-1-

“Look at you,” Maxwell grins, landing a light kiss on Haley's shoulder. He turns Haley to face the full length mirror and rests his hands on either side of Haley's narrow waist, his finger tips nearly touching. “See how fucking good you look when you control yourself ?”

The white leather pants molded to Haley's slim figure and sat just below the lines carved into his hips. He was sure he’d be sweating to death if not for the fact that the pants were assless and crotchless.

He wore a white chastity belt that  just barely met  the hotels no nudity policy. A white leather harness top crossed his chest and left all his tattoos on display—the largest one being the detailed,  closed angel wing tattoo on his back with the word submissive running down his spine in Maxwell's polished cursive.

Maxwell locks him into the chastity belt and puts the key around his own neck. He kneels to kiss the small tattoo of his initials on Haley’s right ass cheek. The touch of Maxwell’s lips makes his giggle.

Maxwell wore pinstripe suit pants and an oversized white shirt unbuttoned to his chest to show the snake tattoo circling his swollen pectoral. Paired with an open burgundy vest, Haley almost considered swooning---Maxwell looked like he’d wandered  off a  romance cover.

“I made you, do you know that ?” Maxwell says softly, cupping his hand between Haley's legs. “I fucking made you into this, Angel. Are you going to be Daddy’s good little boy tonight ?”

“Yes, sir--”

“No,” Maxwell grins, stepping in front of him, tilting his head up to his towering form. “I’m not playing sir tonight.”

“Maxwell…,” Haley sighs. “I told you…I don’t like that--”

“How the fuck are you still such a selfish fucking prude ?, ” Maxwell spits. “I put a lot of my money into this trip  so don’t fucking embarrass me. Now, are you going to be a good boy or does Daddy need to put you over his knee to teach you a lesson ?”

Haley wanted to argue. He'd never felt comfortable doing anything to emphasize his age gap with Maxwell. But yesterday had been ruined and he didn’t want to ruin today too.

“I’m sorry,” he says and swallows thickly. “I’ll be good, Daddy.”

“No, you won’t,” Maxwell sneers. “I’m gagging your smart little mouth so I don't have to hear you say something retarded. Open.”

Haley obeys and Maxwell locks a white silver studded gag in his mouth and kisses his cheek.

He takes his place on Maxwell’s arm and, after a silent elevator ride with a deeply uncomfortable bachelor party, they walk down the never-ending hotel concourse to the hotel’s grand ballroom. As he and Maxwell enter the event nearly every head turns and a few stray hands even reach out to touch. AEX's  Sponsored Fetish Party was invite only. It was where the biggest industry deals and partnerships were made. Haley knew his job was to get all eyes on Maxwell. 

80s pop music blasts from the speakers and disco light splashes the ballroom in shades of purple. Women parade around the ballroom in varying amounts of latex and nipple covers, towering over the crowd in sky high pleasers that highlight the arches in their feet. The upper tier of the ballroom was reserved for demonstrations.

For the first hour Maxwell laps up the attention, encouraging strangers to take pictures of them. When the cover band goes into Queen, Maxwell pulls him to the dance floor and  they sway gently to the live music. Haley languishes in the affection, his body responds to Maxwell’s illicit touches but the chastity belt makes it impossible for him to get fully erect.

After two songs, Maxwell spots a group of men crowded near a sponsor and a popular up and coming starlet. He orders Haley to wait at a cocktail table and floats over to join them. Without Maxwell by his side, Haley  felt just how vulnerable and naked he was in this a crowd of mostly fully dressed men.

And he was starving.

A warm hand gently presses into his exposed lower back. He ignores the unwanted touch like he had all the others but then hand cups his waist and spins him around. His concern melts away when he comes face to chest with Luce Grace—who was generously filling out a gray henley under an oversized black leather jacket.

Luce Grace.

Luce Grace who lived 8 hours away in Palo Alto with his fancy computer job.

Haley hugs Luce the same way he had Jean but Luce stiffens, his large hands hovering around Haley’s exposed body.

Luce gestures towards the ballroom doors.

Haley nods and follows him into the bustling hotel concourse that sounded like a library in comparison to  the wall of sound in the ballroom.

Haley starts to speak and  is quickly reminded of the  gag in his mouth. He curses around the gag at the thought of going back in and asking Maxwell to unlock it.

Luce reaches into the pocket of his jacket and pulls out his switch blade. Haley nods and leans forward as Luce cuts the neoprene straps.

