"I need a hobby," Shatterstar announced suddenly, a finger pressed thoughtfully to his lips as he pondered his comment.  Rictor merely laughed, shaking his head as he continued to flip idly through the rows of compact discs.  "No, I am serious."

"Is this where I play into your comment?"  Julio asked with a smirk, ignoring the long tongue that shot out in indignation.  A couple across the aisle, a young man and woman, looked at them, but Julio easily ignored the gawking stares.  "What sort of hobby?"

"I have not decided.  Knitting perhaps ..."

"Don't joke about that.  If you start to knit, you're out of the bed," Julio said quietly, grinning so widely his lips were in serious danger of being split in half.  Gaveedra was still looking at Rictor dryly, so adorably cute -- *handsome*, blast him -- when he pouted.  "No knitting."

"Crochet?"

"No!"

"Needlework?"

"Will you stop it?"  Julio asked with hiss, the laughter barely held in his mouth as he shook with silent chuckles.  The couple across the aisle was frowning now, but that was a normal reaction.  They tried, they really did, but it was impossible to act like they weren't in love.  It was just wrong of them to even try.  "No needlework."

"But we do not have enough afghans, only those fourteen on your bed from your Nana," Gaveedra replied, giving the people a dirty look before turning his attentions to the music.  It was Julio's turn to use his tongue as an insult, and Gaveedra gave him a *look*, his eyes conveying with that same *look* every wicked intention Gaveedra had for Julio's tongue.  They both blushed.  "Perhaps I should become a collector. Comic books?"

"Our life is a comic book," Julio replied, "but if you want."

Gaveedra hummed under his breath.  This was truly a perplexing dilemma. "Do you have a hobby?"

"Sure," Julio said, reading the back of Metallica's ‘Black' album.  An excellent record, he thought, very moody, very sexy, a perfect soundtrack for a bit of hot love and angst, which was really the only way to mix the two.  "I collect aliens."

"Aliens?"  Gaveedra thought about this for a moment, rubbing his chin as he looked at Julio, whose eyes were set entirely on the disc though Julio could not stop the insistent smile from betraying his humour. "Very funny."

Julio laughed to himself, using a quick tap of the hips to usher Gaveedra down the line of compact discs.  This action drew another frown from the nosy couple, but neither mutant paid much attention.  Their ability to *ignore* had grown exponentially in the last few months.  "I think so."

Gaveedra drifted away to ponder the mysteries of life, and Julio shook his head, placing the blame for his lover's bizarre mood on the Fruit Loops Shatterstar had consumed for breakfast when nothing else was available.  Rictor had noticed very early on in the relationship that sugar before noon tended to result in a very hyper Shatterstar for most of the afternoon.

"You shouldn't do things like that in public, you know."

Julio looked up to see the couple standing beside him, though it was the woman who spoke to him.  He took a deep breath and tried to think of calming things like fuzzy sheep and a nice warm bed ... preferably with Gaveedra in it, preferably naked, preferably in Julio's company. Ah, yes, that was calming.  "I can do whatever I like, thank you."

"We don't intend anything mean by it," she continued despite the fact Julio was obviously trying to find where his wandering lover had wandered and where exactly he was supposed to pay for the CDs.  "You just have to be careful."

The comment slightly irritated Rictor, who was doing his best to be better than himself and just let the words lie, but he was an opinionated sort of fellow, so that idea didn't fly.  "Listen, lady, I know.  I've been with him for months now.  We know all about repression, but we weren't doing anything but talking.  I'm sorry that seems to offend you somehow, but we do have to talk.  Contrary to popular belief, we don't just grunt and give it to each other up the --"

"Julio!"  Gaveedra stepped up behind him, sparing the couple an angry glance before he pushed his boyfriend toward the cashier.  Other patrons in the store were looking at them now, but Shatterstar, born without modesty for the most part, hardly noticed.  However, he did announce rather loudly for the sake of Julio's red face, "it is impolite to stare!"

