is!" Harley cried, anguished.

"Oh, it isn't? Is this all some plot of yours to get out of our relationship, leaving me feeling guilty and you free to fuck around? Well, it worked, Harley. It worked really well... lovely." He spat out the last word like something rotten, then turned on his heel. Before he'd gotten more than a step, however, he turned back partially. "Well, Torres, I suppose there's no longer any reason for me to keep quiet about your gigantic crush on Skids, is there, Mr. Heterosexual?" With that he walked stiffly back to his car.

Harley pressed himself against Skids, crying wildly again. Skids put his arms around him. He looked blankly at Cyanide over Harley's shoulder.

"Skids..." Cy whispered pleadingly. Get me out of this hell, Skids...

"That wasn't good, Cya. That wasn't good at all." Skids said ruefully. He turned away as well, and gently led Harley to the entrance of the dorm hall.

Cyanide was left all alone. And how the fuck was he supposed to get home now?

***

Skids took Harley to his room. Harley didn't stop crying.

"Hey, Harls, how are you?" Skids asked once they were inside, although he basically knew what the answer was.

"I haven't felt this bad since... since Jeff left."

"Well, it... it will..." He wanted to say that it would be alright, but he really wasn't sure anymore.

"Skids..." Harley looked up at him with large, tear filled blue eyes. "Can I stay here... I mean, for a while?"

"You can stay here as long as you want, Harley." Skids forced himself to smile.

Harley sat down on the edge of the bed. Then he sighed and lay down instead, looking worn out and broken. "Did you know Cyanide liked you?"

Skids nodded.

"Do you like him?"

"Yeah. I was... working on it all. It was good..."

"I'm sorry, man. That, you know, that that got fucked up, too."

"It's okay, Harls. It's not your fault." Skids lay down next to him on the bed as Harley began crying desperately again. He put his arms around him and tried to soothe him. Harley pulled closer, but he didn't stop crying. Not for a long time.

Eventually he ran out of energy, however, and the sobs became less and less frequent. A bit later, Skids realized Harley had fallen asleep. He stayed where he was, not wanting to risk waking Harley by moving. After a while, Harley's deep, even breaths lulled Skids to sleep as well.

***

Skids woke a little groggily. There seemed to be someone's hand sliding along his thigh. He mumbled an incoherent question and raised his eyelids. He found himself staring right into Harley's eyes, which looked as confused as he felt.

"Skids? I thought... Oh..." Harley whispered. His face fell as he remembered.

"Hey, no, Harley, it's alright. Please don't cry again..." Skids murmured back. To distract Harley, he kissed him on the tip of the nose.

Harley hid his face against Skids' neck. "You're, like, all I have now..."

"I'm here for you. I'll always be here." Skids didn't know what else he could do for Harley, except be there. He smoothed his hair down and rubbed a hand softly along his back. Then he felt Harley kissing his neck.

"You're a really good friend, you know that, Skids?"

"I try." he said, attempting to make his voice sound light.

Harley looked up at him. Their eyes met. Harley moved his head a little, and their lips met too. His tongue poked out, and Skids touched it with his own. They were kissing then, soft and slow, then hard, then soft again. Skids hadn't kissed anyone other than Cyanide, not really, that is, not like this... It felt different, Harley moved his tongue differently, and he had a goatee instead of a labret, and...

Then Harley pulled away, and just looked at him. Skids couldn't tell what he was thinking. It made his stomach flutter. He wondered suddenly if this was what Cyanide felt when he kissed him, this uncertainty. It didn't feel very good. Maybe he'd been not-nice to Cyan, after all. But maybe Harley was just as uncertain.

"Harley, do you really... wanna do that?" he asked.

"Well, it's not like I have a boyfriend anymore, now is it?" Harley said bitterly. Skids kissed him again, really quickly, so he wouldn't cry. "But I don't wanna make you do anything, Skids. Just cause I've always, kinda, liked you doesn't mean..."

Skids put a hand against Harley's cheek. "I like you, too, Harley. I like you, I like Cy... I'd probably have liked Jeff, too, if he'd stuck around. I've never really liked anyone else, not in the same way. I mean, there's no one else who's my good friend and also..." He trailed off.

"Makes you all hot and bothered?" Harley laughed at him, for not saying it.

"Well, yeah." Skids nodded.

They kissed again. Harley's hand wriggled up the front of Skids' shirt, and Skids had to pull away and giggle. That tickled. Harley laughed at him for that, too. That was the beginning of a slightly frantic make-out session, which after a while turned into a slower, more languid make-out session. That continued slowing down, until finally Harley murmured, "I think I'm falling asleep again."

"S'okay." Skids replied. They kissed a few more times, then Harley curled up against him and did, indeed, fall asleep again. Skids watched him as he slept for a little while, then slowly pulled himself away and got up.

He was hungry. The only thing he had to eat in the room, at the moment, was some potato chips. As he was getting them out, his eye fell on the spiders. He wasn't sure if they were hungry, too, or if they even ate potato chips, but he put some in their cage, just in case. "It's not your fault either, little spideys." he whispered to them. He thought they might be worried. He sat there and ate potato chips, still watching Harley sleep.