-2-

“Thanks,” Haley laughs and then smiles despite himself. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Luce grins.

“What in the world are you doing here ?”

“Jean had an extra ticket to the party and said he wanted to hang out,” he shrugs. “Not that the bastard’s shown up yet.”

“Aw. You came all the way from Palo Alto to hang out with Jean ?”

Luce’s face twitches.

“I moved back to Las Vegas. I got fired--”

“Oh. I’m sorry-”

“I was going to quit anyway.”

“But you worked so hard--”

“The douchebags up there have the biggest egos I’ve ever seen. They all want to be the next Steve Jobs--”

“Who ?”

“Exactly.” Luce scoffs.

“I’m sorry your dream didn’t work out--”

“Severance package wasn’t too bad,” Luce shrugs. “Things have been kind of crazy at home…my little brother’s dad is...really sick. He's in hospice.”

“Oh my god,” Haley says softly. He’d never met any of Luce’s family but he’d heard about all about them from Minnow so he felt like he knew them. Luce and his two younger siblings each had different fathers but they were close.

Haley’s eyes catches on the cater waiter walking past them with a tray of appetizers. He lifts his arm to signal the waiter and Luce moves into the space left open by his arm. Luce’s arm is nearly around his body when he stops short and realizes Haley wasn’t opening his arm for a hug.

“Oh--,” Luce starts, stepping back as Haley takes three small plates of savory snacks and cheeses from the waiter’s tray.

“It’s o--”

“I thought you were--”

“It’s okay,” Haley smiles, tasting a piece of the sweaty brie.

“Isn’t the food at this hotel always shitty ?”

“Yes, but I’m starving,” Haley admits with a smile to ease the tension. “I didn’t eat anything today so I could get into this outfit.”

Luce takes that as permission to look at him and Haley bites into a stale candied walnut as the stare lasts a beat longer than he expects.

“You look…really good, Alex.”

“Thank you,” he returns, suddenly feeling shy. “So, how old are your siblings now ? Zacharias is…”

“Rias just turned 19. He’s engaged to Jean’s daughter--”

“Wow.”

“ I think they want to get married before his dad passes. She's also knocked up.”

“I met her at Jean’s booth…she seems intense.”

“She’s mostly like that around Jean. Ma's going to keep the baby so they can finish school. And then my baby sister Twyla is 16…she’ll probably be the most normal out of all of us. ” he says. “ I need a a drink. Do you want one ?”

“Sure. Surprise me. Charge it to room 1708--”

“Nah, it’s on me,” Luce says touching the pocket his wallet chain was tucked into.

Luce walks towards the bar and Haley leans against the wall before slowly lowering himself to the ground. He lifts his knees up to obscure some of his outfit and is surprised by the goosebumps on the back of his neck form the anticipation of Luce coming back.

Luce returns quickly with a Jack and Coke in one hand and a Shirley temple with extra cherries in the other. If Luce is surprised to see him sitting on the filthy hotel carpet he doesn't say anything. He just slides down to sit next to him. He’d forgotten to say no alcohol but Luce had remembered he didn’t drink much.

“Thank you,” Haley says, biting into the cherry and letting the syrupy sweetness soak into his tongue.

“Are you doing okay ? Jean said you’re still with Maxwell ?”

Haley knew this would be coming.

In a moment of vulnerability he'd let Luce in.

It was the morning after Maxwell made him to eat the dog food in front of Sky. He reserved a motel room, wrote a fuck you note to Maxwell and called Luce ---the only person he knew in LA--to help him leave. But in the two hours it took Luce to get from USC to North Hollywood he’d convinced himself he was being dramatic.

It had taken more time to convince Luce everything was fine, but he’d done it and Luce had begrudgingly went home.

The next week Luce graduated and moved to Palo Alto. They hadn’t spoken since.

“Everything is better…like I said I was being a little insane,” Haley smiles through the uncomfortable memory. “Do you want to go back inside the party and see if they’ll put you in a straight jacket ?”

Luce shrugs

“I might just hit the casino. I almost never come out here--”

“Hey, do you remember the first year we came to AEX with Minnow in '91 ? And we won like 5,000 dollars at Caesar’s Palace ?”

“Yeah…shit you were barely 18, right ?”

He nods

“That was insane. You guys let me blow on the dice and cards like in the movies so we could all split the winnings.”