Julio paid for his CDs and left the store with Gaveedra close behind him, being all tall and terrifying like only Gaveedra could be.  When Julio finally stopped, pausing to admire some brightly coloured tropical fish, Gaveedra stepped up beside him and grinned sheepishly.

"That was fun," he offered helpfully.

Julio resisted the strong urge to grab that gorgeous body and kiss those smirking lips, finding his eyes firmly planted on the beautiful face and not listening to a word the mouth had to say, though it never stopped moving.  Quiet with everyone else, Gaveedra never shut up with Julio.

"I will collect fish!"

Julio snapped out of his daze and laughed ruefully, wanting to stay sour and angry at the world, but when the man he loved was so blasted *weird* all the time, it was hard.  "Fish?  Are you sure?  That requires you remembering to feed them and to clean the water and to –"

"Excellent point.  Too much hassle," Gaveedra decided, plucking the bag from Julio's hand to look through the new music.  He hummed as he read every song, trying to recall which of them he had heard and which would be a new and enjoyable listening experience.

Julio tapped his finger on the tank of fish, despite seven signs saying not to do it, and startled a large-eyed, black creature that scurried away in fright of the big, bad human who disobeyed the rules.  "Where to now, gorgeous?"

Gaveedra hissed out of the corner of his mouth.  "I do not think the fish heard you."

Julio grinned and playfully thumped Gaveedra with the back of his hand, ignoring the huge grin and merrily dancing eyes.  They stayed like for awhile, merely smiling at each and happy to be in each's other life, knowing that this was how it was meant to be.  Them, Gaveedra Seven and Julio Esteban Richter, together.

"I love you," Gaveedra said softly, touching his fingers to Julio's arm.

"And I love you," Julio replied, the words flowing from his mouth as concrete truth.  At least once a day, if not more, they affirmed that for each other, said those difficult words and sealed something between them.  Strange, maybe, but that was how they were.

"Let us proceed to the drugstore," Gaveedra suggested when it became obvious that they were both picturing the same thing: naked bodies, theirs, and eager tongues, also theirs, and roaming hands, which also happened to belong to them.  "Then we can go home."

"And grunt," Julio said quietly.

Gaveedra smiled.  "And make beautiful love until sunrise."

Damn.  He just had to say *that*.  "Drugstore.  Now."

Gaveedra laughed as they walked slowly but calmly through mall, pausing whenever something shiny caught Gaveedra's eyes.  Julio always waited patiently for his lover's curiosity to be sated.  Shatterstar could hardly be faulted for not being let out of the house often enough.

Once they finally made it to the proper place, Julio stood and watched as Shatterstar carefully sorted through the wide assortment of hair care products, a little know fact about which Julio had been sworn to secrecy.

"I like that one," Julio said quietly, "it makes you smell nice."

"Does it?"

Julio smiled and nodded, his arms crossed over his chest and his fingers tapping lightly on his upper arms.  With a grande gesture, Gaveedra dropped the bottle into the basket and resumed his search. Shampoo, three types, and conditioner, washout and leave-in, plus the occasional hot oil treatment and a bottle of ... something that controlled dandruff.  Julio had been amazed into silence the first time Gaveedra had dragged him along, thought it explained the shiny, manageable hair all too well.

"That's also a nice one," Julio commented suddenly, watching the bottle fall alongside the first one before the sentence even left his mouth. Absently, Julio took hold of the long, russet ponytail and gave it a light shake, twisting it around his fingers.  "Decided on a hobby yet?"

"No," Gaveedra sighed sadly, "though I am still sure that I need one."

"It's all right not have one, you know.  Jimmy doesn't –"

"He collects stamps.  I am not allowed to tell people that," Gaveedra confessed solemnly, wearing his best injured look, and Julio laughed, not quite able to imagine Warpath meticulously dealing with a stamp collection.  "I must have something."

"Why is this so important to you?"  Julio asked, letting go of the hair as Gaveedra stood.