There was a very quiet, very hesitant knock at the door, and he went to answer it before whoever it was knocked louder and disturbed Harley.

It was Cyanide. Skids pushed him back into the hall and closed the door behind them. "Harley's sleeping, dude. Don't wake him up."

"How is he?" Cyanide asked. He looked fairly bad himself.

"He's really upset. I don't think he wants to talk to you."

"What about you? Are you willing to talk to me?" Cy looked a little desperate as he said this.

Skids nodded. "I'll always be willing to talk to you."

"Skids, you have to believe me, I never meant for anything like this to happen!" Cy's voice was rising, and Skids put a finger to his lips. He quieted down when he continued. "Sure, I don't like those spiders. I think they're kind of nasty, and they did get my ass fondled and my eye blacked by that red-haired puta, but... I only told Rasputin the kit might eat them, and that she probably wouldn't. It was just that my mom said the kit had to live in my room if he didn't take her, and I really didn't want that. I wasn't actually trying to hurt anything."

"But, Cya, you know Harley loves those spiders."

"Yeah, I guess I wasn't really thinking about that." Skids looked at him sadly. "Don't look at me like that, Skids. I'm not a total idiot or an asshole. I wasn't trying to make them fight. I just... And I really, really didn't mean to say what I did... About Harley being kissed at New Years... I didn't know I was going to say it until it was out my mouth." He looked down. "So, yeah, I fucked up."

"Everyone fucked up, Cy. That's why this is so sad. I mean, Mik and Harley are supposed to be together." He put a hand on Cy's shoulder. Then his stomach rumbled. He grinned in an embarrassed fashion. "I'm hungry."

"I think I'm hungry, too." Cyanide answered. "I've been walking around campus feeling like a jerk for, well, for however long it's been."

"Wanna go get some lunch? I think Harley's fine on his own; he probably won't even wake up. I'll bring him back some food, too."

"Okay."

They walked off together, heading for the Subway right next to campus. Neither spoke for a moment, until they were outside. "You know, Cya..." Skids said slowly, "I knew you liked me. And I like you too."

Cyanide glanced at him. "You did? You do?"

Skids smiled at him. "Sure. Why else would I be kissing you? I tried to be clear. But I wasn't totally... I wasn't sure you were, you know, totally comfortable with it. I mean, of course I like you. You're my friend. And you're..." He ducked his head, blushing. "You're hot. And until that time when we were at the fair, I thought you were the only person who'd ever liked me..."

Cyanide spluttered. "The only person who's ever liked you? Skids, how fucking oblivious are you? Everywhere you go, there's dozens of girls falling all over themselves staring at you!" They were approaching a group of girls on the path just then, and Cy grabbed Skids' arm, dragging him towards them. "Look, I'll show you."

"Ladies," he said, drawing to a stop in front of them, "I have a question for you all." They stared at him, looking like they'd rather he wasn't blocking their path. "Which of you would be willing to date this fine young gentleman here?" he asked, gesturing at Skids, who was blushing furiously. "No action is required, this is not an offer, merely a poll." They turned their attention to Skids, and almost all of them smiled, eyes lighting up. There were giggles, and hands shot up into the air. "See?" he said pointedly to Skids. "Now, next question in the poll." he continued, attention returning to the girls. "Who would be willing to date me?" The excitement went out of their faces, and they brushed past him and away.

"Maybe if your hair was more normal," one girl whispered as she passed him. Cyanide scowled. Oh, who needs them, he thought angrily. Fucking teenybop prep girls. Who'd want them? Well, fucking teenybop prep girls in tight shirts and pants, and a couple really short skirts.... Okay, fine, so he'd been going through a dry spell lately.

"Wow, dude. Does that really happen all the time?" Skids said, disbelievingly.

"All the time, amigo, all the time."

"Am I supposed to think that's shibby?"

"Chicks dig you, Skids! I wish I could get girls that easily."

"But I don't want those girls. I don't even know them."

"Skids, that doesn't... Okay, maybe that does matter to you."

They walked in silence a little longer.

"Let's back up a minute, now... You were saying you actually like me?" Cyanide asked, nervously.

"Yeah. Of course. You're my best friend. Just like Harley."

"I mean as something not just best friend." Cyanide responded.

"That's what I mean, too." Skids smiled at him.

Cy started to feel twisty inside. "Just like Harley what?" He thought of how Skids had been holding Harley as he led him away, earlier that morning, and of the fact that right now, at this very moment, Harley was asleep in Skids' bed. "Skids..." He looked at Skids, who was gazing at him worriedly, now, clearly wondering if he'd hurt him. "Dios. Jesús Cristo y todos los santos." There were no words to express his shock. Well, shock wasn't exactly the correct term. What do you call it when your most paranoid fantasies have suddenly been realized? "Skids, what did you and Harley do?"

"But, Cyan, it's different. I don't want Harley to be with me. I want him to be with Mik. You're the one I want to be with me."