Luce stares at him amused and Haley wonders if he’s mis-remembering.

“Good luck charm, huh ? Want to go for round two ?,” Luce smirks.

He inclines his head to a bank of video slot machines on the opposite wall.

“You’re on!”

Luce sits down at the machine and Haley watches in amusement as Luce loses $50 to the video slot machine. He doesn’t look at all as upset about losing the money as he should be.

“Want the last one,” Luce says, turning in the chair and tossing the last chip to him.

“No,” Haley says, touching the chip to his lips and handing it back. “I gave it a good luck kiss. You started this, you should end it.”

Luce smiles and shakes his head but puts the chip into the machine.

It hits a $700 jackpot.

If Luce is excited about the win it doesn’t show on his face. Haley almost wonders if he is misreading the screen but then a fountain of chips spill into the bucket and the machine lights flash to the tune of a jaunty song. Haley starts clapping, cheering as the bucket starts to overflow with colorful chips.

“Are you sure you’re not drunk ?,” Luce laughs at his spectacle.

Luce’s laughs were rare, which was sad because they transformed his face into something heartbreakingly beautiful. Now he wants to cheer louder and be bigger just to keep Luce smiling.

“If you’re not going to act excited I’ll be excited for you. How do you not do this every night ?”

Just as the machine finished paying out, Haley spots Maxwell approaching them. His expression is neutral but Haley registers the displeasure when Maxwell notices Luce.

“Son of a bitch, if it isn't Luce Grace!” Maxwell calls out congenially. “This new security staff just don’t get it done like you did. How is the tech world treating you, son ?”

Maxwell extends a hand out and Luce casually rejects the greeting, putting both of his hands in his jean pockets.

“Could be better.”

“I hear they do amazing things up there. If you ever need some VC hit me up, I'm always looking for new investments... I see you’ve found my little angel,” Maxwell says, wrapping his arm around Haley’s waist and open mouth kissing him. “We should be getting to Xcite’s party. I talked to Darren MacBride’s agent and he wants to film a scene with you tomorrow.”

“Darren MacBride ? Really ?”

Darren MacBride was one of the few well known openly gay performers. He was nominated for Best Gay Performer of The Year every year  at the awards that closed out the Expo.

“Yes, let’s not keep him waiting.”

Haley turns to Luce.

“Do you want to come--”

“The Xcite party is invite only,” Maxwell adds tersely.

“I should see if I can find Jean anyway,” Luce rebuffs him.

“Jean Dory ?,” Maxwell asks with raised eyebrows. “I believe I saw him hiding behind that column.”

As if on cue, Jean tip toes out from behind a nearby column in a pink brocade morning jacket and his own pair of clear pleasers. 

Before Haley can say hi, Maxwell draws him toward the penthouse elevator. The concierge confirms their invite to the penthouse and unlocks the elevator for them.

“I’ll be directing your scene with Darren tomorrow,” Maxwell says once the elevator door has closed. “Naughty doctor and cute high school cheerleader with a surprise between her legs. Maybe some anal with a condom--”

“People hate seeing condoms. If Darren has his test results I'll do it without--”

Maxwell smacks him across the face.

“Did I ask your opinion?,” Maxwell spits. “Xcite is sponsoring. They make condoms. If you had half a working brain cell you’d know we need to show off their products. And don't think I didn't notice you let that meathead bastard destroy my $80 ball gag--”

“I wanted to talk to him and it was locked--”

“I decide who you talk to, Angel.”

The elevator doors open into the penthouse and they are greeted by a topless showgirl who hands  them a generous gift bag filled with jewelry, casino chips, cologne, and full sized Xcite products.

“Are you okay, sweetie ?,” the showgirl asks Haley as he tries to put on a smile.

“Poppers and coke,” Maxwell says, pulling Haley along into the party.

Maxwell does a quick circuit of the room, shaking hands and making introductions before getting a drink and settling in a corner with Xcite’s vice president of sales and Darren MacBride himself. A crowd flocks and Haley tucks himself into Maxwell’s lap as he goes into his Vietnam stories.

He’d had heard Maxwell's party stories countless times--although he did find it entertaining to see how Maxwell would change the stories depending on the audience. 

When Maxwell stands to make a point in a story, Haley slides across the couch to make small talk with Darren MacBride. McBride  was older and had been in the industry since the 70s. He gives Haley a friendly smile as he approaches.