"Besides television, training and making love, I do not seem to do anything else," Gaveedra said, his voice low and deep as he leaned closer to Julio so his lover could hear his words.  "I suppose I just wish to be a bit more normal."

Julio brushed his fingers ever so slightly against Gaveedra's face. "Then we will find you a hobby."

Gaveedra smiled and fought against his more primitive urges to grab Julio by the waist, heave him over his shoulder and find a private alley somewhere to take advantage of his lover's body.  It was no wonder neither him nor Julio got out much; leaving the house made them both want to be back in bed.

Julio watched as Gaveedra paid for his hair-care products, as well as a couple other items that the man-without-modesty had no trouble buying but which made Julio squirm when the cashier would look knowingly at them both and giggle girlishly.

Back in the mall, Julio waited patiently while Gaveedra thought long and hard about what he was good at, mostly fighting and watching television, then shook his head and focussed instead on what he *could* be good at.

"You know, one of the reasons I tried to avoid women was because they took too long shopping," Julio said casually after four hours of searching, receiving a very dirty glare from his lover and feeling immediately humbled.  "I'm joking."

"About the shopping or the females?"

Rictor arched a careful eyebrow, trying to decide whether Gaveedra was being light-hearted or sardonic, his mate had never really grasped either with any success.  Gaveedra, sensing the confusion, smiled to somewhat strengthen the point that he *was* being funny, and Julio responded in turn with a similar smile, though much cuter (in a *very* manly way) than the one Shatterstar had offered.

"I do have a hobby," Julio said suddenly, leaning over Gaveedra's shoulder as the redhead stopped to peer in the window of a poorly lit store.  "Remind to show you it when we get back.  It was meant to be a surprise, but I can't keep it in any longer."

Gaveedra turned and grinned, grabbing Julio's head and planting a quick kiss on his lover's brow.  Julio blinked in surprise and tried not to smile too wide.  A kiss.  In public.  Wow.  Julio tried to stop the giddiness from overflowing onto his face.

"What was that for?"

Gaveedra shrugged and returned to gazing at the window display, smiling to himself in that quiet way he always did, his eyes so full of hope and love and happiness that Julio couldn't help but feel the same things rise in him.

"Oh.  Wow," Gaveedra breathed suddenly.  "I know!"

"What?  Know what?"  Julio asked suddenly, snapping out of his daze. "Huh?"

"Go and find Teresa and James, I will be out shortly.  Now I will have a surprise for you, all right?"  Gaveedra looked so utterly thrilled that Julio could only nod dumbly, not even sure what store they were at and not being allowed the time to figure it out before Gaveedra had grabbed him by the upper arms, pushing.  "Julio, go.  Go.  Go.  Go."

"I'm *going*," Julio laughed, so completely confused he couldn't even pretend he had a clue.  Gaveedra kissed him again, on the gentle swell of dark cheek, and Julio blasted the fact his lover couldn't seem to find his lips.  "Do you have enough money?"

Gaveedra pulled out a credit card from thin air, holding it between two outstretched fingers.  "I have a line of credit!"

"Shit!  How do you, the illegal alien from Mojoworld, get a line of credit?"

"I took it from Domino's purse!"

Gaveedra didn't bother to spare his beloved the sixty-nine seconds Julio needed to process the fact that Shatterstar, never one to break rules, even if everyone else broke them and broke them frequently, had just stolen their leader's precious MasterCard.

Eventually, Julio was able to shake it off and head in the general direction of the coffee shop where Jimmy and Terry spent hours gazing at each other and being completely smitten with the other's existence. Julio never tried to think about why he couldn't do that with Gaveedra, just accepted that unless he wanted to bring himself grief, it wasn't allowed.

"Where's Star?"

"I'm not sure.  I've been banished here until he buys whatever it is he saw in that store window."

Teresa smiled.  "And which store was that?"

Julio blinked.  "I never actually looked .  I was distracted, you know, he was just being so ... Gaveedra-like.  Wide eyes, completely entranced by every wonder, so ..."

"Cute?"  Terry offered helpfully.

