"Why did you leave your pack?"
Allen's question came out of nowhere, but Bandit realized he should have guessed his lover would ask at some point. He didn't really want to talk about it, but no matter how much he would have preferred never to talk about it, he had to be truthful about his past.
He slipped out of bed again and went to stare out the window. The parking lot was shadow-covered with pools of light splashing in even intervals from the street lamps.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Allen said, letting him off the hook.
Bandit shook his head. "No. It's something I should tell you. I'm not proud of what I did, and it's why I left."
"Did you kill someone?"
He shot a look over his shoulder at Allen, who was sitting up in bed, covers pooled around his waist.
"No. I wouldn't have left if I did. Killing wouldn't have affected my pride." Bandit clenched his hands.
Why was he letting it affect him so much? It was over two years ago, and it wasn't like he'd really done anything wrong. Yet it was one more thing his family would use to make him feel useless or stupid. Christ, one would think he was the youngest instead of Lou. Yes, some of his actions were childish, and maybe his pack had the right to think of him as silly and foolish.
He often played the clown or the smart ass because, well, every family had to have one and none of the others seemed to be stepping up for the role. Plus it was part of his personality not to take things quite as seriously as others did.
"So what did you do?" Allen's curiosity showed in his question.
"I fell in love with my sister's husband."
Silence greeted his confession, and finally he couldn't take it anymore. He turned to look at Allen. His lover sat there, frowning. Bandit rolled his eyes and heaved a mental sigh. He should have known it wouldn't be easy to explain why he left.
"You fell in love with Darren?"
"Yes. Before he and Patches got together, he'd come to the bar. We got to be friends." Bandit turned back to the window and ran his hand through his hair. "Stupid really, considering I knew he was straight, but I couldn't help it. It's so stereotypical as well. Gay guy falls for straight guy."
"Does Patches know you love her husband?"
Something in Allen's tone made Bandit whirl around to stare at him.
"I'm not still in love with him. That's why I ended up coming home. Well, that and the fact I missed everyone. I wasn't exactly setting the world on fire while working in the city. The best I ever did was when I helped Max with a couple runaways."
"But Patches and Darren married long before you ran away. Why did you wait so long to take off?"
"I thought I could handle it, but slowly it got to be too much. So I left before I made a complete ass of myself." Bandit shrugged.
"Does anyone else know?"
"Lassie might have guessed, but she wouldn't say anything to anyone else. I think the others just thought I was being my usual idiotic self. No one's really asked me why I went, and I haven't seen the point in enlightening them. By the time I got back, I was over Darren. I could see him with Patches and not feel like my heart was being ripped out of my chest."
Allen climbed out of bed and walked over to him. Bandit met his lover's eyes and lifted the corner of his mouth with a slight smile.
"I know it seems like a crazy idea for me to run away, but I didn't want to do anything to upset the rest of the pack. I was extremely jealous of Patches and her relationship with Darren, because I knew there wasn't ever a chance for us." He paused for a moment. "Darren never guessed how I felt about him either, and I hope he never does. I don't want to ruin the friendship I have with him, or make Patches feel bad."
Allen reached out and cradled Bandit's face in his hands. He brought their lips together. Bandit rested his hands on Allen's hips, but didn't try anything beyond the kiss. When they broke apart, he looked at Allen.
"I know. It's a stupid reason to run away from your pack, but I was so confused at the time, and it seemed like the only way to make things better for me. Also, I was acting crazy, and I know my mother was starting to get fed up with my antics." Bandit dropped his gaze to stare at Allen's chest. "In the end, I think it was a good thing to be away from them. I learned to rely on myself and not expect them to always have my back."
"I don't think it was stupid. You obviously had problems you needed to work out on your own, plus you didn't want to hurt Patches. We both know it would have bothered her to know you loved her husband, even if she said it wouldn't."
Bandit nodded. Patches was the quiet one of the pack, but she tended to be more sensitive than the rest. It was the main reason why he'd decided to leave, instead of hanging around and acting like a complete jackass around the couple.
"I love my niece and nephew, and Darren and Patches really are perfect for each other." He looked back up to meet Allen's steady gaze again. "I'm happy I came home. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have met you."