“Eh, I mean whatever since he's paying but I don’t really like taboo shit.” Darren says after Haley explains Maxwell's concept for their scene tomorrow.

Before Haley can agree, Maxwell  pulls him to straddle his lap and forces his tongue into Haley's mouth.

“God damn, Maxwell!,” an Xcite sales rep exclaims. “How do I get one of those?"

“Don’t be a lazy fat fuck,” Maxwell punches back. Haley turns to see the decently handsome middle aged man  looking only slightly offended.

“How the hell do you get anything done with that in your bed?,” another Xcite sales rep jokes.

“You can’t be a weak  willed man. It's like having a little bitch in heat all day,” Maxwell tells the sales man, slapping Haley's bare ass. “But he knows what happens if he distracts me from work.”

Haley’s stomach burned with humiliation when Maxwell talked about him like that. As if he didn't do all the housework, cook and serve Maxwell every single meal, and run all his errands. As if their sex life had anything to do with his pleasure anymore.

“Ya'll should try our  sensory deprivation kit next,” a man next to Maxwell says, inclining his head to where a dominatrix was whipping a male submissive who had his eyes, ears and mouth covered.

“I think you’d love that, Angel” Maxwell smiles. Maxwell stands and carries Haley over his shoulder towards the sensory deprivation station. Maxwell’s small crowd of admirers follow behind like little ducklings.

Haley watches in horror as the dominatrix hands Maxwell the whip with a flirtatious smile. The man who’d been whipped was on his knees staring up at the woman reverently.

Haley wanted to want this. He wanted it be hot. It was hot in the movies he watched and books he read. It was hot in his elaborate fantasies.

But in real life it was always bad.

Haley’s next thought hits him fully formed.

He didn’t trust Maxwell to do this. He didn't trust him with anything.

“I’m sorry,” Haley says “I think I---I ate something…bad and I think—I—have food poisoning--”

“No you don't,” Maxwell snaps. “Come on. Everyone wants to see you do it, beautiful.”

Maxwell sets him on his feet and without thinking about consequences Haley heads for the penthouse door. He realizes too late it wasn’t the way they’d come in and goes through a series of hallways before finding the stairs that took him to the lower floors.

He runs down several flights to their floor and the moment his hotel room door closes the panic hits—Maxwell would be furious. He’d now fucked up the entire weekend. 

But he had a shoot tomorrow with Darren MacBride so Maxwell couldn’t physically hurt him.

He’d just do so well on the shoot that Maxwell couldn’t even be angry anymore.

Haley calms himself down and pulls the outfit off. He can’t break lock off the chastity belt and is forced to shower the best he can with it on before pulling on one of Maxwell’s well worn Army t-shirts and curling into the freshly made bed.

-3-

He’s nearly drifted off when the sound of the lock disengaging knots his stomach.

Maxwell’s footsteps stumble throughout the suite for a few minutes before coming into the bedroom. He hears Maxwell make a drink and come towards the bed. He waits to feel the familiar weight of Maxwell falling into bed next to him.

Instead he feels the sudden coolness of the sheets being pulled back, followed the sting of leather on bare thighs.

“I.ASKED.YOU.TO.DO.ONE.FUCKING.THING,” Maxwell seethes, punctuating each word with the lash of his belt. “TO NOT HUMILIATE ME AND YOU COULDN’T EVEN FUCKING DO THAT.”

The punishment was a familiar. But the intensity was different tonight. Haley holds his breath to keep from crying out and waits for the beating to be over. When the strikes don’t stop when they normally do he turns to look Maxwell in the eye. Haley hadn't seen  cocaine at the party but it must have come out after he bolted.

“Max, enough--” Haley cries breathlessly, crawling backwards to the end of the bed. “I’m sorry. I love you. Please, you have to stop, baby. I’m sorry--”

Maxwell lifts him up by his shirt and cracks the belt's buckle against his face. A thin river of blood runs across Haley’s face. He wills himself not to feel the pain but the throbbing pain radiates through him.

Maxwell forces turns Haley on his stomach and yanks his hips back to unlock the chastity belt.

“You ungrateful piece of shit. You came to me, remember ? Stumbled into my bed and begged to swallow my cum like a fucking whore. I give you everything and  all you’ve ever done is bitch and whine. Do you have any idea how many closet cases would kill to be where you are ? To have me ?”

He hears Maxwell opening the bottle of lube on the nightstand and stroke himself.