"Sure, why not?"  Julio would never actually say the word out loud, not when it so obviously conflicted with their respective macho images.  But yeah, cute did work, too well really, far too well ... but it was Gaveedra's fault.

They slowly made their way to the car, and Julio looked around for his red-haired lover, trusting he would have no problem picking the man out of a crowd, but thick fingers suddenly came down upon his face.

"You know, Jimmy, this joke never gets any funnier."

"Well, seeing you flail like this does make it worth the effort, but no, your *cute* boyfriend seems to want me to put my hands all over you."  Rictor tried to raise an eyebrow to no avail.  "Hey, Shat-man, it'd probably be easier if I knocked him unconscious."

Julio heard Gaveedra laugh somewhere close by then laughed himself when a daring hand squeezed his rear in the most enticing manner.

"Jimmy, that better not have been you!"

"You know I can't help myself, man!  You're just such a hot tamale ..."

"Will you cease trying to grab up my mate?"

"Pick up, you mean," Rictor muttered into Jimmy hand.

"No, I mean grab up.  His hands are in places mine should be."  A few slapping sounds and the slam of a trunk later, Julio found himself blinking at the harsh light.  Gaveedra was already halfway into the back of the car, granting Julio a couple sensuous and naughty looks.  "Julio? My hot tamale ...?"

Teresa regarded them both skeptically before climbing into the driver's seat, adjusting the rearview mirror so she could keep an eye on them. They had been almost too well-behaved on the trip over.  She feared they had been saving up the backseat antics for the trip home.

Julio climbed in and found his knees pinned to his chest as Warpath heaved his massive form into the front seat, using all the available room and much, much more.  Rictor shifted slightly until he was almost sideways, bending in ways no mortal man should bend ... at least not while he was dressed at any rate.

They tried to be good, Gaveedra and Julio did, but Julio's constant squirming and Gaveedra's wonderfully snug jeans proved to be too much for them.  Using the guise of admiring the view, Shatterstar ran his fingers down the neck of Julio's shirt, tickling the spine beneath.

Julio, in retaliation, squiggled with more vigour.

Gaveedra, never one to be outdone, lowered his lips onto the exposed length of neck, letting his tongue peek out and greet the familiar skin.

"Hands where I can see them!"  Terry said suddenly.

"No," Gaveedra murmured, loving that piece of neck even more than he had that morning.  It just got better, he realised, with every taste he took.  Better and better and ... oh!  Julio's hand was being daring now, too.  This was exciting ...

"Jimmy, they're tainting my car."

"We're blessing it!"

"You so are not!  Jimmy, make them stop."

So he did ... by pushing his seat back even further and twisting Julio into the semblance of a human pretzel.  One loud riiiiiiiip and one split pair of jeans later, Julio and Jimmy were smacking each other around outside the car as Gaveedra snuck inside with his purchase. Siryn just shook her head helplessly.

*Men*.

Once inside, Gaveedra ran around trying to find the *perfect* hiding spot.  Then he gave up because Julio seemed to be able to read his mind about such things, especially when it came to *Christmas gifts*, not that he was bitter, mind you.  Gaveedra and bitter couldn't possibly exist in the same sentence ...

"Samuel.  Hold this until I return to you!"

When Shatterstar emerged outside, Julio was absolutely irate about the state of his pants.  Gaveedra looked at his lover sympathetically.  They had been Julio's favourites, and together they had managed to get him out of them in record time on more than one occasion.

Like soon-to-be-now.

"Julio?"

Warpath picked the moment of distraction when Rictor lifted his head at the mention of his name to shuck the Mexican from his back and run like the blazes far away from the wraith of the smaller man.

"I really loved these pants," Julio said sadly, trying so hard not to smile and ruin the sympathy sex he knew he had to get for all his troubles.  Gaveedra laughed and hugged him tightly, sneaking a peek at the bare bottom the hole betrayed.  "Stop looking at my ass."

"But it is so cute."

"You did not just use the c-word!"