Cyanide could feel jealousy flowing all through him, hot and coiling. "What did you and Harley do?" He realized suddenly he was gripping Skids' arms, hard, and Skids was staring at him with sad, hurt eyes. He let go and turned away. He couldn't be mad at Skids. He just couldn't. All his anger turned inward, on himself. He was only making mistake after mistake today, stupid, stupid, stupid mistakes. "No, forget it, it's none of my business..." he muttered. How could he be such an idiot as to think that he was good enough for Skids? Maybe he'd had a chance, before today, but not now, not after fucking everything up.... Hey, if not even the fucking teenybop prep girls wanted him, why should Skids? But what he wanted from Skids was more, so much more, than want he wanted from some random girl with nice T&A.

"Cya..." Skids said softly behind him. "Cy, what's wrong?"

There was no way in fucking hell Cyanide Torres was going to cry over this.

"Cyanide... Harley was so upset. I just wanted him to feel better. We kissed. Does that hurt you?"

"Are you happy, Skids?" It was hard to talk.

"No... because you two aren't happy." Skids reached out and took Cyanide's hand.

Cy started to look at Skids as he came up alongside him, then looked away instead. "If being with Harley would make you happy, then..."

"Cyan, weren't you listening to me a minute ago?" Was that irritation in Skids' voice? Cyanide looked at him then, startled. "I don't want to be with Harley. I just want him and Mik to get back together. You're being silly."

"What do you want, then?" Cyanide stared into Skids' eyes. Those eyes were getting closer... Oh. Skids was kissing him... And it was not like the other times, when it had either been a joke, or pretend, or unbearably casual... This was fierce, and real, and oh so sweet. And oh so public, too, Cyanide thought as he heard some slightly distant shocked exclamation. He shut it out, though, shut his eyes and tried to ignore his hearing, because he was not letting Skids get away. His arms slipped around Skids' waist, and he felt one hand holding his jacket lapel, the other sliding over his chest, and he could feel it on his skin through the netting of his shirt.

He did pull away then, and looked at Skids, who was blushing bright pink. "Skids, who have you kissed more, me or Harley?"

"Harley." Skids admitted, a little nervously.

"I'm going to fix that." He took Skids' hand and dragged him to the nearest building, which happened to be a block of classrooms. He pulled him into the first empty one he saw, shut the door behind them, and pushed Skids up against it. Skids still looked rather worried, so Cy tickled him until he was laughing and smiling, panting raggedly. Then he kissed him again, running his hands over his chest. It felt quite different from a girl's, all flat, and smooth, and hard... Dios, Skids did have nice muscles, oh yes... And a nice tongue...

After a while, Cy asked hoarsely, "So now who?"

"Umm, probably still Harley..." Skids said, looking nervous again, and blushing.

Cy grinned. "He's a horny one, isn't he? Not that I'm complaining at the moment, mind you." He bit Skids on the neck, sucking hard at the skin, and Skids whimpered softly. Cyanide smiled when he saw the mark he'd left. Take that, Harley, he thought. Then Skids leaned forward and began to suck at his earlobe, tongue flicking across his earrings just as his finger flicked across his nipple ring. Cy heard himself whimpering just as Skids had.

A while longer, and Cy's jacket, plus Skids' hat and overshirt, had been dropped to the floor. Cyanide wasn't quite sure where all this was leading, but damn, was he turned on... That was when the door they were still leaning against began to move, and they stumbled back, away from it, panicked.

The middle-aged, professorial woman standing there stared at them in shock.

"Eep." Skids squeaked, blushing harder than Cyanide thought he'd ever seen before. Cy grabbed the clothes from the floor quickly, took Skids' hand, and brushed past her without a word, hurrying down the hall. He jammed Skids' hat down onto his head.

Once they'd left the building, Cy turned, handing Skids his shirt and slipping into his jacket again. "Still up for lunch, buddy?" he asked, as Skids put the shirt on. Skids nodded. Cyanide started leading the way back to where they'd been heading originally. "So, did I catch up yet?"

"Not sure." Skids smiled at him.

"Well, there's always later." Cy smiled back.

They reached Subway, and ordered, Skids buying a sandwich for Harley, too. Cy didn't let him stay, but sent him back to his room.

"Skids, it's up to you to plan a way to get Harley and Rasputin back together. You're better at that shit than I am. I'll see you tomorrow." Those were his parting words. Those, and a quick peck on the cheek.

***

Skids returned to his room, to find Harley sitting on the bed, spiders on his head and shoulders, looking sad.

"Skids!" he burst out when Skids entered. "I was so worried. I thought you'd left, too..." he said sorrowfully.

Skids gave him a hug, being careful not to crush any spiders. "Harls, you're in my room. You knew I had to come back." he answered reassuringly. "I went to get lunch." He handed Harley his sandwich.

"Oh, thank you." Harley smiled. They began eating.

"Harley, do dozens of girls really fall all over themselves staring at me wherever I go?"

Harley looked at him, uncertain why he asked. "Yeah. And a couple boys, too. Why?"

"Something Cy just said..."

"Were you talking to him just now?" Harley asked.

"Uh huh."

"Really? How'd it go?"

Skids blushed. Harley giggled, bouncing up and down on the bed. "Skids, you are the Mac Daddy. Two guys in one day..." Then he quieted down. "What did he say about..."