“I--”

Haley jolts. Hedoesn’t expect it so soon and his tense body refuses to relax. Maxwell pushes his face into the bed, cutting off his air.

“Without me you’d be hustling on some street corner in Hollywood,” Maxwell spits, punctuating each work with a short thrust. “Dying of AIDS in an alley--”

“Max—STOP IT HURTS--”

Out of desperation he kicks his leg back and his barefoot connects with Maxwell’s nose.

“You fucking  ungrateful bitch,” Maxwell growls, grabbing his nose as thin stream of blood runs from it.

Haley makes to run off the bed but Maxwell grabs him by his hair, pulling him back and pinning his shoulders down to the mattress with his knees. Haley hears something snap in his arm as Maxwell presses his full weight on his shoulders and picks up the belt again.

Maxwell was lost in his rage and Haley forgets about discretion as his world is narrowed to the small moments between each strike. He fights, twisting his body in disjointed shapes to get away from the pain. He lets his screams and tears come despite Maxwell’s warnings to be quiet. He didn’t care who could hear. He just needed it to end.

When it does end he is curled defensively into the corner of the bed, heaving like a trapped animal with his mouth in a silent open-mouthed scream.

Maxwell hovers over him with a bloodied face and drenched in sweat. He tosses his belt aside, pulls  a defeated Haley back towards him and covers his face in semen.

----

-4-

Haley wakes  in an uncomfortable haze on the hotel suite’s living room couch. Sunlight filters in through the window and the television clock tells him it’s after 2 PM.

He’s greeted by a roiling nausea when he sits up. He must make a sound because the bedroom door flies open and Maxwell steps out in a Harmony polo and jeans with a soft smile on his clean shaven face. There’s a small splint on his bruised nose.

The night comes back to Haley in horrifying pieces.

He flinches when Maxwell sits next to him on the couch with a trash can.

“Good Morning, Angel ” Maxwell says quietly, moving Haley’s hair aside and gingerly kissing his forehead. “You had a Percocet this morning, I know they make you nauseous.”

Haley attempts to stand but gravity is suddenly working against him and his left arm feels funny.

“Don’t get up, beautiful,” Maxwell advises softly. “I got you a some food and some ginger ale. Find something for us to watch on TV while I get your food.”

The aftermath had to be bad if Maxwell was being this nice to him. As Maxwell walks to the kitchen Haley pulls the blankets around himself. He was still naked underneath it.

Maxwell brings him another painkiller and a plastic container filled with plain iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots and a handful of tomatoes. He settles on the couch next to Haley and rests his hand casually on his blanket covered thigh.

“Do you love me ?,” Haley asks, keeping his eyes on the television as Maxwell flips through the channels.

He was terrified he’d set Maxwell off by asking too many questions too soon but he was more afraid of what would happen if he let this time go like he did every other time.

“Of course, I love you baby. Don't I show you everyday--”

“Then you can’t do this anymore.”

Maxwell frowns.

“Stop being dramatic, Haley. This isn’t one of your fucking movies. We're still men you know. We fight. You see what you did to me ?,” Maxwell bites pointing to his splinted nose. “Where is my thank you ? I missed an important meeting because I was on the phone begging Dr. Cole to write you a Percocet scrip --”

“You have to stop….stop hitting me,” he says quickly. “It’s not right—”

“You think I like doing it ?,” Maxwell snaps, throwing the plastic salad container at him, it bounces open and he’s covered in raw vegetables. “Getting an ass beating in a Vegas suite for being rude is a fucking dream compared to the shit I put up with when I was your age. I was in a war. I had a whole fucking family to provide for. All you have to do is let me give you orgasms and stop getting fat. I deserve a fucking apology.”

Haley flinches at his Maxwell's rising tone. He couldn't do this again. He couldn't take another round.

“Okay. I'm sorry. I apologize. I'm sorry, Daddy,”

“Good boy,” Maxwell grins.

Maxwell stands running his hands through his hair.

“I told everyone you got food poisoning so you’re off for the rest of the weekend. I’m taking Darren to the White Party tonight and that new PA to the Awards Ceremony tomorrow. You just sit on your cute little ass and look at these world class views until we go home.”

Maxwell kisses him and whispers he loves him.

Haley watches Maxwell stride to the door, memorizing the brush of his lips.

“Max ?,” he calls.

“Yes, Angel ?,” Maxwell turns back to him.

“I—thank you.”