A smile danced around the edges of Allen's lips. "As shitty as my life has been up until now, I have to admit in a way I'm glad for everything that's happened to me. All the crap has led to the moment I met you."
Bandit kissed Allen again, invading the other lycan's mouth with his tongue. Allen wound his arms around Bandit's shoulders, crushing their bodies tightly together. Bandit slid his hands down to grasp Allen's butt, lifting Allen up so he could wrap his legs around Bandit's waist. They stumbled to the bed, and Bandit dropped on it, making sure he fell on his back. He didn't want to hurt Allen.
Allen straddled him and grabbed the bottle of lube from where it'd been forgotten under one of the pillows. Bandit moaned as Allen squirted slick all over his cock.
"I want you to fuck me," Allen said.
Bandit held the base of his erection and watched as Allen slowly lowered himself on to it. Thank the Gods, Allen was still stretched from their last time. He sank right in without any pause. Allen leaned forward, braced his hands on Bandit's chest, and began to move.
Reaching up, Bandit clasped Allen's hips and thrust up with each downward plunge from Allen. Soon the sound of skin against skin filled the room, along with the smell of sex. Bandit gritted his teeth as his climax swelled within him. He didn't want to come yet. He wanted Allen to find his pleasure first before he let go. He peeled one hand from Allen's waist and surrounded Allen's cock with his fingers.
"Gods, that's perfect." Allen's head dropped back and his eyes closed as he rode Bandit.
Bandit urged Allen to move faster, and he felt the slender man swell in his hand.
"Bandit, I'm going to come," Allen warned.
With a grunt, Bandit buried himself deep and came, knowing it would push Allen over the edge. Hot cum covered his hand and stomach as he milked Allen for every drop. Allen shuddered and cried out, while Bandit growled low in his throat as he flooded Allen with his own seed.
Allen collapsed on top of him, and Bandit encircled him with one arm while holding the other hand away from them. He drifted, breathing in Allen's scent and realizing just how much Allen had come to mean to him. Any feelings he might have had for Darren were minuscule compared to how he felt for Allen.
He'd always known it would be this way. Love would hit him with a sledgehammer blow, not sneak up slow and steady. At least the lasting kind of love would be like quicksilver and passionate. It would knock him off his feet when he least expected it.
Sighing, Allen climbed off him and offered a hand. "Let's clean up quick and go to bed. I get the feeling the others are going to want to leave early in the morning. We do need to get all this stuff taken care of and head back home to your house."
"Do you have a feeling things are going to come to a head soon?" Bandit let Allen pull him off the bed.
They wandered into the bathroom, where Allen turned on the shower, and Bandit rested his hip against the sink. He admired the tight, round curve of Allen's ass.
"Yes, I do. It's like a heavy weight is on my chest, and I have this irrational urge to turn around and go back to your pack. Like whatever's coming is going to hit your family and the others first." Allen shot a frown over his shoulder at Bandit. "I hope Nick and Gryphon have some luck with the High Council."
"So do I, but if they don't, we'll do what we need to do to fix this problem before Grime goes too far and destroys us all."
He put his hand on the small of Allen's back and eased them both under the cascade of warm water. Now wasn't the time to discuss all the problems of their world. They needed to rest before they met Max again. Things were probably going to be getting worse before too long, and Bandit wanted to spend as much quiet time as he could with Allen. Good memories and all that.
A knock on the door woke them up the next morning. Stretching, Bandit groaned as Allen rolled out of bed and grabbed his jeans from the floor. Bandit leered as his lover tugged his pants on before answering the door.
"What the fuck do you want?"
Raze's eyebrows shot up at Allen's greeting. He glanced over at the big demon standing next to him. "Well, he must not be a morning person. We'll have to remember that."
Allen flipped him the finger and wandered over to the bathroom. Bandit waited until the door shut and water started running. He slipped from the bed and dug around his bag for clean underwear and jeans.
"Umm... do you want us to turn around or leave the room while you get dressed?"
He glanced up to meet Raze's rather surprised gaze. Bandit grinned and winked at the angel before shaking his head. Ba'el slung a heavy arm over Raze's shoulder, laughing as he smiled at Bandit.