"He's really, really sorry, Harley. He wasn't trying to hurt you; he just didn't want to have Cordelia living in his room. And he didn't mean to say that about New Years. You know how he just sometimes talks without thinking... He feels bad, and he wants to help make it better."

"I'm still mad at him, Skids."

Skids looked at Harley pleadingly. "Please forgive him. I couldn't stand it if my two best friends stopped talking to each other. And what about the band?"

"Oh, Skids, I don't want to break up the band, either." Harley said sadly.

***

Rasheequa had called Cyanide's house, and been told that he was out. She had called Skids' dorm room, but there was no answer. So now she tried Harley and Mikhael's apartment. The phone rang four times. A click, and the answering machine came on. "Hi, this is Mik and Harley's apartment." Harley's prerecorded, chipper voice shrilled out at her. "We're probably doing something naughty right now, and so can't come to the phone. Please lea-" There was a huge thump, and a crash, then a mechanical squeal and the dial tone came on. 'Sheequa stared at the phone. What was that? She sighed, giving up. All she wanted to do was confirm when the next band rehearsal was, but it looked like no one was available.

***

Mik had stormed back to his car, driven recklessly back to his apartment, and slammed doors whenever he could. When he'd seen the little ferret kit in his living room, he'd dumped it out in the hall and closed the door behind it. He hadn't known what to do with the rest of Harley's stuff, however, so he'd done nothing. For a long while he'd just sat there brooding. Sulking. Now he was seething. Fuming. Staring lividly at the broken telephone and answering machine, lying against the wall where he'd thrown them when he heard Harley's voice on the message.

There was a knock at the door. He ignored it. It came again. He ignored it again.

"Rasputin, you open this door or else." Tabitha's voice drifted through the wood. He got up and opened the door.

She was standing there holding the ferret kit. "Harley's little pet got out." she said, holding it out to him.

Mikhael stared at her stonily. "Harley got out, too."

She looked startled. "What?"

"Harley doesn't live here anymore. Neither does that thing." He jerked his chin at the ferret.

She blinked. "Oh. I'll miss him."

He slammed the door in her face.

"Fine. Be broody and angry and sad all you want. Just so long as the rent's not late." she yelled through the door. He ignored her.

***

Tabitha opened the door to her own apartment.

"What's that furry thing?" Allen asked.

"It's a ferret." she replied. "Used to be Harley's. He's gone now. Rasputin doesn't want it. I thought we could keep it, so long as it and the cats get along."

"Harley's gone?"

"So Rasputin said when he yelled at me."

"Want me to take him out for you, moonbeam?"

"Naw, that's okay." She sat down, stroking the ferret.

"I'll miss him." Allen said.

"Me too. So will Cordelia."

"Cordelia?"

"That's what the ferret says her name is."

***

Skids and Harley spent the rest of the day hanging out. They watched some Buffy, listened to some music, played with the spiders, and generally talked about a lot of nothing. Skids ate a quick dinner in the cafeteria, taking his backpack and bringing back some food for Harley for the evening, as well as for both of them for the morning.

They kissed again. When Harley saw the hickey Cyanide had left on Skids' neck, he laughed. They kissed even more.

"I'm not going to get to have sex with you, am I, Skids?" Harley asked.

"No." Skids answered, blushing. "Not now, at least."

"I can't believe Mik and I broke up the day before Valentine's." Harley said, his eyes tearing up.

Skids kissed the tears. "It can still be fixed, Harls."

"Oh, Skids..."

A moment passed.

"Harls, did you ever like Cy? You know, like like?"

Harley smiled. "Not really. Cyanide's attractive, but he's no you. And no Mik."

Eventually they slept.

***

Skids woke the next morning, Harley curled in his arms. He got dressed as quickly and quietly as he could, so as not to disturb him, and slipped out to go to class. He ate the rather hard and boring bagel he'd gotten from the cafeteria the night before as he walked.

After class, he found Cyanide waiting for him in the hallway. Cy was leaning against the wall, arms folded, one knee sticking out. "Happy Valentine's Day, amigo." he said when he saw Skids.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Cy." Skids answered. He put a hand out and touched Cy's face. "What's this?"

"Eyeliner." Cyanide scowled. "Four of my sisters cornered me and wouldn't let me go until I let them put it on me. You don't even want to know what they said they'd do if it wasn't still there when I got home."

"I think it's cute." Skids smiled.

"Well, just don't expect to ever see it again. Okay?" The scowl was half a grin now, but only half.

"Okie."

"How's Harley?"

"I haven't talked to him today. He was still asleep when I left for class. But I think he's a little better."

"Do you think he'd be willing to see me?"

"We can try."

They started toward Skids' room. "Cya, have you ever, you know, liked Harley?"

"Harley? Well, he is kinda pretty... Maybe if he were a girl. But no. Not the way I like you."

Skids smiled at that, and Cyanide looked at him questioningly, but he didn't say anything.

***

"Skids!" Harley exclaimed when he opened the door. Then... "Oh. Hi, Cyanide." he said when he saw Cy behind Skids.

They stared at each other uncomfortably.

"Harley, I'm so sorry... Really. Please don't stay mad at me forever."

"Are you wearing eyeliner?"