Maxwell smiles his rakish smile. He was still all dark hair and charmingly handsome good looks. Just as he had been the first day Haley met him. Haley commits the image to his mind because he knows it will be the last time he’ll ever see Maxwell look at him like that.

Once the door closes Haley wraps the blanket tightly around himself and shuffles to the bedroom. He opens his  suitcase, finds his jeans from yesterday and digs out Jean Dory’s business card.

He dials the number and Charlotte Dory picks up. She happily gives him Luce’s home phone number.

“Hello ?,” a cool, clipped female voice answers. Did Luce live with a woman ? He hadn’t mentioned anyone.

“Hi. Is Luce Grace there ?,” Haley whispers.

“What ?,” she asks.

He repeats himself, trying to sound more confident and the line goes quiet before being picked up again.

“What ?,” Luce answers, sounding just as cool and clipped as the woman. Haley suddenly realizes the woman must have been Luce’s mother.

“Hi, Luce,” he says. “Um, it’s me Alex Haley--”

“Oh. Hey,” he replies, warmth slipping into his gravelly voice. “I couldn't find you again to say good bye last night--.”

“Yeah. Um, I know this is probably déjà vu or whatever…but…I think I need to leave Maxwell…For real this time.”

There’s a long pause.

“Where are you ?,” is all Luce says.

“The hotel…but I…I,” the crack he’d been trying to keep out his voice forms. “I need to get my stuff from our—Maxwell’s—house in L.A.”

“Okay, I’m on my way--”

“No,” he says quickly. “He’ll be back soon to get ready for the White Party tonight. We should—can we do it tomorrow ? When he’s at the award show ?”

“Are you going to be safe until then ?,”

“Yes,” he says more confidently than he felt.

“Do you have someone to stay with in L.A ?”

“I have some cash. I’ll just get a hotel and go from there.”

Maxwell handled all his money but he had a few hundred dollars he'd managed to keep secret. He silently chastised himself for not being more prepared.

“Hey, look…can I tell Minnow and Jean ?,” Luce asks. “I mean, I can give you a ride but they can probably help more…”

He didn’t want more people to know what he’d been putting up with but he needed help. His sister was in Chicago and he didn't put it above her to say 'I told you so' about her distrust of Maxwell when she met him at their grandmother's funeral.

“Okay. But just them.”

“Hey, um, I just want you to know you could have called me anytime--”

Haley doesn’t know how to respond to that.

“That came out wrong. What I mean is,” Luce corrects himself. “I’m glad you did.”

Haley hides out in the bedroom while Maxwell hosts a pregame party with his favorite Harmony employees in their suite before going down to the award show.

As soon as they leave, Haley calls Luce’s pager and 20 minutes later he opens the door to Luce, Minnow, Jean and a clean cut, preppy , blonde man he doesn’t know.

“Holy shit,” Minnow greets him when she sees his face, her lip curled. “That son of a bitch. I hate to say it but we need to call the cops.”

Haley flinches.

He’d seen what he looked like by now. His cheek and nose were bruised and a cut ran across his face from the hard edge of the belt buckle. He wore long, baggy pajama pants to cover the welts on his thigh and couldn’t move his left arm all the way.

“No cops,” Haley says. “I just want to leave.”

“Look, I don’t like cops either but--” Minnow starts.

“No cops, Minnow,” Jean interrupts. “They’ll just find a way to sensationalize it and blame him for it.”

“Fine. Haley, this is Alan Gray,” she huffs  gesturing to the blonde man. “He’s a resident at the University Medical Center.”

“I don’t want to be looked at--”

“He’s with me,” she explains. “He’s cool.”

“Minnow just asked me to come to help move stuff.” Alan chimes in. “But I think your lip needs stitches. I have some stuff in my car.”

“My arm…feels weird too.”

Alan steps forward and feels his arm. The touch is clinical but Haley holds his breath.

“I think it’s out of the socket,” Alan says. “I think I can just push it back in.”

“Also, I got you a room at the MBC Casino,” Minnow continues giving him a hotel key. “It’s nothing fancy. Jean and I will take your suitcase over there while Luce drives you to California to get the rest.”

“Thank you, Minnow but I can’t accept--”

“You can and will, love.” Jean steps in. “I assume you’ll need a job ? Come work for me and I’ll dock the cost of the room out of your checks until you can get on your feet. Now you two need to get on the road.”