"Sorry," Gaveedra offered, gushingly insincere in his tone.  He liked the word.  He couldn't help it.  It just worked too well.  Julio was just too *cute* to find another word to hide behind.  "Do you want to see my surprise?"

"Yes, please," Julio said, fingers immediately going for the buttons of Gaveedra's pants despite the fact they were standing in plain sight of everyone.  It really didn't matter at this point.

"No, not that one."  Gaveedra laughed and batted the urgent hands away, trying to ignore the big eyes and pouting lips from Julio.  "My hobby. You have partially inspired me, so I think it is only fitting you see it."

"Oh!  You wanna see mine, too?"

Julio gave Gaveedra no chance to answer, just took hold of the warrior's hand and pulled him along until they were both breathless.  It was a long and winding trip down into the pits of their headquarters, ducking into doorways Gaveedra had never noticed before ... and the Mojoworlder began to suspect Julio really didn't have a hobby at all, just wanted some kinky sex in hard to find places.

"Close your eyes," Julio breathed, his fingers tightening on his lover's hand as they entered the room together.  Shatterstar obeyed, humouring Julio now as he expected to open his eyes to see a naked body ready for some action.  Gaveedra certainly wasn't complaining; he just gave Julio credit for being more original than this.  "Open them."

Gaveedra open them, grinning as his eyes settled on Julio, still entirely dressed, suspiciously lacking any indication of the forthcoming wild, passionate love.  He must have looked puzzled because Julio grinned and pressed his hands enthusiastically to Gaveedra's chest.

"Surprise!  You like it?"

"Why are your clothes still on?"  Gaveedra asked, scratching his head as he tried very hard to understand, and Julio laughed, gripping Gaveedra's chin and moving his eyes to behold the sight before him, and it was *quite* the sight indeed.  "Where did you get that?!"

"You like him?"  Julio asked, bouncing over to the navy blue car and intimately hugging the hood.  "I bought it off some guy in the newspaper for next to nothing, and I've been fixing it up for, God, almost two years.  Isn't he gorgeous?

Gaveedra arched an eyebrow.  "Are cars not generally female?"

"You'd think, right?"  Julio sat up and brought his knees to his chest, all but giggling in merriment as he watched Gaveedra palm the chrome of the Corvette, getting a feel for the machine.  "But ask what his name is!  Come on, I dare you!"

Gaveedra smirked.  "What's his name, Julio?"

Julio grinned.  "Star!  And now ask me why!"

Gaveedra smirked again.  "Why is his name Star, Julio?"

Julio lay back on the hood, sprawling as he spread his arms wide in a salute to the gods.  "Because nothing rides better than my Star!"

And to further his point, when Shatterstar came within groping distance, Julio lightly slapped the perfect rear, copping a feel and getting a grunt of surprise from his lover.  Evidently, it was all too overwhelming, for the innocent Mojoworlder started to laugh.

And Gaveedra laughed and laughed and laughed until he feared he might be sick, clutching his stomach as he choked viciously on some errant saliva, laughing with such vigour he was.  "How long have you been waiting to say that?!"

"Almost fourteen months," Julio confessed, climbing onto Gaveedra's back as the Mojoworlder crouched, trying to recover his bearings. Looped over his lover comfortably, he relaxed as Gaveedra stood and held Julio's weight on his shoulders.  "Of course, if you had never had the balls to tell me you returned my undying love, I would have been screwed trying to explain the name."

Gaveedra regarded his lover with humour.  "And just how could you be so sure I would," and he used finger quotations to add a bit of pizzazz, "ride well?"

Julio laughed lowly and ran a finger over the Mojoworlder's broad chest.  "Come on, Gaveedra, you're good at everything you do.  I had faith in you, mi amor.  ‘Sides, spandex doesn't lie."  Julio tightened his hold as Gaveedra laughed again, shaking his head.  "So you like him?"