Cyanide groaned. "Yes."

"His sisters made him do it." Skids added.

Harley giggled. "The great and mighty Cyanide Torres, brought low by his younger sisters. Invulnerable to all, except for his little, feminine siblings."

"Okay, Harley, I deserve that, I know. Do you wanna make me wear lipstick, too? Will that make you feel better?"

Harley laughed even more, falling sideways onto the bed. He clutched at the pillow. "I would, but I don't think any of us has any." he finally managed to gasp out.

"We could borrow some from someone else." Skids chimed in.

"Skids!" Cyanide glanced at him, betrayed.

"I just want Harls to feel better, Cy." Skids said softly.

Cyanide nodded. "Okay. If it makes things better."

Skids left the room. Cyanide went over and sat on the bed next to Harley. Neither of them spoke for a while.

"So, you and Skids, huh?" they both said simultaneously, breaking the silence. Then they laughed at that. "

Well, he is one hot guy." Harley added. Cy smiled at him.

"That's what I think, too."

They looked away from each other again.

"Do you still want to get back with Ras- I mean, Mikhael?" Cyanide asked.

"Yeah." Harley said softly.

"Skids and I will do everything we can to help. Although I plan on leaving it all up to him, since I don't think I'll do any good."

Skids came back into the room at that moment. He held something out to Cyanide. "It's fairly bright red, but it's all I could get."

"Okay, fine, give it here." Cy snatched it out of his hand, then stood up. "I need a mirror." He looked at Harley. "Don't say I never did anything for you, 'kay, Harls?"

Skids and Harley could hear him muttering as he went down the hall to the bathroom. "Fuck that shit, man..."

They both started laughing when he came back.

"I know, I look like an idiot." he growled.

"Wow, Cy, it's actually put on well. Not sloppy." Harley said.

"I think it looks pretty, Cya. You're colorful." Skids added.

Cyanide couldn't help smiling at Skids. Then he sighed. "I do know a fair amount about make-up. Sisters and all."

Harley nodded. He turned to Skids. "Skids..." he said sweetly, batting his eyelashes. "I've been cooped up in your room since yesterday. And it's lunch time. I wanna go out somewhere. Besides, Cy looks so pretty... We have to show him off."

"Harley..." Cyanide whined.

Harley gave him a withering glance. "You still owe me, Cyanide."

"Oh, alright. Happy Valentine's Day, Harley."

"Yeah, happy Valentine's Day, Harls."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Skids." Harley smiled. "And Cyan."

***

Tybalt opened the door to the diner and strolled in, followed by his friend Apollo. He scanned the room, automatically, looking for anything interesting. A booth in one corner caught his eye, and he continued his stroll in that direction. He reached it, and leaned forward, placing his hands on the table.

"Well, well, if it isn't Harlequinn Goldman. Hello, precious." He glanced to his right, eyeing the dark-haired boy seated there. "And Agent Double-Oh-Sexy. And who might you be," he continued, looking to the left at the third boy, the one in the baseball cap, "Miss Moneypenny?" He was surprised by the vehemence of the reaction he received.

Harley smashed a fist against the table. "This is all your fault, too, you bastard."

"Perra." The dark-haired boy snarled at him, holding the rolled R for what seemed like forever.

"I don't blame Wes an' Gunn an' Lorne, but I do blame you. And I'm not sure I believe your story about being in Florida at New Years." Harley continued to hiss. Tybalt blinked in confusion. What in hell was Harley talking about? Smith and Wesson guns? Apollo caught up to him just then, and stared around at the angry faces.

"I don't know what you're yammering about, precious, but I was indeed in Florida for New Years."

"I have no idea what's going on." Apollo added. "But I do know Tybalt spent New Years in Florida." He tingled as the boy in the baseball cap turned a level stare on him. It felt like he was weighing his heart and soul with those eyes.

"It wasn't him at New Years, dudes." the boy said to the other two.

Apollo turned to Tybalt. "Tybalt, who are these people?"

Tybalt gestured at Harley. "The blond one is my ex-boyfriend's boyfriend." Apollo nodded, beginning to understand. Tybalt turned back to Harley. "How is Mikhael, anyway?"

The expression of anger on Harley's face mixed with a look of deep pain.

"Oh, don't tell me you two fought." Tybalt exclaimed, shocked. They were always so lovey-dovey.

Harley folded his arms on the table and buried his face in them, beginning to cry. Tybalt raised an eyebrow. This seemed serious. The dark-haired boy was trembling with anger, looking about ready to kill something.

"Puto del infierno!" he growled.

Tybalt hissed some nasty Spanish right back at him. It was always useful to know a few basic phrases in any language, and he could say 'Your father is so impotent your mother had to mate with a monkey to make you' in about five or six. The boy's dark eyes sparked with rage.

"Cyan..." a voice from the other side of the table said reprovingly, and Tybalt turned most of his attention in that direction, keeping a little on the dark boy in case he attacked. The boy in the baseball cap had scooted closer to Harley, and was stroking his back, gently and comfortingly, yet also very sensuously. He was staring at the dark-haired boy, and that gaze was clearly all that kept him from standing up and swinging at Tybalt. Pinned by those eyes, the dark boy slowly relaxed. Tybalt took his hands off the table and stood up straight, crossing his arms over his chest. He smiled to himself. That boy was good.