---

-5-

“Holy shit,” Luce says when Haley opens the door to Maxwell’s house. “Didn’t know Maxwell had this kind of money.”

“He’s doesn’t,” Haley says. “He just took out his third loan against it.”

The three bedroom Spanish-style house in LA had been a starter home for Maxwell’s newlywed parents in the  40’s. When Maxwell left his partner he moved into the house and started a $700,000 renovation to make the house fit his bachelor lifestyle.

Haley breaks open the lock box under the kitchen sink to get his birth certificate, social security card and his grandmother’s death certificate.

“Maxwell has a kid ?,” Luce asks looking at Skylar’s 2nd grade school photo magnet on the fridge.

Sky’s wide toothless smile in the photo didn’t quite reach his blank eyes. Sky had lost his front teeth all at once the week before school picture day. Haley had thought the toothless smile was adorable but Maxwell had been upset with Sky for showing off his “fucked up mouth” in the picture.

“His name is Sky,” Haley nods. “He’s really sweet. He’s safe with his other dad.”

Haley leads Luce through the glass backdoor, past the pool and hot tub toward the dilapidated shed pushed into the corner of the otherwise perfectly landscaped backyard. He pulls off the rusted lock and opens the shed’s doors.

“This is everything I had when I moved in seven years ago.”

Luce had borrowed a van and they waste no time getting to work. Haley carries the boxes of old books, posters and tapes while Luce hauls the single mattress, folding table and chairs, and a small tv with a built in VHS and two suitcases of clothes.

When they finish, Luce suggest he steals something from the house out of spite but Haley is too afraid to risk giving Maxwell a reason to find him.

As they drive away from the house, Haley rifles through his old box of cassette tapes. There were hundreds.

“I never had money growing up. I went a little crazy at the record store when I got my first Harmony check,” he explains. He holds up a tape.“Do you want to see if they still work ?”

Luce steals a glance at the pyramid  of cassettes Haley had made in his lap.

“I like Faith,” Luce says.

That tape had belonged to his older sister—who had perfected stealing from the mall as a teenager---and Haley had taken it from her stash when he was 14. He’d stare at George Michael on the cover art and weave an elaborate romance between them that ended with a seaside mansion and five children.  

“Did you hear George Michael got caught jerking off in a men’s bathroom ?,” Haley says as he pushes the tape in. “I hope he’s like secretly gay. I think he’s so fucking hot, even now--”

Luce makes a sound and the corner of his mouth lifts slightly.

“What ?,” Haley demands.

“I just don’t think I’ve ever heard you curse. I mean except when you were doing fake orgasms in scenes--"

“Do not talk about my fake orgasms like that!,” he laughs and shoves Luce lightly before realizing he was being to loud.  “Sorry, I'm being loud--”

“Don’t apologize,” Luce says quickly and bobs his head awkwardly. “George Michael is fucking hot…I mean he could be bi. Like the rest of us.”

Haley bites his cheek to keep from smiling too hard. He’d always wondered but never quite asked about Luce's preferences.

Then van goes quiet as a distorted Faith comes through crackling speakers.

“I, um…I have to tell you something,” Luce says.

“I think I got it-,” Haley assures him.

“Oh. No-- not that,” Luce says. “Do you remember that first time you came to Vegas with us and we kept winning  and you thought you were good luck? We—Jean, Minnow and I---we were running an advantage play. We were counting cards.”

“No, way—”

“Yeah. We’re pretty good at it. We…we used to run advantage plays. All of us; my mom, me, Jean and even Minnow for a little bit.”

It was not the confession he was expecting.

“Your mom ?”

“She learned from my Dad. He was a math savant and did it as kind of a party trick. When he died…Ma did what she had to do. She didn’t want to bring me in but I picked it up.  It sounds bad but she had her reasons. Ma is insanely smart but she didn't graduate high school and was never married to my dad so nobody gave her a chance....the casinos all get the money they lose back from the insurance company."

“I guess...I thought…didn’t you tell me Rias’ Dad own a casino ?”

“Yeah, he owns MBC Grand. His staff caught Ma  and he was so impressed he hired her to advantage play at other casinos for him.  I joined them when I could pass for 21.We don’t do it anymore. Some bad shit went down and we all went straight.

Minnow got signed at Harmony and I enrolled at USC like my Dad. That’s when you met us. It’s why I started college at 22…I’ve always felt bad never telling you we were playing an advantage but Minnow told me not to…we were supposed to be starting over. I just… I wanted to put it out there.”