"I thought you knew lycans, Raze. They have no modesty and rather shamefully parade around nude a lot." Ba'el shook his head and tsked.
"O-o-okay." Raze rolled his eyes before shrugging out from under Ba'el's arm and going to sit on the bed. "Gianni and Roman are up and moving as well. We'll be able to get out of here soon. We'll probably want to stop for breakfast along the way."
Bandit eyed both of them. "Why are you so eager to be heading out? Have you heard something?"
"If you want to take your time, that's fine. Ba'el and I need to be in the city by tonight at the very latest. It has to do with our other work." Raze held up his hand. "I can't tell you anything about it, not even with you helping Max out from time to time."
After pulling on a T-shirt, Bandit ran his hands through his hair and tossed his dirty clothes in his bag. "You don't have to tell me anything about what you do for Max. It's best if I don't know. Plausible deniability is always good. As long as what you're doing doesn't effective our mission, I'm fine not knowing."
Allen emerged from the bathroom and trudged over to find a shirt to wear. Bandit ducked around him into the other room, brushed his teeth and took a piss. Silence reigned in the main room while Allen repacked his bag. Bandit chuckled as he came out and wrapped an arm around Allen, nuzzling the sensitive spot behind Allen's ear. Allen shuddered, but didn't say anything.
"You really aren't a morning person, are you?" Bandit asked as they went into the hallway, where Gianni and Roman were just stepping out of their room.
"You didn't let him get enough sleep last night," Roman commented as they made their way down to the lobby and checked out.
Allen blushed, and Bandit glared at Roman, who shrugged.
"I'm just making an observation. He's only this grumpy when he didn't get much sleep." Roman grinned and bumped his brother's hip with his. "Got lucky last night, huh?"
"Roman," Allen warned with a low growl.
His brother shut up, but Bandit chuckled to himself. Allen reminded him of Lassie, who wasn't a morning person either. She'd snap and snarl at everyone until she had her first cup of coffee. Bandit rested his hand at the small of Allen's back and guided him to the truck.
Raze gestured over to a black truck a few parking spots down. It had huge tires on it and it towered over Bandit's vehicle. "We'll follow you. There's an IHOP right before the highway. We'll stop there for breakfast and see about formulating a slightly better plan."
"Why am I not surprised that truck's yours?" Bandit smirked at Ba'el.
"Actually, it's mine. Ba'el stands out all on his own. He doesn't need a big truck to prove anything."
Raze wiggled his eyebrows at Allen, who blushed, causing all of them to burst out laughing. Allen flipped them all off and climbed into the back seat of Bandit's truck. He curled up and went to sleep almost immediately.
They tossed their bags in the vehicles and pulled out of the parking lot. Gianni sat up front with Bandit, giving him directions to the IHOP. Once they got there, Bandit sent the others in while he woke up Allen.
He reached out and stroked his finger over the curve of Allen's cheek. "Honey, time to wake up. We're at IHOP and you should probably eat something for breakfast. At least get some coffee in you."
Allen mumbled, but he opened his eyes to stare at Bandit. A gentle smile graced the younger lycan's lips, and Bandit couldn't help himself. He leaned forward and brushed a kiss over Allen's mouth.
"Let's go, you two," Ba'el bellowed from the door of the restaurant. "I'm hungry like a wolf, so get a move on."
"Maybe it wasn't a good idea to agree to let those guys hang with us," Bandit muttered.
Allen chuckled. "It's okay. They don't mean anything by it. Just teasing. You should be used to that by now."
Bandit and Allen strolled into the restaurant and sat with the others. After ordering, they relaxed. Each had the premonition this would be their last moment of peace for a while once they reach the city.
"You're right. With as many brothers and sisters as I've got, I should be used to being teased all the time." Bandit fidgeted with his silverware. "Of course, I think I do most of the teasing in our pack. At least, I know I'm the one always getting yelled at for it."
"I've always wondered what it's like being a part of a family or pack. Ba'el has tried to explain what it's like, but I don't think a horde is anywhere what a pack or family would be like." Raze whispered a touch over his demon's arm.