He could feel Apollo tugging on his shoulder. "Tybalt, don't start a scene. Let's just leave." he whispered. Tybalt ignored him.

The boy in the baseball cap turned to Tybalt, still petting Harley's back. "You sent the spiders on purpose to upset Mik, didn't you?" he asked calmly.

"Is all this really about my spiders?"

"Well, no." the boy answered. "But a lot of it is."

"Huh. Harley never even thanked me for them, you know. Although I suppose sending this idiot over to my house so I could punch his face was rather nice, so I guess we're even." He glanced at the dark-haired boy. "Right, Double-Oh-Sexy?"

"Oh, Tybalt..." Apollo muttered disapprovingly.

"Fucking jerk bastard who deserves to be castrated slowly by..."

The boy in the baseball cap looked at the dark boy again, tilting his head, and he shut up. Harley was still crying, face hidden. Tybalt was taken aback by that. Harley was normally so feisty, and the sight of him slumped over, not saying a word as the conversation raged around him, just didn't seem... appropriate. It wasn't as much fun.

"So what happened?" he asked the boy in the baseball cap.

"Tybalt, let's go..." Apollo tugged on his arm again.

"Shut up." Tybalt needed to know what was going on. Apollo looked upset, and the boy in the baseball cap threw a sympathetic glance at him.

Then he looked at Tybalt again, and said, "If I tell you what happened, will you leave us alone?"

"Maybe." Tybalt replied.

"Yes." Apollo responded.

Tybalt glared at him, but he didn't look away.

"Fine." he snapped.

"Well, Mik tried to kill Wes and Lorne and Gunn, that's the spiders. And Harley loves them."

Tybalt nodded. "I bet the big buffoon never even told Harley he didn't like them, right? Just tried to quietly get rid of them?"

The boy in the baseball cap nodded back.

"And Harley was right royally pissed, yes?" Another nod. "So what's all this stuff about New Years?"

"Someone kissed Harley then. He doesn't know who. He thought it was Mik, but it wasn't."

"Ah. And Mikhael first learned about this in the heat of the anger over the spiders, and probably didn't even get the full story, but just jumped to some nasty conclusions, right?" The baseball cap bobbed in another nod. "So now they're not talking to each other. When was all this?"

"Yesterday."

"Well, well. Fascinating." Tybalt turned away from the table, away from Harley's tears, the dark-haired boy's anger, the other boy's calmness. He walked out of the diner, whistling to himself.

Apollo caught up to him on the sidewalk outside. "Tybalt, I hope you realize that..."

"Not now, Apollo, not now. I've got places to go, people to do. Ta ta." He left, and Apollo just stared after him.

***

They'd been getting along just fine until Tybalt showed up. They'd been talking about other things, and Harley had seemed fairly happy, and Cy was feeling pretty good, too, because Skids kept smiling at him across the table. They'd even played footsie for a minute, which left Cyanide blushing more than Skids, whose face didn't even register that it was happening. And Cy hadn't even minded that, from the look on Harley's face, Skids was doing the exact same thing to him at the exact same time.

And now he was seething with anger because of that cabron who had punched him, and who had made Harley cry again, and who had dared to insult him using his own language. Besides, it was easier to be mad at the red-haired bastard than at himself for his own part in this.

Skids was rubbing Harley's back and stroking his hair, whispering softly to him. "It's okay, Harls. He's gone now. It's alright."

"Want me to go beat him up, Harley?"

Skids shot him another look, and he winced.

Turning back to Harley, Skids said, slowly, "This is what we're gonna do, Harls. Cya's going to drive us over to your and Mik's apartment, and then I'm going to go up and talk to Mik. I don't think he's mad at me, and he likes me. You and Cy are going to wait down in the car, and if I convince him to talk to you, I'll come get you, okay?"

Harley looked up at him pleadingly. "You really think you can do it, Skids?"

"If he can't, no one can." Cyanide answered before Skids could say anything.

***

Mik hadn't left the apartment since he arrived after the fight with Harley. He'd only slept a little bit, and he hadn't really been eating, or grooming his hair, or shaving. He ignored the knocking at the door, until he heard it swing open. Then he looked up.

Tybalt stood there, gazing sardonically at him, arms crossed.

"How did you get in here?" Mik asked angrily.

Tybalt cocked an eyebrow. "The door wasn't locked." he said, as if to a slightly stupid child.

"Get out, or I'll break your nose and throw you out."

"I don't think you will." Tybalt leaned back against the doorframe. "And if you do, I'll just come back in again." He glanced around the room curiously, his gaze lingering over the broken telephone, still lying where Mik had thrown it. "I hear you and Harley had a little tiff."

Mik glared.

"You know, Mikhael, if you're enough of a blockhead to dump a wonderful boyfriend like Harley over one kiss and a few spiders, you don't deserve to have him."

"Did you touch him?" Mik growled.

Tybalt shook his head, hair shushing along his back. "If you're going to be jealous, I'd say you have more to worry about from Harley's perceptive friend."