It takes him a minute to process all the new information.

“The other day…at the video slot machine. Did you cheat ?”

Luce nods.

“Ma and I discovered this code flaw in the machines. I just…It made you happy when you thought you were good luck,” he says. “I didn’t cash the chips in or anything.”

“Wait. Is that blonde doctor guy in it too ?”

Luce’s grip on the wheel tightens.

“Alan ? Kind of. He was at a bachelor party for a mark and accidentally got pulled into a job and then…never left. It’s kind of a long, convoluted story.”

“Tell me.”

-6-

It’s well past midnight when they return to Las Vegas. The awards show had ended two hours ago and Haley imagines in a few hours—after the afterparties—Maxwell will discover he’d left.

The room Minnow arranges for him at the MBC Grand is just as modest as promised. It faced an alley and held a double bed, television and microwave/fridge combination.

“Do you need anything else tonight ?,” Luce asks, dropping Haley’s suitcase into the room.

His growling stomach answers for him.

“Does anything cheap deliver here ?,” Haley asks.

“I can go get something--”

“No--”

“There’s a pizza place around the corner. I could eat too. What do you want on it?”

“I’ll eat anything.”

When Luce leaves to get the pizza, Haley looks through the  box of old pictures he’d brought inside with him. Some were proofs from old photoshoots, others were candids. They were all pre-Maxwell.

The faint sound of a drunk man arguing with himself in the alley outside drifts into the room and he turns on the television to drown it out. He settles on Nick at Nite.

During the second episode of Happy Days, a brisk knock sounds at the door and Luce steps into the room with a glorious smelling pizza box and bottled waters. Haley decides to figure out the etiquette of the situation later and flips open the box, biting into a slice of supreme pizza.

He considers sitting on the bed but then Luce might sit next to him and that would feel weird. He settles for sitting back on the floor.

“First George Michael and now Happy Days ?,” Luce asks sitting on the floor next to him. “You have a thing for leather jackets ?”

“I have a little leather fetish,” he admits before realizing it sounded like a come on since Luce was currently wearing a leather jacket. “But actually I think Potsie is the hottest Happy Days boy.”

“Postie’s not supposed to be hot--”

“He’s sweet. And I love his cardigans. Why don’t people still dress like that  anymore ?”

The pizza disappears quickly and they sit through four more episodes of Happy Days. He’s surprised when Luce laughs at the dumb jokes. He didn’t want to talk about what had happened that night and Luce seemed to sense that. He wanted to eat pizza and have nostalgia for a time that never existed.

“I guess I should head home,” Luce says when the programming switches to infomercials. “Are you going to be okay ? You have my pager?”

He nods.

“Thank you,” Haley says. “I’m going to pay you all back for your help.”

“I didn’t really do anything--”

“You did enough.”

Luce nods and leaves. Haley hears him walk down the hall and the ding of the elevator carrying him to the lobby.

He should go to bed.

He should get ready to go back to work.

But he can’t. A demon is still tapping on his shoulder telling him what he should really do.

Maxwell’s criticisms sit on the tip of his own tongue, eating him up with guilt.

“Fuck,” he says, wiping away a stay tear.

He turns the volume up on the infomercial for a psychic network, walks into the bathroom, kneels at the toilet and purges his dinner into it.

---

A/N

In Night Out, this last scene is the "first date" Haley is talking about:

“Uh,  we were talking first dates,” I say.

“Did he tell you ours was in a crappy hotel room with Pizza Hut discussing the merits of Hot Potsie ?,” Haley grins across the table.

Before I can ask what Hot Potsie is Luce speaks up.

“That wasn’t a date,” Luce tells him, a look of concern passing through his usual stoic features.

I sort of see Haley as re-writing history a little bit.

In my first draft  of So We Meet Nova tells Mason that and Haley met  Luce when he helped Haley out of a bad situation. I had this idea of the Vice crew helping him leave Maxwell and let the details of that situation float for a while and it percolated into this.

Honestly, if I was a sane person I'd just stop the serial here.

CP!Shawna: Hmm...I'm starting to think we wrote this just to Break The Cutie again

SHV: I promise this is the worst section. There is going to be some fluffitude and *flirty flirty*... but I will also be channeling some Tomfia levels of angst.

I somehow wrote references to Prince, David Bowie and George Micheal without realizing they were all taken from us in 2016...