"He is magnificent," Gaveedra breathed, peering in the window at the taped seats.  All right, so Star wasn't exactly perfect, but it was a *car*, and cars had so many wonderful purposes, least of which was getting from place to place.  "But now, you stay right here and I will be right back, but keep your eyes closed.  I will surprise you!  I swear it!"

"I really am sorry about Christmas.  I didn't think you'd be that obvious and put my gift under the bed," Julio muttered sheepishly as Gaveedra set him down, closing his eyes, but Gaveedra was already gone. Julio waited and waited and waited, took a peek then waited some more before he heard a noise.  "Gaveedra?"

But it drew closer, a familiar sound that Julio couldn't quite place. Nearer still and he realised someone was playing a CD ... oh no.  Julio shook his head.  No *that* collection, anything but a collection of ...

Whistling.  That was odd because whoever was whistling wasn't very good at it ... but the song, Julio wanted to scream, he hated that song.  The children, the adults, even the elderly, had taunted him with it, that vile and vicious string of words.

"Turn it off!"

But it only played louder ...

"Gaveedra, I swear to god, if you're collecting Paul Simon CDs, you're never, ever allowed in my room ever again.  Ever.  I mean it.  That song ... oh god, turn it off!"  The guitar rift started again.  "Please!"

file:// "Well I'm on my way, I don't know where I'm goin'. I'm on my way, takin' my time, but I don't know where. Goodbye to Rosie, the queen of Corona. Singin' me and Julio down by the schoolyard."

"Don't let it repeat!"

"Singin' me and Julio down by the schoolyard."  It ended, finally, and in that blessed silence, Julio almost fell backwards in extreme relief. As an artist, Julio respected Paul Simon, but Rictor could never forgive him for bringing that song into existence.  Julio took it personally. "Open your eyes, Julio."

Hesitantly, he opened his left one then his right, blinking as he expected to see every disc Paul Simon had ever had a hand in making, but he saw only Gaveedra ... and a guitar?  Julio blinked.  Yes, his lover was holding a guitar.

Oh god, the day had just improved a million fold ...

"Was that you singing?"

"Yes," Gaveedra confessed with a grin.

"Why did you never tell me you had such a voice!  I mean, bad song, bad memories, damn my name and all that crap, but *wow.*"  Julio slid up to Gaveedra and kissed him, just a quick peck on the lips and nothing more. Yet.  "I never told you about my musician fetish, did I?"

Gaveedra shook his head.

"I think they're neat," Julio confessed, his fingers dipping under the waistband of his lover's jeans, wanting to touch him so badly.  They were standing so close they could feel each other's desire.  Still, they had a few things left to say.  Pity.  "And since when do you play?"

Gaveedra shrugged.  "A man in the store was playing this song, didn't you hear it?  I took it as a sign and purchased this instrument.  I watched him for a moment or two and understand what he was doing.  And just because you are a very strange man, I am going to christen my guitar ‘Richter' but spelled properly."

"Ah, shut up," Julio muttered.  He would never live that down, even when his explanation for it (the fact that he was quite illiterate when he arrived in America) was a good one.  He spelled it like it sounded. None of that Rich-ter nonsense. "Let me show you the backseat of Star, mi amor."

"I have seen it.  It is quite attractive."

"Smartass.   I meant the car.  Look," Julio flipped down the front seat and took the guitar from his lover's hand, placing it in the driver's seat, "isn't it huge?  Climb in.  Come on, get in.  Please?  Pretty please?  With a blowjob on top?"

"Why then, yes!"   Gaveedra climbed in, the wonderful jeans so wonderfully tight against that most wonderful ass.  "Julio?  Will you be joining me any time soon?"

Julio couldn't take it.  He just had to jump his lover the minute he settled slightly on the seat.  Just had to.  It was a matter of principle.  Not only did Gaveedra play a guitar, but he was endowed like a musician.  No sock for his lover, he'd need three to match it anyway ...

"God, sex in the backseat of a car, it just doesn't get any better than this ..."

"Julio, less talk, more love ... "

And so they christened Star in the best way they knew how.