"Perceptive friend?" Mik wasn't sure where Tybalt was going with any of this.

"You know. Not the dark spiky one, the other one, with the baseball cap."

Shock managed to make its way through Mik's anger and depression. "Skids? Perceptive?"

"Just because you're too much of a dork to notice what he's doing, Mikhael, doesn't mean he's not doing it."

"Are you saying Skids is trying to steal Harley?"

Tybalt sighed petulantly, his voice again taking on a tone that said Mik was being incredibly slow. "I don't think he'd ever try to steal anyone. He seems like a genuinely nice boy. I'm just warning you that if you leave Harley alone long enough, something will probably happen between them."

Mik was getting suspicious again. "How do you even know we fought?"

"Oh, I just ran into the three of them in a diner downtown. We had a little talk."

"Three? So he's talking to Torres again?"

"If you mean Agent Double-Oh-Sexy, the dark spiky one, then yes. Why, were they fighting, too?"

Tybalt's smooth tone was really grating on Mikhael's nerves. "Get out now, Tybalt."

"Let me just ask you one thing, Mikhael. Did you ever really talk to Harley? Tell him what you actually thought? Ask him what was happening? Listen to his explanations? I don't think you did."

"It's none of your damn business, Tybalt."

Someone knocked on the door. Tybalt reached over and opened it. Skids poked his head in. "Mik?"

"Well, speak of the devil..." Tybalt chuckled. "Your name's Skids, right?" Skids looked at him and nodded, clearly uncertain as to what he was doing there.

"Why are you here, Skids?" Mik asked, and Tybalt hoped he hadn't made Mikhael too suspicious of the boy.

"Skids, tell Mikhael everything you told me, about the spiders and New Years."

"Are you here with him?" Mik growled.

Skids looked confused. "I just came to talk to you about Harley, Mik. He loves you and he wants to be with you."

"Yes, Mikhael." Tybalt said mockingly. "Your little blond boytoy loves you." He felt Skids look at him reprovingly. Oh, don't think you can control me with those big eyes like you can your pussywhipped friends, he thought.

Skids turned back to Mikhael. "Really. He's done almost nothing but cry since yesterday."

"It's true, Mikhael. I saw him sobbing in public with my own eyes." Tybalt added, again ignoring Skids' reproachful glance.

"And you look like you miss him, too."

"You have to admit you're a sorry sight at the moment. A real mess."

Mikhael cringed before the onslaught. It was like good cop/bad cop, the alternation of Skids' simple worry and Tybalt's contemptuous honeyed tones.

"And about New Years..."

"Yes, about this alleged affair you think Harley's been having..."

Skids wished Tybalt would stop twisting everything he said. He kept trying to spark his conscience with his glances, but he wasn't quite sure that Tybalt had a conscience.

"He didn't even do anything. You know how you were wearing that big white robe? Well, someone in a big white robe kissed him at midnight, and he thought it was you until the real you showed up. He felt awful about it. But it wasn't even anything he did. He only got kissed. He didn't tell you because he thought it would hurt you, and he didn't want to do that for no reason."

"The poor boy was tricked into one kiss, Mikhael, thinking he was smooching you, his true love..."

Skids finally turned and looked Tybalt straight in the eyes. "Will you let me tell the story, please?"

Then, speaking to Mikhael again, "Harley's angry that you never told him how you felt about the spiders, and that you tried to kill them, and that you accused him of falling for Tybalt because of them, but he'd give anything to be with you again. He said Wes and Gunn and Lorne could live with me, and Cya's agreed to take the kit back, too."

He looked at Mik with his best, largest puppy-dog eyes. "Just talk to him, and make everything be right again, because you two are supposed to be together."

Mik missed Harley, he really, really did. And Skids' explanations did make sense. Much as he hated to let logic get in the way of his sulk, he had to admit, at least to himself, that he hadn't really considered Harley's feelings before he acted, and hadn't really listened to Harley talk before he jumped to conclusions.

"Where is he, Skids?" he asked hoarsely. Skids could see that he was relenting.

"Right outside. I'll get him." Skids ducked out before Mik could respond.

"You're a real idiot, you know that, Mikhael?" Tybalt got in one last condescending barb before also ducking out the door.

***

Tybalt got in the elevator with Skids just before the doors closed. He leaned against the back wall. "So, just one question. Are you available Friday night?"

"You're not really my type." Skids replied.

"You aren't Harley's token straight friend, are you?"

Skids laughed at that. Tybalt thought his laugh was charmingly innocent, while still implying something sexual.

"Well, do you have a boyfriend? A girlfriend?"

Skids shook his head. "Not exactly."

"What is it, then?"

"You're mean." he replied simply. Coming from anyone else, Tybalt would have thought it made them sound juvenile. But it somehow worked from this boy.

"Mean? I just risked my own bodily safety to try to patch the relationship between two men who will never, either of them, be even remotely grateful to me for it. How is that mean?"

"You also helped cause the problems between them, by doing something that you knew would be bad, and you wanted it to cause problems."

Tybalt didn't reply.

Skids looked at him questioningly. "Why did you try to help, anyway?"

Tybalt sighed. "There's no fun in trying to break them up if they're not together, now is there?"

"I think you really care."

"Oh?"

"Mm hmm. You saw how upset they were, and instead of trying to seduce one or both of them, you tried to help."

"They've been feeding you stories from their point of view, boy. Besides, why would I need to seduce them... When I think someone else already has that covered, right, precious?" He stared intently at Skids. Skids stared back. "Don't worry, I won't tell..." he murmured intimately, leaning forward.

Just then the elevator stopped, the doors opened, and Skids escaped.

***

Cyanide looked up as Skids came out the front door of the apartment building, followed closely by... Tybalt? What was he doing here? He heard Harley hiss beside him.

"He was putting the moves on Mik, wasn't he?" Harley's voice was strained.

Cy watched as Tybalt said something to Skids, who looked at him, an unreadable expression on his face. Then Tybalt leaned forward, kissed him on the cheek, and walked off. How dare he? Cy was enraged again.

Skids approached the car, and Harley quickly rolled his window down. Skids leaned in. "Okay, Harls, Mik wants to see you." Harley looked overjoyed and incredibly apprehensive all at once, and Skids brushed his bangs reassuringly.

"What was Tybalt up to?" Harley asked.

"Um... trying to convince Mikhael to talk to you."

"What?" Harley's voice cracked in disbelief.

Skids nodded.

"He wasn't mean to you, was he, Skids? If he was..." Cyanide trailed off.

Skids smiled at him softly. "No, he wasn't." He looked at Harley again. "So, Harls, I told him about New Years. He believed me. I also told him you were giving up Cordelia and the spiders. I just have one question for you... Are you going to tell him about... us?" He blushed at that.

Harley looked at him, an innocent expression on his face. "Tell him what, Skids? That you're my really good friend and you tried to help me? I think he already knows that."

"If that's how you want it, Harls..."

"I'll handle it, 'kay, Skids?"

Skids opened the car door.

The three of them rode up in the elevator in silence.

When they walked in the apartment, Harley took one look at Mik, and how disheveled he was, and wanted to run into his arms. Instead, he stared nervously at him from across the room.

Mik saw Harley and he felt like his heart wanted to burst. He looked so sad... But he didn't know what to say, so he said nothing.

Then Skids gave Harley a little push, and he dashed across the floor, wrapping himself around Mikhael. "Oh, Mik... I love you, Mik..."

"I love you, too, Harley." Mik whispered harshly.

"Let's never fight again, okay?"

"I concur."

They kissed.

I'm drowning in the sweetness, Cyanide thought. He looked at Skids, who had a wistful little smile on his face. Ohh. He wanted to make him feel all better.

Mik and Harley loosened their clutch a little, and Mik looked up at Harley's friends.

"Are you wearing make-up, Torres?" he said in surprise.

"Oh, don't start with me, Rasputin. These two can get away with it, but you can't."

"Don't you know only women and gay men wear make-up?" Mik continued.

Cy was about to make some witty retort about how if that were the case, Mikhael himself ought to wear it, when Skids touched his hand and he stopped.

Harley looked up at Mik. "Mik, don't you have something better to do than tease Cyan?" He batted his eyelashes.

Mik grinned. "Of course, you're right, lovely. The mind-blowing make up sex."

"Exactly." Harley responded, and they kissed again.

Cyanide threw his hands up in the air. "That's it. I'm outta here, dudes." He spun on his heel and left the room. Skids barely had time to follow him out and shut the door behind them before the mind-blowing make up sex commenced.

***

Cyanide pulled Skids to him in the elevator and kissed him, hard and rough. When he pulled away, he saw that there were bright red lipstick smudges all around Skids' mouth. He'd had the same thing happen to him many a time, but he'd never done it to anyone else. He laughed at that. Skids grinned back at him.

***

Cyanide stretched languidly. Everything had been working out fine over the past few days. Harley and Rasputin were together again, acting as they always did, having seemingly forgotten that they had ever fought. Harley was back to his usual bouncy self. Tabitha had even decided to keep Cordelia, so he didn't have a ferret kit living in his room.

And then there was what had happened this afternoon. If he'd said to his mother, 'Mama, I'm going to go spend the night in some cute chica's room,' she would have replied, 'Oh no you don't, Cyanide.' But when he told her, 'Mama, Skids and I both have tests tomorrow, so we're going to study together tonight. And I thought I might just as well stay there overnight, so I'll see you tomorrow after class,' (which was all the truth), she'd just smiled, kissed his cheek, and said, 'Alright, mijo, just make sure you actually do study, and get enough sleep.'

Yes, Cy was definitely beginning to see the advantages in this.

He turned over and looked at Skids, lying on the bed beside him.

"Are you happy, Skids? You're not upset over anything?"

"What would I be upset about?"

"You know... About Harley..."

"No, I'm happy. Everyone's right where I want them to be, Cyan."

Cy leaned over Skids. "Well, good." He grinned, no, smirked, no, positively leered at him. "Now, I have some ideas..."

"Okay, Cy, whatever you want." Skids smiled up at him blissfully.

"I only want what makes you happy, querido." he murmured into Skids' lips. And he fully meant what he said.

***

The End